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 short answer, to be honest, is that I currently do not provide samples.

In the past, I would often refer clients to Amazon to view indexes I had written via the “Look Inside” feature. I would also link directly to Amazon from the portfolio on my website. I don’t often do this anymore because Amazon has become much more unreliable about making the index visible. This strategy can still work, but I would double-check that the index is still there before directing clients.

Now, I simply maintain a portfolio of recent projects on my website. I am occasionally asked for a list of similar books that I’ve indexed, to which I reply with a short list. Would it be better if I sent them an actual index or two? Possibly. But these requests do not happen very often.

I realize that samples can be more important for others, though. Especially for someone who is still building their business or if their business is primarily built on continually finding new clients (say, mostly working with one-off authors rather than repeat work from publishers). Samples can showcase your indexing skills and establish credibility. If you find yourself in this position, I definitely recommend having a few samples on hand.

Samples can either be from past client work or written specifically to be a sample. Past client work can make a stronger case because it is proof that someone else thought you good enough to hire, but a practice index can showcase your abilities equally well. You can also replace samples with better ones as you gain experience and your portfolio deepens.

If using an index that you’ve written for a previous client, I would ask for permission from the author and/or publisher. I don’t know if permission is legally necessary—that may depend on the contract you’ve signed, if any—but I think transparency can go a long way to building good will and to avoiding awkward questions later. Asking for permission also signals that you think the index is worth showcasing, and that may cause the client to themselves feel better about the index and about you as an indexer, and may make them more inclined to return as a repeat client. So be transparent. I think it unlikely that the client will say no. The worst that can happen is that you end up choosing a different index, from a different client, to use as a sample.

When selecting samples, I would aim to have a variety on hand, to represent the various types of books or subjects that I specialize in or want to write. While any sample is better than no sample, it is best if you can send the client a sample that is similar to their own book. 

Once I have permission for the samples, I would make them accessible. Post them to your website. When negotiating with potential clients, either point the client to your website or offer to send them a sample. Personally, I would not send unsolicited samples. Not all clients want them and I don’t want to come across as pushy. Better to give the client a choice.

Going beyond samples, consider creating case studies. This is something I’ve been challenged about recently and am experimenting with, though I haven’t yet finished one. By a case study, I mean taking an index and walking through your decision-making process. What were the challenges of this index? What decisions did you make to meet those challenges? Why these decisions compared to other options? Where a sample simply presents an index for viewing, a case study unpacks the work that went into the index, showcasing your expertise and judgment. A case study can be more work to put together, but can also be more valuable.

If you don’t yet have any samples or case studies, I would begin by selecting, asking permission, and making accessible a few samples. Once those are in place, consider turning one or two of the samples into a case study. Experiment and see how potential clients respond and if either samples or case studies make a difference in landing projects.

Clients want to know that they are making the right decision in hiring you. There can be various ways to provide that reassurance, including positive recommendations or testimonials; an online portfolio or list of similar books indexed; or articles, blog posts, or conference presentations which highlight your authority and expertise. Samples and case studies can also add credibility. Ultimately, be able to show and explain that you know what you are doing. 

I don’t want to change the publishers and authors that I work with. There are a handful of publishers I’ve worked with for almost as long as I’ve been freelancing. I am grateful for these long-standing relationships and would hate to lose them. Yet as my business changes, I wonder if some of my clients and I will part ways.

My main concern, right now, is with price. I have been raising my prices to help raise my income to a level which is in line with my current financial needs and goals. I had a good discussion earlier this year with one of my anchor clients in which my contact acknowledged that they want to continue to work with me and that they want to pay me fairly, and yet there is a limit to how much of a price increase they can accommodate. We did settle on an increase, for which I am thankful. I would be very sad to lose this client. Yet a part of me is still uneasy, wondering about the next time we have this conversation.

