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 can write the index if the due date can be extended by two weeks.”

I am often pleasantly surprised when the schedule proves more flexible than it initially appears. I would not have known unless I asked.

This tactic does not always work, of course. Sometimes schedules are firm and the client decides to find another indexer. But if I am interested in the project, it is always worth asking.

(Of course, some projects I am not interested in and am happy to let pass.)

It is important to remember that we, as freelancers, have agency. Simply responding to clients with a yes or no, without any further information, is letting the client control negotiations. So if a schedule or other detail does not work, make a counter-offer. Tell the client what does work. Give the client an opportunity to meet you partway. Now you are taking the initiative. The client has agency too and may reject your proposal, but at least you have spoken up for yourself and explored all options.

Similarly, if you see an upcoming gap in your schedule, contact past clients to see if they have any upcoming work. Let them know your availability. Assuming you’ve previously had a positive experience with the client and want to work with them again, contacting past clients can be one of the easiest ways to market yourself, because you already have an established rapport and track record. A short message puts you front of mind and may prompt them to take action if hiring an indexer has been on their to-do list.

Taking this a step further, schedule a regular, quarterly check-in with past clients. Say hi, let them know your upcoming availability and that you’d love to work with them on another project. Maybe include an article or other tidbit they may find interesting. Be a good and proactive partner, so that they don’t forget about you.

Being a freelancer can involve a lot of waiting for that next project and hoping that schedules align. But this waiting does not need to be passive. Remember that you have agency too. Make counter-offers. Proactively share when you are available. You may be surprised at what becomes possible. 

I received a thoughtful reply (thank you!), which prompted me to think further about the differences between authors and publishers as clients, and of how the two overlap.

The specific client mix is going to be different for each indexer. Some indexers work almost exclusively with authors. Other indexers, like myself, tend to work more with publishers.

There is no right or wrong client mix. You should aim for whoever is comfortable to work with and whoever is best able to meet your business goals. Your client mix may also reflect your personal background and connections. That said, there are also pros and cons to different types of clients. It can be helpful to keep these differences in mind when building and fine-tuning your client mix. 

Authors as Clients

Authors are fairly self-evident. They are either the person who (co-)wrote the book or the volume editor. Authors may be self-published, or the press has passed on the responsibility for the index to the author. Authors may pay out-of-pocket or, especially if they are academics, be using university funds. When the author is the client, you communicate and negotiate directly with the author, not the press.

The benefits of working directly with authors are that they:

• May have a larger budget, especially if they are drawing on university funds.
• Can be an effective source of referrals.
• Tend to be one-off contracts, so if the experience goes poorly, you less likely need to consider working with them again. 

The downsides to working with authors are that they:

• May have a smaller budget, especially if paying out-of-pocket.
• May require more educating about the indexing and publishing process.
• May not communicate effectively about schedules and other important details, either because they don’t understand the production process or because they are busy and forget.
• Being individuals, each author likely represents a single book. Authors can become repeat clients if they write and publish multiple books, but at best that is likely a new book every year or two. Maintaining a full schedule of authors means building and maintaining a large pipeline. 

Publishers as Clients

Publishers, in contrast, come with a different set of benefits and challenges. By publishers, I mean traditional presses, hybrid publishers, and book packagers. Basically, any larger company producing multiple books. Publishers may hire directly or be a source of referrals to authors.

The advantages to working with publishers includes:

• Repeat and regular work, if the publisher is able to send multiple books per year.
• Assuming multiple books per publisher, fewer publishers are needed to fill a schedule.
• Better understanding and communication about the production process and indexing specs.

The main disadvantages to working with publishers are:

• Smaller and fixed budgets (often, but not always).
• Risk of losing a larger chunk of work if the publisher leaves.

So far, it seems pretty straightforward. Authors can require more work to find and work with, but with greater potential financial reward. Publishers can be easier to work with and provide a greater sense of security by filling up a larger portion of the schedule, but they may not pay as well and losing a publisher as a client can be more devastating. 

There are two further nuances worth paying attention to.

Where Are Those Authors Coming From?

It can be an illuminating exercise to ask how authors find you. Are they coming via your website? A Find an Indexer listing? Referral from a friend or colleague? Or are they being referred by their publisher?

Most academic presses do not hire directly. Instead, they make the index the author’s responsibility and may give the author a list of recommended indexers. It can appear that you are being contacted by a lot of different authors (and you are), but look closer and you realize they are all being recommended by the same handful of presses. This has been my experience, for the most part.

