Indexing: the art of connecting readers with knowledge.Indexers: the detail oriented artists who make that happen. I’ve been a professional indexer for 18 years. It’s been a gift – reading books, being creative in how to make information accessible for readers, adding value to books that authors have worked so hard to write, working from […]
Index vs. search function
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 […]