For me, a key part of running a sustainable indexing business is having a diverse mix of clients and projects. Even my biggest clients provide no more than fifteen or twenty percent of my total income. I currently work with about fifteen different publishers, both trade and scholarly, who either hire me directly or refer me to their authors. Some of these publishers only hire or refer me for one or two books per year, but cumulatively it all add up. 

I don’t want to be too dependent on any one source because clients come and go. Over the fifteen years I’ve been freelancing, it has happened at least five or six times that a publisher I’ve worked with has gone out of business, was downsized, my main contact left, or… I don’t fully know the reason why I stopped hearing from them. But because I have a diverse mix of clients, occasionally losing one, while sad, doesn’t make much of a difference to my schedule. There are enough other offers coming in to fill the gap.

Maintaining a good mix also means that I am not tied to any single production schedule. Publishers tend to follow an internal production cycle, which depends on the types of books they publish and the audience they sell to. Think trade publishers releasing books in time for Christmas or textbook publishers preparing for the start of the next academic year. By working with a variety of publishers, there are certain times of the year I may index more trade, other times of the year more scholarly. Either way, my schedule stays full. 

A mix of projects also provides variety and respite. Some books are more of a grind to read and index. Having a different subject to switch to, or a different audience, can feel like a break even if it is still indexing.

So if you are a newer indexer, I recommend diversifying your client base and project mix. Specializing can be a excellent tactic to be distinctive and to simplify marketing, as well as to play to your strengths and subject expertise, but try to have three or four specialities, not just one. An anchor client or two who send multiple projects per year is great, but don’t stop there. Try to have at least six publishers, if not a dozen, who regularly offer work. If you primarily work with authors, be intentional about asking for referrals and expanding your network. The best way to ensure steady work is to have work from multiple sources. 

Over time, a wide client base should self-perpetuate. Satisfied clients become regular, repeat clients. Satisfied clients also pass your name along, leading to new clients. The need to actively market lessens because enough offers keep coming in. This has been my experience over the last several years. It is an excellent and fortunate position to be in. 

And yet.

As my business goals change, as I seek to optimize income, as I seek projects and clients which are a better fit for me, I may also need to proactively shift who I work with.

This is the part which is a pep talk for myself, because change is hard. I want my clients to like me. I don’t want to say no to reliable sources of work. Yet while serving the client is important, I need to remember that my business also exists to serve me. I am choosing to freelance in order to earn a certain level of income and to have a measure of control and flexibility in how I work. My client and project mix should support these goals as well.

I am not planning on making drastic changes, but I think I do need to be prepared for some change. I need to be prepared that I may price out clients as I raise rates. Being proactive, I can identify and fire my lowest paying clients, to make room for those with larger budgets. I can also look to see which books and subjects are most lucrative for me to index and which I earn the least on. Either I need to raise prices for those low performers or I need to turn down those offers and focus marketing on what I am good at. I want to maintain a diverse mix of clients, while also acknowledging that there are likely potential clients out there who are a better fit for my current goals whom I am not yet working with. The trick is to somehow find them. 

For experienced indexers, I think it is important to periodically check in with our business goals and to see if our current work aligns. Change can feel risky, especially if everything seems to be going alright. But improvements can often be made. Change can be incremental, more like adjusting the course. Change does not need to be wholesale reinvention. 

Whether you are a new indexer or experienced, how do you find your current mix of clients and projects? Are there any relationships you want to keep and strengthen? Any clients you want to get rid of? A dream client you have yet to land?

This is partly driven by external factors, often the need to earn a little more due to changing financial needs. I’m no longer the twenty-something kid I was when I first began freelancing, renting a small room in a dilapidated former convent and cruising around Vancouver on my secondhand touring bike. Those were the days, with no money and no responsibilities.

Partly, I’ve also realized, I don’t enjoy doing the same thing over and over again. I find it gets repetitive and boring. In a way, indexing is perfect for this because projects are usually finished within a few weeks and I can move onto the next book. On the other hand, constantly cycling through projects can itself become repetitive. I don’t need to completely change my business to inject a sense of freshness and excitement, but I do need some change, some outlet for experimentation and growth.

