Does my book need an index? That is a question writers should always ask. Will a search function do the job instead? The short answer – no. Indexes create a map to the information in a book. The index will inform the reader where to find a given topic. The index will inform a possible […]
Financial Challenges of Freelancing
Financially, self-employment can be hazardous. There is no safety net. No employer guarantees that you will receive a paycheck every week; no employer pays you for days you are on vacation or out sick; no employer contributes to your retirement, to your tax obligations, nor to your health insurance. You and you alone are responsible. […]
Self-Employment Joys and Woes
Is it the American dream to be self-employed? To be your own boss is often a life goal. Often, however, people are not really sure what owning their own business entails. There are, indeed, many benefits, but there are drawbacks as well. Venturing into self-employment, especially freelance self-employment, requires careful consideration. In the publishing field, […]
Publishing Industry Job Descriptions – Who Does What?
Terminology choice is the key to good writing (and good indexing) – obviously an important aspect of the publishing business. But the terminology choices for the professions in publishing remain a mystery sometimes. Recently someone posted an article on LinkedIn asking if people outside your profession really understand what you do. The answer is clearly […]
The Skills We Bring to Publishing from Our Former Professions
Indexers usually become indexers later in life as a second, third, or twelfth career move. I suspect the same is true of many professionals in the publishing world. Bringing life and professional experience to the table increases our proficiency and depth of understanding. Learning what professions or experiences other indexers bring to their indexing careers […]