A month ago I wrote about my ideal working relationship with publishers, as a valued member of the team. But not every publisher or client is going to be ideal, and sometimes you need to know when to walk away. Walking away from a project or client is scary. Especially… Read More »When to Walk Away
Freelancers are ubiquitous within publishing. Most publishers maintain a relatively small number of in-house staff, with much of the actual production work contracted out. What does this mean for the relationship between freelancer and publisher? Before I dig into this topic, I want to acknowledge that I write from a… Read More »A Member of the Team? Freelance Indexers Within Publishing
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
When I first began to freelance, I did not know how to set a price for my work. Instead of being proactive, I accepted what my first few clients offered me, as what they offered seemed fair, I had no prices for comparison, and I was simply thrilled to receive… Read More »How to Set Prices that Sell and Earn Profit
I laughed when I first came up with the title for this blog post. It was a laugh at how absurd the title sounded, and also a laugh of recognition. Suddenly this issue was starting to crystallize into words. Work seems so innocuous, being something we do everyday. How can… Read More »Should Freelance Work Come with Trigger Warnings?
In her book Ten Characteristics of Quality Indexes, Margie Towery recommends taking a nap as a way to boost concentration and attention. Other suggestions include going for a walk, meditation, or yoga. As she puts it, “the trick is to be aware of when your productivity is suffering and then… Read More »Cross-Training for Freelancers
A couple of months ago I wrote a free email course on indexing. It provides an overview for how to write an index, from start to finish, as well as pointers for what makes an excellent index. When I first announced this project, I got a few puzzled reactions. One… Read More »Why Hire an Indexer?