While contemplating change, though, I also want to look back on what I’ve done. Today, I want to reflect on my decision to double-down on indexing, which may be of interest to some of you as you also work on building your own businesses.

It’s common for indexers to offer multiple services, usually other tasks within the book production process, such as copyediting or proofreading. I did this too when I began freelancing. This strategy has a lot of value. Offering more services may appeal to a wider clientele, which can lead to more projects and a fuller schedule. More services may also mean working with individual clients longer, contributing more to their books. Switching between tasks can also be a mental break and help prevent boredom and burnout. 

And yet, offering too many services may also lead to certain problems. Such as,

• Feeling spread too thin
• Not having enough time and opportunity to deepen skills
• Offering a service that you don’t actually enjoy
• Offering a service that doesn’t pay well
• Lacking a clear brand or reputation

If any of these issues feel true for you, you may want to consider narrowing your focus and leaning into a niche.

This is what I’ve done as a freelance indexer. Indexing has always been my main focus, but when I first began freelancing, I also offered proofreading and image research services. Image research quickly dropped off, as that was only really for one former employer, but I continued proofreading until three or four years ago, when I finally told my last proofreading client that I was no longer available.

I decided to double-down on indexing for a few reasons:

• To do more of what I enjoy. While proofreading wasn’t bad, I enjoy indexing more. It was getting to the point where I often had to pass on indexing opportunities because I was already committed to a proofreading project, and that bugged me.
• A clearer focus. I’m not an effective multitasker. I find I’m able to get more done when my focus is narrow, and that includes focusing my business on a single service.
• More income. I realized that I was earning more per hour indexing than I was proofreading. Financially, it made sense to focus on my more lucrative skill. That said, I am not saying that indexing inherently pays better. I know editors who have come to the opposite conclusion, dropping indexing to build their editing business. What I am saying is to pay attention to the services you offer, to how you charge for each, and to how much you are able to earn. Some services may be earning more than others, which may mean that you need to adjust your pricing or that the lower paying service should be retired.
• Develop my skills. Since I enjoyed indexing more, I decided that this was the area where I wanted to develop my skills as much as possible. Having a single focus meant I had more time and opportunity to practice and grow.
• Build my reputation. When authors and publishers hear my name, I want them to think indexing. I think that is easier to accomplish when indexing is all I do. 

Leaning into indexing took time. I did not stop proofreading overnight. I first stopped accepting new proofreading clients, grandfathering in existing clients. Over the next few years I gradually accepted more indexing projects and eventually told my proofreading clients that I was no longer available. I think I could have stopped proofreading sooner, but I have to admit it was hard to say no to editors I had worked with for years. (Though thankfully, a couple of them still hire me to index!)

All that said, while I do consider indexing to be my niche, can I really say that I am solely focused on indexing? I do have this newsletter, after all, and have written and published Book Indexing: A Step-by-Step Guide. Maybe I’ve simply replaced proofreading with writing and haven’t really doubled-down on a niche after all.

I think the answer is yes and no. Yes, I also write and I want to continue writing. As I wrote at the beginning, I need a creative outlet. I don’t want to index a hundred percent of the time. And yet indexing is where I earn my income, and most of my writing, for now, is about indexing. Indexing remains my niche and I am happy to be here.

Perhaps another way to put this is to say that now that I am more established as an indexer, I am in a more solid position to branch out again. Leaning into this niche used to be the new thing that I pursued to grow my business. That has worked to bring me to where I am now, and now I am ready for the next new thing (though I expect to remain an indexer for a long time to come). And so I circle back to this question of change. 

Perhaps what I am really trying to say is that there is no single way to grow a freelance business. And that the strategies we use can change over time. What matters is being mindful. Pay attention to what kind of business you want to have. Pay attention to the services you offer. Pay attention to your clients and whether or not they are a good fit with your goals and services.