At this point, who is actually the client? The authors are clearly clients, since they are the ones negotiating and paying. But I would suggest that the publisher is also a client. Getting those referrals requires somehow getting onto that list of recommended indexers, which likely requires marketing directly to the publisher. Being on that list, while a valuable source of referrals, also exposes you to the risk of losing all of those referrals should the press stop recommending you. 

So if you want to work primarily with authors, keep a couple of points in mind:

• The best way to reach authors may actually be to market to publishers, to get onto their recommendations list.
• Try to be referred by multiple publishers. This spreads out the risk of losing work should one source of referrals end. 

When Editors Move

If the publisher is the client, you are likely in contact with a specific editor. If it is a larger press, you may be in touch with more than one editor. The challenge is that editors can move.

An editor moving isn’t necessarily terrible news for you. The editor may take you with them to their new position and continue to hire. The editor may also pass your name to their successor, and you continue to work for that publisher. But just as often, I find, the editor doesn’t need indexers in their new position, or they don’t pass your name on, or their successor already has their own list of freelancers. It may be several months before you clue into the fact that a contact has moved, and trying to get re-established with a publisher can be like marketing to a new client. 

All that to say, while publishers can be a great source of reliable work, the real client is perhaps the editor. And editors can be much more transient. Positive relationships can end unexpectedly through no fault of your own.

To manage the risk, try to connect to multiple editors at a press (if the press is large enough to have multiple editors) or ask your contact for referrals to their colleagues. Also, work with multiple publishers. While some relationships will hopefully be long-lasting, assuming that others will end. Spread out the risk by working with a variety of publishers. 

I don’t want this post to be discouraging with all this talk about risk and the downsides to different types of clients. It is possible to thrive as a freelance indexer working primarily with authors, or primarily with publishers, or a mix of both. 

To thrive, though, I think it helps to understand who you are working with, so that you can adjust your marketing, scheduling, communication, and expectations. If you want to change or grow your business, then that may mean changing who your clients are, and how you approach marketing, communication, scheduling, etc…

Know who your clients are. Identify any weaknesses or risks. Adjust to strengthen your client base and put your business on a more sustainable footing to better withstand inevitable changes. 

And yet, I am still reminded that subject expertise is really helpful to have, if for no other reason than to make indexing more enjoyable. It is a distinctly peculiar and unpleasant feeling to finish indexing for the day and to think, “I have no idea what I did today.” To not understand any of the concepts well enough to be able to describe them.

There are definitely subjects for which I lack sufficient background. I also tend to struggle with scholarly books which are written at a highly abstract, theoretical level. When I studied for my BA in political science, I did much better in comparative politics than political philosophy. And yet I still sometimes find myself indexing books which I am not well-suited for. 

There are various reasons why. One is if I didn’t fully vet or understand what the book is about. Contents don’t always match their descriptions. Another is if there is some aspect that does interest me, and so I talk myself into thinking that the index will be easier than it actually is. Or, the project is from a regular or newish client and I want to maintain a good relationship with them. Lastly, the client has accepted my quote. If I am not sure about a project or if I anticipate the index to be difficult, I often quote high, kind of hoping that the price will deter the client. But sometimes the client accepts anyway (which is maybe a sign that I need to raise my prices overall), and I am committed to honoring our agreement. 

So how do I index books that I don’t understand? And how do I deliver indexes that the client will still—hopefully—be happy with? I use a few tactics to help me through.

• Conduct research. I identify what I don’t understand and I look it up. This can mean looking up definitions for unfamiliar words and concepts, or this can be background information to provide context for the discussions in the book. If I am in contact with the author, research can also mean directly asking the author. I don’t want to spend too much time on research, and by the time I am finished I am still not an expert, but a little bit of additional knowledge can go a long way.
• Leverage what I do understand. While I may struggle to understand the central premise or key concepts, there are often concepts and sections that I do recognize, even if dimly. Finding those can feel like finding a life preserver, a sense of traction and progress. The temptation is the latch onto what I recognize, treating it as low-hanging fruit, and neglect the parts of the book that I do not understand. I still need to somehow find a way to index those parts which make my head spin, but having something that I recognize can both inspire confidence and provide an entry point, a sort of backdoor or side entrance to the rest of the book.
• Go slow. Don’t be in a hurry to complete the rough draft or to edit. Which can be tough if a deadline is looming, but rushing and skimming won’t help me understand. Instead, read slowly. Re-read sections as needed. Spend more time reviewing and double-checking entries when editing the index. Spend time reflecting on the text and writing summaries. Engaging more deeply, while slow, often leads to better understanding.
• Lean on indexing technique. I also fall back on my knowledge of indexing. I may not fully understand the text, but I know how to read a text. I know how to identify regular discussions and supermain discussions. I know how to pay attention to chapter titles and headings, and how to  tease out terms. I know how to structure the index and how to make arrays and entries clear. Despite gaps in my knowledge, I can still put together the best index I can. 
• Fall back on pointing to information. The index, after all, is to provide access to information; it is not about rewriting the book. If I can at least identify key terms and concepts, I can point to them, even if I don’t actually understand the discussions. This is not ideal, as I fear that headings and subheadings will not be as clearly written if I don’t understand what they point towards, but hopefully I can still manage to point readers in the right general direction.

