Living in Canada and regularly working with a number of Canadian presses, I’ve had the privilege, since I’ve begun freelancing, to index several books relating to the Indigenous Peoples of Canada. There seems to be a growing trend in Canada to publish books by and about Indigenous Peoples. I’ve also… Read More »Indigenous Terms and Names, Indexing
Local history can be both a joy and a challenge to index. It can be deeply personal, both for those telling and writing the stories, and for those reading, as it reaffirms our bonds with each other and with the places we belong. The index is often the first point… Read More »Indexing Local History: Stories I’ve Been Told Series
Happy New Year! I hope your year is off to a fabulous start, whether you are hitting the ground running or easing into the new year. I recently heard the term “gentle January,” which sounds about right to me. Do I have goals for this year? Yes. Do I need… Read More »2023: Year in Review
It’s tough becoming established as a freelancer. In my last two posts, I’ve written about marketing and money. Today I want to acknowledge that it also takes time to become established as a freelancer. And that time can feel painfully slow and leave you wondering if you are ever going… Read More »Persevering Through the Dip
In my last post, I wrote about my two golden rules for marketing and building a client base. Today, I want to write about money. If you are a freelancer, or are thinking of becoming a freelancer, I assume at least part of your motivation is to earn an income.… Read More »Money Advice to Make Freelancing Easier
Marketing is tough. It may be the most fear-inducing part of being a freelancer. Especially if you are an introvert, like most indexers are. How do you find publishers and authors with books that need indexing? How do authors and publishers find you? Publishing is a vast, global industry. Where… Read More »Marketing and Building a Client Base, My Two Golden Rules
It has been seven weeks since I launched Book Indexing: A Step-by-Step Guide. It feels like that time has flown by and it feels like that time has crawled by. A book doesn’t stop (while, it kind of feels like it stops but it doesn’t really) when it launches, and a lot… Read More »Book Indexing: Post-Publication Highs and Lows
If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you are probably aware that indexing can get pretty technical. Details matter. Creativity works best when interwoven with the rules and conventions that make an index tick. All that to say, today’s reflection is going to get geeky. East Asian Names… Read More »East Asian Names, Deep Dive
Where do you put potentially embarrassing or upsetting information in an index? The information is true. It is discussed. It qualifies as indexable. But where and how should it appear? I faced this question when I received feedback last year from Adele Weder, the author of the biography Ron Thom, Architect:… Read More »Index Profile: Placing (Hiding?) Sensitive Entries
My book is officially launched! It is a surreal experience to put the book out into the world. Today, I am still sitting at home, writing an index for a client. Not much has changed in my day-to-day life. Most of the work of finalizing the book and uploading the… Read More »Publication Day! And Why I Wrote a Book About Indexing