As a one-person business, I know that I can’t do everything myself and that I can’t serve every potential client out there. And so who do I serve and what do I do? Whether you offer one service or multiple, consider finding a niche and leaning in. Create a space for yourself and become the best that you can be. 

I’ve also noticed a number of authors who seem to be ghosting me. I respond to their queries, sent them an estimate, and never hear from them again.

This is actually good, from my perspective. It means I don’t have to say no and that time slot is kept open for someone who does want to work with me. I am receiving more offers than I can accept, so while I do appreciate a response to inform me that the author is choosing to work with someone else, I don’t mind when potential clients filter themselves out.

I assume some authors simply forget to respond because they are busy. I’ve certainly done that. But why are potential clients choosing not to hire me? Am I doing something wrong in how I present myself, or am I actually doing something right? While I don’t know for sure, I have a few guesses based on the interactions I do have. I think there are two main reasons why I get ghosted, plus four additional reasons why I may not get the job. 

• I’m too expensive. Especially for authors paying out of pocket. I am sympathetic to authors on a budget. I know that indexing can be expensive and that I am not the cheapest indexer around. I also don’t want to be the cheapest. I believe that the quality of my work and my years of experience is worth something. I am also mindful that I am freelancing in order to earn a sustainable income. So yes, I suspect that I am too expensive for some authors, and I’m okay with that. I see my pricing as a filter, because I know while some potential clients will find my quotes too high, others will find my quotes acceptable.
• The client doesn’t value or understand what indexing entails. This is also related to price, though not because the client is unable to pay. I sometimes get the sense, from what the potential client writes in their query or the questions they ask, that they see indexing as data entry. They don’t consider all of the analysis, skill, and time that goes into interpreting the text, selecting terms, and structuring the index and arrays. So my quote seems outrageously high for what, to them, seems like a simple and menial task. It is frustrating when potential clients don’t value or understand what it is I do, but I also don’t want to waste my time writing a terrible index to make a low price worthwhile. If the client and I can’t agree on the value of the index, then we are better off going our separate ways.

Those are the two main reasons why I think I get ghosted. But projects can also fall through for other ordinary and legitimate reasons. Here are four common ones I see.

• Another indexer responds first. Some authors contact multiple indexers and seem to choose the first indexer who replies. While this is incentive to reply quickly, I also find email incredibly distracting, so I’m okay losing out on the occasional project if it means I can carve out uninterrupted time to work.
• Going with a firmer yes. Some authors don’t have firm dates yet for the index when they contact me. This makes it difficult for me to give a firm yes, especially if my schedule is filling up and I’m concerned about overbooking. Whereas another indexer may have a freer schedule or more flexibility. Which I understand and no hard feelings from me. 
• An embedded index is needed. I don’t write embedded indexes, so once I realize what they need (which the author doesn’t always realize themselves), I need to reply and decline.
• My schedule is full. Sometimes I simply don’t have room and I need to say no. 

It still stings when I get rejected or ghosted by a potential client. There is a hit of validation when schedules align and the client decides to accept my quote. But I also recognize that I am in a privileged position. As someone running a one-person business, there is a limit to how many indexes I can write per month. The question becomes: how can I filter the offers and queries to find the best clients and projects to work with?

Part of the answer is pricing, as I already discussed. I am looking for clients with larger budgets.  Marketing—the information I put out about myself—is also important. Can I find projects and clients which align with my own interests? Cultivating long-term relationships with certain publishers and editors is also important to me, as I enjoy their books and they have provided a lot of work over the years.

If you are an experienced indexer and feel like you are drowning in work and queries, then maybe it is time to raise your prices. Some clients may leave, and that’s okay because you can’t serve everyone. Saying no to a potential client, or having a potential client say no to you, can sometimes be the best outcome because it leaves room for a better client and project to come along. Who do you most want to work with? Focus on attracting and serving those clients. 

