I leave Wednesday morning for the Indexing Society of Canada’s annual conference, held this year in Winnipeg. Departure is now less than forty-eight hours away. This last week I have been counting down the projects I need to finish before I leave. My goal is to finish the last index… Read More »Confessions from a Tight Schedule
“How long does it take to index a book, anyway?” This is one of the most common questions I am asked by non-indexers. It is a fair question. What is this alchemy of words and numbers that I do from which an index is created? Do I actually have to… Read More »How to Marinate an Index and Other Time Factors
My childhood was conducted in three languages. At home, my family spoke English. School, from grade one to halfway through grade three, was conducted in Mandarin Chinese (half way through grade three I transferred to the English-speaking international school, where we still had daily Mandarin classes). The language spoken at… Read More »Code-Switching, in Language and in Freelance Life
Marketing is probably the one area that most stumps freelancers. Unless the skill you are offering is that of marketing consultant, this is not what you trained for. The thought of cold-calling reduces your voice to a stuttering whisper. If you are new to freelancing, you might also be wracked… Read More »Strategic and Persistent Marketing
One of the most daunting questions to face a new indexer is, where does the work come from? How do I land my first client? That experienced indexer over there has lots of work and it looks like they don’t even market. How does that happen? I will write about… Read More »The Value of a Diverse Client Base
So you have decided to be an indexer. Maybe you have taken a course to learn how to index, and perhaps you have started to build your bridge so that you can transition to full-time freelance indexing. But still, a question remains (well, probably several questions, but we’ll get to… Read More »The Benefits and Practice of Practice
So you want to be an freelance indexer. The idea of being paid to read is alluring, or you need a more flexible job that will fit around the rest of your life, or you just want to work from home. Whatever your reasons, welcome! But how, you ask, do… Read More »Freelance Career Launch Series: Building a Bridge
Christ is Risen! Yesterday, April 8, was Pascha, or Easter, for Orthodox Christians. Yes, celebrating according to a different calendar means that we are a week behind everyone else this year. Pascha also meant that my wife and I arrived at church late Saturday night, for the paschal service that… Read More »Three Songs for Third Culture Kids
Who wants a snazzy invoice? I do. I like the idea of reflecting a small part of myself in a document that is otherwise so impersonal. I also like the idea of making business, including invoices, fun. There is a part of me that has always chafed at formality. I… Read More »Readable Invoice Templates
It is that day to poke our heads up from our computers, shake loose the cobwebs of headings and locators which cling to our minds, and realize that hey! we are not alone in this business. (It is great to see you too.) Indexing can be a lonely endeavour.… Read More »Happy Indexing Day! A Tribute to the Joys (and Tribulations) Faced by Indexers