Ironically, I often get the most praise for the indexes I most struggled to write. Maybe I overcompensated for my lack of familiarity by taking extra care with the index, or maybe the client, knowing that it was a difficult subject and having low expectations for the index, was pleasantly surprised. Either way, while those indexes were not easy, it does reinforce that I can index what I don’t know.

The best option remains saying no to the project. That is the most enjoyable option, avoiding work that I struggle with. That is also usually the easier and more financially lucrative option, as the index is less work to write. I do turn down projects that I don’t think are a good fit. But sometimes I find myself with a challenge anyway.

It helps to have strategies and a plan for getting through difficult books. I hope the above gives you some ideas. As indexers, we may see ourselves as specialists within certain subjects (and may have the degrees and work experience to back that up), but clients often see us as generalists. Inevitably, a project is going to come along that is not a good fit, subject-wise. If you accept, lean into your indexing expertise. You can still deliver an excellent index.

Today’s question is:

A couple of times you referred to a mind map. Creating and using a mind map is a topic I’d benefit from your addressing in a future newsletter, if possible.

Certainly. I’m happy to discuss mind maps. In the context of indexing, I think creating a mind map is about taking a step back and seeing the index as a whole.

What are Mind Maps?

A mind map is a visual exploration of a topic or question. It can be used for different purposes, such as to brainstorm, summarize, or gather related information. It is a simple exercise, quickly done, to provide clarity before moving forward with whatever the larger task is.

To create a mind map, begin by writing the central topic or question in the center of a piece of paper and draw a circle around it. Then write related ideas around that central bubble and draw circles around those. Use lines to connect bubbles, to represent interconnected ideas. Expand outwards as needed. While mind maps can be as detailed as you want, I find, because of the limitations of a page, that mind maps work best when focused on the bigger picture. I am seeking to understand the main ideas and themes within a book and index. Keep ideas short. Beyond linking ideas, there is no need to try to rank or otherwise organize bubbles. The mind map is meant to grow organically, as ideas and relationships present themselves.

That is more or less what a mind map is. Here is an example of a mind map I wrote for an index I recently finished, on immigration in Canada.

There are several resources online (see, for example, a written description here and a video here) so I won’t go into further detail. Several apps are also available for creating mind maps, but I find pen and paper work just as well. Once I’ve organized my thoughts, I rarely keep the mind map beyond the project. 

Mind Mapping as an Indexing Tool

I find mind mapping works best as a reflective tool. Once I’ve completed the rough draft and before I begin editing, a mind map is a chance for me to review what the book is about and how all of the main topics fit together. I can then compare the mind map to the index. Do all of the main topics have arrays? Does the structure of the index makes sense, given how topics relate to each other? Where are cross-references needed? Is there anything I need to add, adjust, or remove as I edit the index?

Mind maps can also be used at other points of the indexing process, particularly at any point in which you feel stuck. You could try a mind map when beginning the index, perhaps after reading the table of contents and introduction, to clarify the main topics you need to look for and to begin thinking about structure. A mind map may also be useful at the end of the indexing process, as a final check that all topics are accounted for and that the index structure makes sense. A mind map can also be used for a subsection of the index, if you are struggling with a specific chapter or concept. A mind map doesn’t take long—maybe five minutes—so feel free to experiment and create one at any time you need to take a step back and check in with yourself and the index.

I think the value of a mind map is that is creates an opportunity to stop and reflect. The limited space on the page enforces big-picture thinking because there is not enough room for all the little details. As indexers, we can be prone to missing the forest for the trees. I’ve seen this in my own work and I’ve seen this in the work by other indexers. We can get so focused on picking up or editing the details that we lose sight of what is relevant or of how topics relate to each other. We may commit to a strategy that doesn’t really work because we haven’t stopped to think of how it fits within the larger index. Taking a moment to stop and map out topics and relationships is a way to take a step back, reflect, and see how everything fits together. With that renewed clarity, we can more confidently move forward with a plan to reach the finished index.