If you are a newer indexer, what I am writing today may seem irrelevant. I remember being a new indexer with an empty schedule waiting for anyone to get in touch with any project. But as your experience and reputation grows, your schedule should begin filling up too and you will hopefully reach the point where you will need to turn down work. It helps to be prepared for that day, even if you just make a note at the back of your mind that that day is coming. Again, who do you want to work with? How can you adjust your pricing? A no to one project means a yes to something else. 

Before I dig into this topic, I want to acknowledge that I write from a place of having previously been on the inside, and from also now having been a freelancer for about eleven years. When I first began working in publishing, I worked in-house for two different publishers. I developed a strong sense of publishing as a team effort, with each person, whether in-house or freelance, contributing to the finished book. As a freelancer, I have retained this sense of being part of a team, and in my ideal working relationship with a publisher, we respect each other as team members. That said, I am also aware that many freelance indexers do not have in-house experience, and that publishers can come across as opaque and unapproachable. 

This reflection draws upon my own experience and what I would like to see. Your experiences and ideal working relationship may be different. I am curious to hear what you think, in the comments. If you are a new freelance indexer, I hope this gives you some ideas for what a positive working relationship can be like.

To start, let’s look at a couple of recent experiences I’ve had.

The Editor Who Couldn’t Care Less

Some publishers, or at least certain editors within those publishers, couldn’t seem to care less about the freelancers supporting their work. I encountered this a few months ago when I was hired by an author to index their book, which was being published by an independent academic press. (For the sake of this reflection, I’m keeping authors, editors, and publishers anonymous.)

Indexing guidelines were scant, though it seemed that both run-in and indented formats would be accepted. Working with the author, I submitted the index in run-in format. To our surprise, the editor unilaterally changed the format to indented, on the grounds that indented is easier to read. I actually agree with the editor on the format, but that’s not the point. If the editor felt so strongly about the format, they should have made that clear upfront.

We asked the editor about the change, and the editor confirmed that the press does indeed accept both run-in and indented formats, except, I guess, when the editor decides they know what is best. Reverting to run-in format was not an option. I followed up with some additional concerns, since the structure, as I originally envisioned it in run-in format, no longer worked quite as well. I also asked that in the future the editor provide clearer instructions, to avoid this extra and unnecessary work caused by this unilateral change. In reply, the editor made very clear that they had no interest in communicating with me nor in providing clearer instructions. The editor stated that they primarily work with scholarly authors who apparently get confused by too many instructions, and so the editor is used to taking whatever the author provides and formatting it as they see fit.

The irony is that I had already been hired by a different author to index a second book for the same press (which I submitted in indented format). The editor seemed unaware and uninterested in the fact that at least some of their authors were hiring professional indexers. Even if I am not in direct contact with the editor, I would suggest that we are still on the same team, and that better communication, whether directly or in the form of clearer indexing instructions, would make for a better book and a smoother production process for both of us.

The Editor Who Gets It

That same author who hired me to write the first index later passed my name on to a friend, who turned out to be the manager editor for two small university presses. That editor got in touch and, after a few emails back and forth sorting out the details for how we might work together, wrote, “Welcome to the team!”

Guess which editor I want to work with.

Being Part of a Team

Every publisher and project is going to be different. Some publishers prefer to be hands-off, making the index the author’s responsibility and not wanting to be in direct contact with the freelancer. I understand that the in-house editors are often very busy juggling multiple books. I respect the desire to be hands-off and I let the author take the lead on how communication flows between me, the author, and the press. In other cases, I am hired directly by the press, and so I am in regular contact with the in-house managing or production editor. For complicated projects, I may also be put in contact with the copyeditor, proofreader, or designer—whoever is best placed to answer my questions—which really does feel like I am part of the team. 

As a freelance member of the team, I recognize that I am being hired to perform a service. I realize that I don’t always get the final say, and if the author or publisher insist, I will revise the index as asked, even if I disagree. That said, part of being a team also means having my role and expertise respected. I appreciate at least being consulted on potential changes and to have my opinion taken seriously, even if the author or press ultimately decides otherwise. Respect also involves clear communication, whether direct, through the author, or through the indexing guidelines, so that I can properly do my job and have a way to ask questions. 

