If you don’t already do this, I highly recommend you begin. If a client contacts you about a project and your schedule is already full, then take the initiative to tell the client what does work for you. Something like, “I’m afraid I’m not available at that time, but I… Read More »Share Your Availability
Welcome again to another Q&A on this last Tuesday of the month. It is hard to believe that September is almost here. Today’s question is from Reed, who asks, How do you handle providing samples of past indexes for potential clients? Thank you, Reed. That is an excellent question. My… Read More »Q&A: How Do You Provide Indexing Samples?
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about fine-tuning the client flywheel, in which I discussed the value of having a diverse client base and considered shifts I may need to make as I grow my business. I received a thoughtful reply (thank you!), which prompted me to think further… Read More »Who Are Your Indexing Clients?
It is once again the last Tuesday of the month. Today’s question seems appropriate in anticipation of the New Year, as it is about beginning a freelance indexing career. The question is: I’m looking to get into the business of freelance indexing, and I am wondering if the primarily bottleneck… Read More »Q&A: Biggest Bottlenecks Starting as an Indexer?
Fall is off to a roaring start for me. September was busy. October is so far a little slower, which is good as I am still catching up on projects I didn’t complete in September. And November and December are shaping up to also be full. With a full schedule… Read More »Taming Schedules, Trying to
Before I begin another mini-series, I want to touch on a topic that has been on my mind again recently, which is turning down projects that I don’t want. This has been a persistent struggle for me throughout my freelancing career. As a new freelancer, FOMO, or the fear of… Read More »Learning to Say No (to Projects)
One of the challenges of being a freelance indexer is knowing where to draw the line on projects that are a good fit. Do you stick to subjects that you are comfortable with and for which you have prior professional or academic expertise? Or does indexing know-how mean that you… Read More »But Am I Really Qualified to Index That?
I do not check email in the morning. Depending on the day, I either first check around 12:30 pm or 1:30 pm and respond to what I can within half an hour, though I often don’t need that much time. I then check again around 5 or 5:30 pm, though… Read More »Mindful Communication with Clients