A mind map is not the only tool for taking a step back. Sometimes, instead of creating a mind map, I will instead write a one-paragraph summary of the book. I use the template: “This book is about…. The main topics/themes are…. The book also discusses….” This allows me to quickly sketch the metatopic, supermain discussions, and anything else that seems relevant and I want to include in the index. For example, for another index I recently wrote, I would have written this:

This book is a history of the pediatrics department at the University of Manitoba. The department is closely related to, yet distinct from, the Children’s Hospital; most faculty also work at the hospital. The book profiles multiple doctors and other staff, along with diseases and medical specialties that the doctors work within. The book also begins with a history of pediatric medicine and children’s hospitals. Space for the index is limited, to priority needs to be given to people, diseases, specialties, and other issues directly related to the department and hospital.

This summary tells me that both the pediatrics department and Children’s Hospital need separate arrays and that I need to be careful to distinguish them; that I should include an array for the history of pediatrics; and that much of the book—and index—should focus on the people, diseases, and specialities discussed, though I also need to be careful about length. Having the big picture in mind should help guide my editing decisions so I can finish the index more quickly and effectively. (As it happened, I misjudged the length and had to go back and cut more than I wanted, but the above does reflect how I conceptualized the book and prioritized entries in the index.)

Building in time for reflection is important when writing an index. Indexing requires so many decisions. It can be easy to get lost in all of the details. Being able to step back and regain perspective is a valuable skill, and mind maps and summaries are valuable tools for doing so. Gaining clarity about what the book is about and how the final index should look will help you index more effectively and efficiently.

I’m looking to get into the business of freelance indexing, and I am wondering if the primarily bottleneck to taking on new jobs is finding them or simply having the time to even manage more and more clients every month?

Thank you for the question. There are a couple of things to unpack here, starting with what makes starting a freelance business so difficult.

One factor, definitely, as noted, is finding work. A freelance business isn’t going anywhere without clients or projects. So when starting, one of the first tasks is to market. Marketing can be as simple as asking family, friends, and acquaintances for referrals. Marketing can also be more involved, such as researching and contacting publishers that you’d like to work with. However you decide to go about marketing, yes, finding clients and projects is an important bottleneck to break through while developing a freelance indexing business.

Another important bottleneck is acquiring and building indexing skills. In addition to landing projects, you want to make sure that you are doing a good job. This is important for building your reputation and for encouraging repeat clients and referrals. Long term, filling your schedule is going to be much easier with referrals and repeat clients, as opposed to constantly needing to find new clients because past clients don’t want to return. So to avoid client churn, focus on delivering excellent work. (And, on a related note, be someone who is easy to work with.)

If just starting out, building indexing skills can feel like the classic chicken and egg dilemma. Should you focus on developing skills first and then look for work? Or can you go ahead and look for work, knowing that your skills are still a work in progress? I think you can go ahead and start looking for work, so long as you know more than the client. But remain open to feedback and be intentional about continuing to learn. Treat each project as an opportunity to practice. It may take time for your skills to improve, and you may lose some clients along the way if mistakes are made, but the important thing is to be aware of those mistakes and to keep trying to do better next time. After fourteen years of indexing, I am still on the lookout for ways to improve. Over time, as your indexes get better, repeat work and referrals should come.

The last point I want to explore is the question of time and client management. With the question phrased as “having the time to even manage more and more clients every month?” I wonder how many clients or projects you anticipate each month. For myself, I usually index 4 to 6 books per month. I am also in contact with clients about potential upcoming projects, whether negotiating details or checking in to see if proofs are on schedule. Many of these projects are for repeat clients, which usually means less management on my part because we have a history and certain details are already settled. So for me, at least, client management usually does not require a lot of time.

If anyone requires a lot of time, it is usually new clients, especially authors who may not know much about indexing or publishing. These can require additional work educating them about the process or explaining what I need to do my part, though I also use boilerplate language that I can customize, which helps to cut down on the time needed. 

As more work comes in, you will need to figure how how much work you can reasonably accommodate. More work may also prompt you to figure out how to streamline your process so that you can index more quickly (I still think about how to index more efficiently). More indexing work can also mean less time to market. This is where repeat work and referrals come in handy because once those relationships and systems are in place, they often don’t require much maintenance. But if you are having trouble retaining clients, or if you want to expand or shift clients, perhaps to indexing a different type of book or to higher paying clients, then that will require a new marketing effort, which can be difficult to find time for.

