Interview by Janet Scarborough
with Carolyn G. Weaver, M.A., M.P.A., Indexer, Weaver Indexing Service
What is indexing?
Indexing is the process of providing organized access to information
in any form -- books, journals, technical documentation, or Web sites. An
indexer assigns subject headings or coding that will allow information
to be retrieved in a systematic fashion.
I personally specialize in health, behavioral, and social sciences
book and journal indexes, as well as consulting on thesaurus and database
design. However, an increasing market for indexers is indexing
Web sites and technical documentation. Indexers are needed for
virtually every subject specialty.
What does a typical day look like in your job?
I tend
to stick pretty much to a traditional 40-hour week, deadlines permitting. I'm
up about 6 a.m. (the cats see to that!), tend to household chores, and
am generally at my computer by 7:30 am. I always check email first
(since most of my clients are outside the Puget Sound) and then start
on the day's project. When there's an index in progress, I work
until around noon (with a couple of breaks for email and to get the blood
flowing), take an hour for lunch and a session on the treadmill, and
then am back indexing until around 3:30. I'm typical of most indexers,
in that I can't do actual indexing more than 4-5 hours a day; the brain
fries! So by mid-afternoon I generally switch to marketing, returning
phone calls, or catching up on bookkeeping. I'm also treasurer
of the American Society of Indexers (ASI) and so generally spend some
time on ASI business. When I'm on deadline, it may be necessary
to work evenings or weekends to get a project out the door, but I've
managed to minimize that since I started indexing full-time.
I take frequent breaks for email and phone calls during the day;
it's a necessity since the majority of my clients are in other time zones. It's
also a necessary survival technique for a freelancer who doesn't see
many people in the course of the day -- which is why I often schedule
errands during the day. It gets me out of the house and in contact
with live humans!
What do you like best about your
job?
1. Getting paid to read stuff I would never encounter
otherwise. If I hadn't indexed it, it's unlikely that I would
have read many books on Chinese tongue diagnosis, weight lifting,
Seattle architecture, the European political economy, or alternative
life styles among Native Americans -- not to mention (voluntarily!)
neurochemistry, pain management, or genetics in the popular media.
2. The freedom to schedule my own day. I can work whenever
and wherever I want to -- including on the back deck, in a campground
in the Cascades or in an RV with my husband at the wheel. As long
as I have access to email (which is used for client contacts and delivery
of indexes) and FEDEX (for delivering and receiving documents), I can
work anywhere.
What are the most challenging things about your job?
1.
Marketing (I _hate_ cold calls!).
2. Meeting unrealistically short
deadlines. The index is the last piece before a book goes to press,
and editors often fail to allow adequate time for a quality job. On
the other hand, rush jobs often pay better!
3. Indexing subjects
that are not in my core specialties. Although I don't accept projects
which are totally outside my area of expertise (e.g., physics, mathematics,
some very esoteric topics), it often requires homework to clarify concepts
in peripheral areas before I can index them.
4. The feast-or-famine
aspects of freelancing: turning away jobs during very busy periods
and agonizing when nothing is in the pipeline.
As a freelancer, how did you build
your company?
I was a moonlighting indexer (in addition
to a full-time job as a medical librarian) for nine years, before
moving to full-time indexing in 2000. I did two large mailings
in the early 1990's, and since then have relied almost exclusively
on word-of-mouth for marketing. I joined and became active
in the American Society of Indexers in 1992, and much of my work
comes from referrals from colleagues. I've gotten work from
several online marketing tools and directories (including ASI's
Indexer Locator), as well as from my Web page at
http://www.mindspring.com/~cgweaver
.
My experience seems to be typical for most freelance indexers: it
took about three years from the time I started marketing as a moonlighter
until I started turning down work for lack of time. Since then
I've had about all the work I can handle by myself. And networking
with other indexers is definitely the best way to
build business!
What was your professional background before launching your company?
I
was a medical librarian for 35 years, which gave me a solid background
for medical indexing. The last nine years I also moonlighted as an indexer
15-20 hours a week.
What is your educational background?
I have masters
degrees in Library Science and in Public Administration. I'm a "MEDLARS
dinosaur" who was trained in database indexing at the National Library
of Medicine.
Although I'm self-educated in book and journal indexing, the USDA
correspondence course is the formal training for most indexers today. A
lot of indexers also receive on-the-job training from publishers or database
producers.
What skills are most important to succeed in your work?
1. Analytical
thinking - you have to index what the author means -- not just what he
or she says!
2. Organizational skills - indexer's spice cabinets
and bookshelves are usually organized.
3. Curiosity and a broad
interest in a variety of subjects.
4. Ability to see multiple
viewpoints (indexes have multiple audiences).
5. Attention
to detail, including spelling and proofreading.
6. Fanaticism
about meeting deadlines
What advice do you have for someone who wants a career in indexing?
1.
Don't give up your day job! It takes about three years to build
a client base to the level that you can be self-supporting as a freelancer,
so you must have sufficient resources (savings or another source of income)
to keep you afloat until your business takes off.
2. Invest in the
tools and training to do the job right. Dedicated indexing software
pays for itself with the first job, and it's very hard to meet client
expectations without it. And don't undervalue your services. Even
a beginner should be
charging professional rates.
3. Develop
networking relationships with other indexers. It's the best investment
you can make in building a business.
Are there any commonly held misperceptions about your career that
you would like to clarify?
Although some authors index their
own books, a successful career as an indexer requires a substantial investment
in training, computers and software, and office equipment and supplies.
It's hard work, requiring ongoing education (formal and informal) and
a willingness to make whatever adjustments that are necessary in
your
personal life to meet deadlines. Freelance indexers usually don't get
rich, but they can earn a comfortable living working at home.
What is the income range for persons in your career?
According
to ASI's 2000 salary survey, the average annual income for full-time
indexers was $45,000-$50,000/year; for all indexers (including part-timers)
the average was $25,000-$29,000. Hourly fees ranged from $15-$60
per hour ($29.67 average). Per-page rates (the most common billing
method) were $1.75-$8.50 ($3.21 average).
What are your long-term career goals?
I'm now on my
second career, so freelance indexing is what I want to do for the rest
of my life. Once my husband retires, I intend to index my way across
the U.S., delivering indexes from every one of the 50 states!
Any other comments?
For further information about indexing
as a career, see the ASI Web page at
http://www.asindexing.org
.
If you would like to hire Carolyn for her indexing services, you
can contact her at: Weaver Indexing Service
Phone: 206.930.4348
Fax: 425.746.2263
Email:
cgweaver@mindspring.com
Web:
http://www.mindspring.com/~cgweaver
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