Being a freelancer also means recognizing when I am not part of the team. This took me a while to learn, as I was initially used to being part of the in-house team. But as a freelancer, I work with multiple authors and publishers. What is best for my business is not necessarily in line with what the publisher wants. While working together with authors and publishers on specific books, I also need to have boundaries with clients, to be able to say no when a project or publisher is not a good fit or if my schedule is already full.

For me, at least, it doesn’t take much to feel included. I don’t need a small gift or card at Christmas (though it is a lovely surprise when it occasionally happens), nor do I need to be included in company-wide meetings (though again, a nice gesture, especially if the meeting pertains to freelancers and my time is compensated, as did once happen). What matters is feeling appreciated. A word of thanks for the index. A willingness to answer questions. A desire to work together again in the future. Basically, an openness to a positive professional relationship that makes it easy to get the work done. 

What are your thoughts on the freelancer-publisher relationship? Do you feel part of a team? Or do you feel shut out or disrespected? What do you look for in a positive working relationship? Please feel free to reply in the comments and let me know.

Main headings, which kick off an entry or array, usually describe a single person or thing. It could be a name, or a government agency, or a physical object, or a concept. It is concrete and identifiable. Which is what we want in a main heading. Readers need to be able to clearly identify what it is they are searching for.

But sometimes the thing that we are trying to describe is complicated, and it is okay for the main heading to expand and help carry the weight of the text.

I ended up taking this approach for the index for The Other Great Game: The Opening of Korea and the Modern East Asia, by Sheila Miyoshi Jager (The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2023). This is a delightful history, squarely within one of my favorite areas to index—East Asian studies—while also quite challenging in its scope and length, at about 570 indexable pages.

This book is about the colonial jockeying for power and control over Korea, with Korea ultimately becoming a protectorate of Japan. One of the challenging aspects was all of the intertwined relationships. Korea is a key player, of course. Japan is also involved, and wanting to be taken seriously as a great power. Russia also has its interests and influence. China is a waning influence, though still trying to exert itself. Though less involved, the other Western powers—US, Britain, Germany, France—all played a role as well.  Much of the book covers the diplomatic back-and-forth as all these powers try to figure out what to do with Korea (instead of respecting Korea’s independence). From an indexing standpoint, what is the best way to index all of these relationships?

Most of these relationships, say between Korea and Japan, or Japan and Russia, are too large to be contained within a subheading or two. These are relationships that span decades, and include wars, lengthy negotiations, and shifts in the balance of power. With so much material to cover, double-posting these relationships under each respective country would have led to enormous, unwieldy arrays.

The solution I landed on was to make the relationship itself the main heading. So, “Korean-Chinese relations,” “Korean-Japanese relations,” “Japanese-Russian relations,” etc… I still had arrays for each country, for subheadings specific to that country, but the bulk of the entries fell under these various arrays for these relationships. This meant that under Korea or Japan, for example, there are several arrays, which break down the discussions into manageable, yet still clearly defined, portions.

This also raised the question of which country to prioritize in the main heading. Should it be “Japanese-Russian relations” or “Russian-Japanese relations”? Because Korea and Japan were the two biggest actors, I decided to let them take the lead, so to speak,, with the Western countries generally being listed second.

These main headings also required a lot of cross-references from the other countries. As I mentioned, double-posting wasn’t a viable option due to the sheer number of entries. Better to pick a single array to place entries under, and then use cross-references to point readers in the right direction. For example, “Russian-Korean relations. See Korean-Russian relations.”

If you are interested in seeing all this in action, you can view the index here, on Amazon, using the Look Inside feature.

The number one goal for main headings is that they be clear. A confused reader is less likely to find what they are looking for. But while keeping clarity in mind, you can also play with main headings to better match the discussions in the book. Some subjects and relationships are more complicated, and a longer, multi-part main heading may be the clearest and best option.