For now, though, when starting out, I think the main bottlenecks are finding those first few jobs and building your indexing skills. Gaining experience is tough, but if you keep at it, your efforts should begin to snowball. Focus on delivering excellent work and service, and clients should return or pass your name along. Once that happens, finding work should be easier, your schedule will begin to fill up, and you are moving past being a brand new freelancer.

Today’s question comes from Reed, who asks,

How do you manage the stress of lulls between projects? I’m still in my first couple of years and I usually end up with enough work, but sometimes there are weeks at a time where things are very slow.

I am glad to hear you have enough work most of the time. I remember when I began freelancing. It took about three years for me to feel like I was consistently getting enough work.

I also hear you on how stressful lulls between projects can be. Even if we can reasonably assume that more work will arrive in the near future, the uncertainty about when that work will arrive and where it will come from is stressful. Especially if there are also bills to pay or another reason for needing the work. 

I’m not certain if I am the best person to answer, to be honest. It has been several years since I’ve experienced a significant unexpected lull. I do experience times when work slows down, or the volume of queries drops, or projects are delayed, but I almost always have proofs for at least one project on my desktop. If anything, I wouldn’t mind a few lulls now and again to catch up on other tasks. If I want time off, I need to book it in advance and tell my clients that I am not available.

So, my problem right now is more like the flip side to yours. Maybe you’ll find this encouraging, in that as your business grows, lulls should decrease in frequency and length.

But still, what to do about the lulls now?

My first suggestion is to take advantage of these lulls to do something else. As the adage goes, what opportunity does this enable? You can’t directly control when clients offer you work, but you can decide how to use your time. Do you have business admin or business development projects waiting to be completed? Are there chores around the house that need to be done? Or do you want to take the day off? Perhaps keep a to-do list of non-urgent tasks specifically for these lulls, to take your mind off worrying and to continue to move your life or business forward.

My second suggestion, to help reduce the frequency and duration of these lulls, is to work on widening your client base. Part of what keeps my schedule full, I think, is that about a dozen different publishers regularly either hire me directly or refer me to authors. Further, about half my work is indexing scholarly books and about half is trade. This matters because every publisher, as well as scholarly versus trade more broadly, follow somewhat different schedules. With a diverse client base, I don’t expect work from every publisher all the time. Some publishers only send me 2-3 books per year, which is nowhere near enough for a full schedule. But cumulatively, the projects add up. I can be reasonably certain that a project will arrive, even if I don’t know from where. So perhaps look at who your clients typically are, and see if you can both find a few new regular clients and find different clients than who you are currently working with. Aim for diversity. 

Lastly, be proactive drumming up new work. I’m not sure how comfortable you are marketing; it is definitely not my favorite task. But instead of waiting for work to come along, it’s acceptable to check in with past clients and say, “I’m available!” You never know what that may lead to. Or, as I mentioned, try reaching out to new potential clients, to widen your client base and as one of the tasks you can do during a lull.

Lulls between projects can certainly be stressful. They also pass. And as freelancers, we also need time to work on our own businesses. While client work pays the bills, business development keeps the business alive and healthy. So while working towards reducing the frequency and duration of lulls, also try seeing these lulls as an opportunity. 

And keep going. Sounds like you are in a good place, Reed. I hope your indexing business continues to grow. Thank you for your question.

With a full schedule also comes scheduling challenges. Part of this is on my end, if I underestimate how long an index will take to write or if something else comes up that sets me back. Running late on one project can snowball into the next, and before I know it I’m running behind for the next few weeks trying to catch up.

On the other end are clients with delayed, shifting, or vague schedules. Sometimes this works to my advantage. I’ve had two projects originally slated to begin in September which I am thankful are now delayed. Sometimes this works against me. It seems like almost every project I’ve been offered for November and December have come with the qualifiers “maybe” or “probably.” Should I expect three or four proofs to all arrive at once or for the indexes to all be due in the same week? Or will they be nicely staggered? I don’t know. 

All of this busyness and uncertainty has prompted me to think more intentionally about how I book and schedule projects. While I do keep a fairly full schedule, I don’t enjoy being too busy and feeling overwhelmed. 

I’m being more intentional in the following ways:

• Checking in with clients a month before proofs are due. Sometimes, even two or three months in advance, if the original schedule was tentative and I’m trying to see if I have space for another project. In the past, I would check in with some clients, but not all. My new policy is to check in with all clients. It is not that I don’t trust my clients, but rather an acknowledgment that even my best clients are often busy and may forget to send an update. More importantly, I need to be responsible for my schedule. Being proactive about checking in is giving me a greater sense of confidence in my schedule, and, so far, has helped to identify a couple of delays earlier than I would have otherwise heard. 
• Being open with the client if I am not a hundred percent confident about the schedule. This may mean telling them that I can’t fully commit until they give me firm dates. This may also mean being honest that I have a number of other potentially overlapping projects at that time and that I don’t fully know what my schedule will look like. Being open like this accomplishes two things. One, it gives the client an out if the client prefers an indexer with a lighter schedule and a firmer yes. Which has happened and I don’t blame the client for going elsewhere. Two, it gives me an out if my schedule becomes too full. When I accept a project, I fully intend to do my best to honor my commitment, but if my schedule turns out to be truly too full, I don’t want to be stuck juggling too much.
• Develop my subcontracting capacity. I’ve begun telling potential clients, especially if I’m uncertain about the schedule, that I may want to bring on a subcontractor. This gives me another option without having to give up the project entirely. I don’t want to spring this on the client at the last minute, and so I am bringing this up early in case the client is not comfortable. In terms of developing subcontracting capacity, I am creating resources for subcontractors, including my own style guide, and providing a lot of feedback so that the subcontractor and I can learn to be on the same page.

I am already seeing benefits from this more proactive approach. By being more open, I am not making unrealistic promises and I’m presenting different options for delivering the index on time. I’m able to learn sooner if there is flexibility with the schedule. I feel more confident that I have the support in place to deal with unexpected shifts without too much additional stress. 

Subcontracting on a more regular basis, like I am trying to develop, as opposed to maybe a couple of times a year, is a change for me and still a work in progress. I’ll have a better sense in a few months how it is going. But I’m pleased so far and am feeling hopeful. 

I have long thought of myself as a small, one-person business. Managing a host of subcontractors and producing hundreds of indexes per year does not appear to me. And yet I do feel my limits as a single person. Perhaps what I want is to remain a small business while also having good support, a buffer against the uncertainty and the shifting and overlapping schedules. I think scheduling will always be a challenge, but it can be anticipated and managed. That is what I am trying to become better at.

This has been a persistent struggle for me throughout my freelancing career. As a new freelancer, FOMO, or the fear of missing out, was very real. Job offers could be far and few between, and I was inclined to accept any offer that came my way, regardless of how good a fit the project actually was. Now being more established, I typically receive more offers than I have room in my schedule, and yet I still struggle to say no to projects I don’t actually want.

I find it easier to say no when there is an obvious, objective reason that I can clearly explain to the client: My schedule is already full. The subject matter is too far out of my knowledge base. The budget is too low. But what about when there is no objective reason? Can I simply say no? Do I need to explain myself?

For example,

• I don’t like the client. Maybe I previously worked with them and had a bad experience. Or maybe I’m seeing red flags in my correspondence with them. 
• I am not interested in the subject of the book. Am I capable of writing the index? Yes. Have I indexed similar books in the past? Probably. Do I need to be passionate about every book I index? No. But the work is more enjoyable when I am excited about the subject. 
• I am not comfortable with the subject or with the author’s point of view. This is a little different than whether or not I find the subject interesting. Sometimes books go against my beliefs and values, though this is not always obvious until I start reading. Have I indexed books that I disagreed with? Yes. Do I expect to agree with everything I index? No. As a professional, I also strongly believe in my responsibility to remain neutral and to index the text that is in front of me. And yet, if I can tell upfront that I’m going to strongly disagree with the author, do I really need to put up with that? At what point is it okay for me to say no?
• I don’t like the budget. Sure, it is not a terrible budget and a pay check is money in my pocket. But I also know that other clients are willing to pay more. 
• I want to hold out for something better. Maybe the subject and/or the budget are acceptable, but not great. Am I allowed to wait for something better? The absolute worse case scenario is that nothing else comes along and I end up with a hole in my schedule, with no work and no pay check. The more likely worse case scenario is that nothing better comes along and I eventually agree to a different project that is also kind of meh.

Re-reading this list, I feel guilty. I am very much a people pleaser, for better or worse, and I feel like I should be able to say yes, regardless of how I feel. And yet I also know, though painful experience, as a one-person freelance enterprise, that I do not have time for every project that comes along. Being more selective is both a privilege and a necessity, so that I don’t feel overwhelmed, so that I don’t burn out, and so that I can give my best to the work that I do accept. 

And so I come back to this question of how to say no. 

Part of my struggle saying no is that I believe that I need to justify my decision. And while I do need to clear on the reasons for myself, I don’t actually need to justify it to the client. This may seem obvious to you, but it has taken me several years to come to this realization. 

All of this came together recently when I received an offer from someone I previously worked with several years ago. My previous experience working with the client was fine, but it was for a book I wasn’t comfortable with. This time, again, I had mixed feelings about the subject matter. And so even though I had room in my schedule, I declined, writing, “I’m afraid I am not available to index this book.”

That was it! The client accepted what I wrote, I recommended a few other indexers the client might try, and we moved on. 

For all of the work and anxiety that went into writing that reply, saying no felt so liberating. I’m not stuck indexing a book I’m ambivalent about and my schedule is free for a better fit to come along. And, I now have a response ready for when I simply want to say no, with no explanation. 

I hope you have an easier time saying no than I do. As I am learning, it is a helpful skill to have. If you are a newer freelancer, I understand that it can be hard to say no, and that sometimes the only way to learn which books are a good fit is to learn through experience. Long term, though, not every book is going to be a good fit, and I think part of being a successful freelancer—both financially and in the enjoyment of the work—is learning when to accept and when to turn down.

A few months ago I started tracking my time when I index. I had previously done so, but not effectively and I eventually gave up. This time, I’ve created a new system and a new spreadsheet that is much easier to use, and I am a lot happier with the results.

One of my insights so far is that I spend about an equal amount of time drafting and editing. I have to admit that this surprised me. I knew that editing took up a fair amount of time, but I didn’t realize that the time spent is often about 50/50. For some indexes, I actually spend a little more time editing, making the time split closer to 45/55 or even 40/60.

Reflecting further on my process, I tend to spread drafting the index over 3-6 days, depending on the length of the book. Whereas I tend to edit within 2-3 days. When drafting, I am learning what the book is about. When editing, I am fully immersed in the index and I treat it more like a sprint. It probably also helps that by the time I get to editing, the deadline is looming.

I’m realizing that I also tend to draft quickly. I do try to write a fairly clean draft, taking into account context, clarity, and relevance, as I previously discussed. I believe in trying to set myself up for an easier edit. But I also know that this is not my final draft and that some things won’t become clear until I’ve read the whole book, and so I also try to keep moving.

Editing an index, for me, is both seeing the index as a whole and going through the index line by line. I like to give myself space between drafting and editing, which usually means sleeping on the draft and beginning to edit the next day. This helps to give me some distance so I can more clearly see the whole index with fresh eyes.

I usually begin by skimming the index, making note of the larger arrays for the metatopic and supermain discussions. This reminds me of the structure I am aiming for, and is a chance to consider if I want to make any major changes. I then start at the top of the index and work my way down, line by line. I know some indexers edit using multiple passes, each pass looking at a different element. I think I would go utterly cross-eyed and unable to make sense of the index if I tried multiple passes. Instead, my goal is to fully edit the array in front of me before I move on to the next. This may mean jumping around the index to also edit related arrays, and sometimes I will go back to re-edit an array if I change my approach, but generally speaking, I systematically move through the index.

With each array, I am first of all looking for clarity. Does the main heading and any subheadings make sense? If there are subheadings, I look to see if any can be combined or reworded, or if subheadings need to be added for unruly locators. I consider if anything needs to be double posted, and check to make sure that is done properly. I consider and check cross-references. I investigate any notes I may have left for myself. I also spot-check a few locators to make sure I understood the text properly. I may also run a quick search of the PDF to see if I missed any references. I don’t check every locator, which I think would be very time-consuming—to a certain extent, I need to trust that my drafting process was thorough and accurate—but these spot checks do provide peace of mind and I do sometimes find errors.

Reviewing arrays with no subheadings is usually quick, unless I’ve left a note for myself or I decide to spot check. Arrays with subheadings take more time. If an arrays has 20+ subheadings, I may spend as much as twenty or more minutes making sure that the array is in order. I often find the larger the book, the larger the index, the more subheadings there will be, and the longer editing will take.

Considering my process, I do wonder if I can shave off time. I could spot check a little less, especially for simple arrays with no subheadings, trusting that I picked up what was necessary. I can also pay more attention, when drafting, to larger arrays, so that editing them isn’t so onerous. I could also explore using more macros and patterns for batching tasks such as double-posting or removing subheadings. What I like about my process, though, is that it is thorough and I can clearly see what is completed and what is still to come. Editing line by line helps to keep my thoughts in order.

Other Approaches to Editing

My approach to editing is not the only approach, of course. I’ve mentioned making multiple passes. I also know of indexers who do a quick edit at the end of each day, while drafting, so that the draft is cleaner. I’ve also heard indexers who say that they do such a thorough job drafting that the editing process only takes them a couple of hours. I don’t know how that works for them. I seem to need a lengthier editing process for the index to gel and come together. And that’s okay. We are all different. What matters is that you find a process that works for you.

I find it interesting to hear how others index, even if it is not something I would do myself. I hope this glimpse into my process gives you something to think about.

Happy New Year! 

I hope your holiday festivities were heart-warming and restorative. My wife and I started ours with our car dying the night before we planned to hit the road, though the holidays did get better from there and we are thankful for a few days with family. 

I don’t usually make New Year resolutions. I think that is largely due to a fear of failure, and of not knowing how to actually implement these goals and aspirations. Change is hard. But I have been thinking recently: if there is one thing I could change this year that would have a significant impact on my life, what would that be? I have decided that that one thing is to make friends with my calendar.

What do I mean by that? Why do I often feel like my calendar is my enemy, or at least a puzzle that is impossible to decipher? There are a number of reasons. Especially as my business has grown in the last few years, I have often felt like my schedule controls me. I feel like I need to work on evenings and weekends in order to meet deadlines, which means making trade-offs with other activities that are also meaningful. I realize this may not be so much a scheduling problem so much as an I’m-accepting-too-much-work kind of problem, but either way it boils down to feeling out of control and overwhelmed.

The problem goes deeper, however, as I have struggled with setting schedules for myself since university. This seems counterintuitive, as I actually thrive on routine. And therein lies the problem, I think. My tendency, when I devise a schedule for myself, is to stick to it as rigidly as possible. Interruptions or other unplanned changes cause me to panic and get disoriented, and eventually I abandon the schedule for a more reactive, and stressful, mode of being. I seem to be in a bind where not having a schedule is not serving me well, yet my typical approach to scheduling and calendars is also not serving me well. I need to find a better way. 

So how do I become friends with my calendar? I mentioned this resolution to my wife, and she astutely pointed out that it is quite an abstract goal. 

I agree with her, and I am okay with that. I am realizing that my relationship to my calendar and schedule is multi-faceted. There is coming to terms with my years of fears, anxieties, and frustrations with schedules. There is learning how to productively handle changes within a schedule. There is finding a scheduling framework that seems to work for me. There is understanding my own biorhythms so that I am working with myself, rather than trying to cram myself into an artificial construct. All of this will take time to figure out and understand.

One book I have read recently is Make Time: How to Focus on What Matters Every Day, by Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky. What I appreciate so much about their book, compared to some others I have read about calendars and schedules, is their acknowledgement that everyone is different. They offer eighty-seven tactics to try, but fundamentally their approach is to experiment and be reflective about what works and what doesn’t. I found it incredibly freeing to realize that I don’t need to have the perfect schedule right away, but I can take time to develop it, and that setbacks along the way are part of the process. Indeed, as I age and other life events happen, my schedule will probably continue to evolve. 

The book also discusses a scheduling technique from Cal Newport, who wrote the book Deep Work. In this technique, you write a new schedule for yourself every day, and leave room to revise the schedule as needed. This provides a mechanism—which I have been sorely missing—to thoughtfully acknowledge that change can and will happen, and to recognize that the remaining time can still be reallocated and used productively. I’ve been trying this for a week now, and it has been a helpful tool for reflection. I have handled interruptions better, and on the flip side, it has also helped me stick to my schedule when I’ve been tempted to change for no good reason. 

Another new initiative I’ve been using for about six weeks now is to put up white board wall stickers in my work space. This has been a fantastic change for me. I think I am still learning just how tactile and visually-oriented I am, as I am enjoying both seeing my work on the wall and the physical labour of writing, crossing out, and erasing. Borrowing the concept of sprints and burndown charts from a book I indexed, I list all of my current projects for a two-week period so I have the constant visual reminder of what I need to accomplish. I also graph my progress each day, so I can see where I am with each project. The whiteboard is also a great space to brainstorm, to write notes, and to make lists. I use it every day.

I already have some ideas for what else I want to try this year to become more comfortable with my calendar. I am happy with some of the results so far, and I am sure more ideas will come up as I experiment and reflect. I am hopeful that 2019 will be the year I finally get a handle on my schedule. I wish you all the best in your endeavours this year too.

What are some of the ways or resources you use to keep your calendar in order?