ASI News
—ASI Webinar: Embedded Indexing—Working with your Client with Jan Wright
—ASI Webinar: An Introduction to James Lamb’s CUP/XML WordEmbed with Jim Fuhr, PhD
Recent Chapter Events
—Pacific Northwest Chapter Fall 2019 Meeting
News from Other Associations
Webinar Review: Indexer Locator
Spotlight—Andrea Kappler
Did you know?
ASI News
Webinar: Embedded Indexing—Working with Your Client with Jan Wright
Wednesday, October 2, 2019
Embedded indexing involves more complex communication with your client to ensure that the project goes well. In this session, Jan Wright will cover critical questions to ask and issues that should be settled before you start work. In addition, you will receive links to documents for InDesign and Word embedding that you can adapt for your clients, helping them to take care of their indexes once you have handed off the files.
For more information and to register, visit this page.
Webinar: An Introduction to James Lamb’s CUP/XML WordEmbed with Jim Fuhr, PhD
Wednesday, October 16, 2019
Based on a text of Jim Fuhr's, the presentation will cover the basics of preparing a Word document for conversion into book form by Cambridge University Press or its affiliates.
During this one-hour webinar, you will learn:
- Reasons for embedding
- CUP/XML’s relation to other embedding programs
- Its basic operations: ease and difficulties
- Caveats and mechanics
- The future of CUP/XML
For more information and to register, visit this page.
Recent Chapter Events
Pacific Northwest Chapter Fall 2019 Meeting
The PNW Chapter met for a full day of programming on Saturday, September 14, in Vancouver, Washington, with an optional gathering for new indexers on Friday afternoon hosted by Scott Smiley at his home. The thirteen attendees had an opportunity to ask questions in a comfortable, welcoming atmosphere.
Program Chair Sam Arnold-Boyd hosted the main meeting on Saturday with twenty-one participants. Angela Howard’s presentation on “Technical Indexes with a Structured Approach” kicked off the day. After an overview of what is meant by technical books, she led us through her process of creating a high-level map of the book's content as a security blanket to guide her as she drills down to the more specific levels. Later in the day, Angela demystified “Embedding Index Tags in XML files” by demonstrating her approach.
The day also included two panels. Scott Smiley, Madge Walls, and Carolyn Weaver, with moderator Lisa Fedorak, shared their expertise on “Client Relationships,” and Scott Smiley, Madge Walls, and Maria Sosnowski discussed important aspects of “Bidding and Rates.” An “Index Comparison Activity” rounded out the day. In small groups, participants compared two indexes created by PNW experts for the same book. A business meeting provided an opportunity for volunteer recognition and the awarding of the Sherry Smith Award for New Indexers to Pamela Erwin. Most of the attendees ended the day with dinner.
News from Other Associations
2019 Purple Pen Award Winner Announced
Congratulations to Vivian Unger, winner of the 2019 Purple Pen Competition sponsored by the Institute of Certified Indexers. Her index appears in the book Too Dumb for Democracy? Why We Make Bad Political Decisions and How We Can Make Better Ones by David Moscrop (published in March 2019 by Goose Lane Editions). She wrote a 10-page index for this 240-page political commentary.
Vivian lives in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada, and is a member of the Indexing Society of Canada.
Save the Date: 2020 ISC/SCI Conference
The Indexing Society of Canada (ISC/SCI) 2020 Conference will be held June 12-13 in St. John’s, Newfoundland. Details are forthcoming on the website.
Webinar Review
Indexer Locator—Crafting your Listing for Maximum Effect with Connie Binder
For the self-employed indexer, staying in business requires continually looking for business. But if you find the process of cold calling and emailing unpleasant (or you just want to bolster your existing marketing strategy), you may appreciate a promotional tool that does the heavy lifting for you. ASI’s Indexer Locator can help you increase your client base and income with little work on your part, but your success with it will depend on the quality of your listing.
In this one-hour webinar, indexer Connie Binder demonstrates how to craft an Indexer Locator listing that reflects the unique aspects of your business and your approach to indexing, while attracting the types of clients you want to work with. Uniqueness is key to an effective listing, says Binder, since most searchers using the Locator read each one carefully before identifying a few indexers who meet their specific criteria for a project.
Binder illustrates how to optimize the many promotional text categories of your listing, including:
- opening statement (make it catchy)
- education and subject expertise (foreign language experience is a plus)
- explanation of disparate specialties (too many can seem suspicious)
- deadlines and rush jobs (your willingness to accept last-minute assignments can set you apart)
- location (a surprisingly important factor in getting hired)
You’ll also learn what to expect after your listing goes live, including the specific types of clients that typically use the Indexer Locator, and (since they may have never worked with an indexer) their sometimes-unconventional approach to communication.
In addition to covering the nuts and bolts of developing an effective listing, Binder shares her own remarkable return on investment using the Indexer Locator, as well as an intriguing statistic: While the Indexer Locator is one of the most visited pages on the ASI site, only 30 percent of members are listed. It’s easy to see why every word counts in an Indexer Locator listing.
The webinar is available here.
Spotlight
Our Spotlight this month is Andrea Kappler, who provided the cover photo for the summer issue of Key Words. If you would like to be in the Spotlight, or nominate someone for it, contact the editor, Roseann Biederman.
Where do you live now? Where are you originally from? Do you share your home with pets or family?
I live in Evansville, Indiana, which is in the southern part of the state, along the Ohio River. I’m originally from Elkhart, Indiana, at the opposite end of the state near the Michigan state line. I live with my husband of 30 years, my 24-year-old son (who works for his dad), and two cats: Ella and Tiffy. Countless caterpillars and butterflies live with us temporarily during the summer months.
What is your educational background?
I have a BA in English Literature and History, with a minor in French, from the University of Evansville. I have a master’s in library science degree from Indiana University.
Do you have any hobbies, travels, volunteer work, or other interesting things to share?
I love to read nonfiction books and research everything that interests me. I love photography, gardening, nature, and travel to natural places, like nature preserves and national parks. I also raise butterflies, mostly Monarchs and Eastern Black Swallowtails. I’m planning to add more native plants to my yard, so I can raise additional butterfly species.
What kind of work did you do before you studied indexing? Are you still doing that or other work in addition to indexing?
I have been working in libraries for 30 years, 28 of those years as an MLS librarian. I’m still working as a librarian but planning to take early retirement by the end of 2020.
When did you start indexing? When did you join ASI?
I haven’t started indexing yet, despite my plans to start an indexing business this year. At the end of 2018, my life was turned upside down when my mom died unexpectedly. I’ve been the personal representative of her estate, which has taken up much of my free time outside of work. I joined ASI in March of 2019, hoping that committing to it financially and attending the national conference would help motivate me to continue making progress on my path to becoming an indexer.
For you, what is the best advantage of ASI membership?
For me, an ASI membership provides me with an opportunity to meet and network with other indexers face-to-face, both in regional groups and at the national level. I’ve attended two regional chapter meetings and the national conference and learned a lot about what it’s like to be a freelance indexer. Putting faces to names makes a difference in any profession, especially one done in isolation, such as freelance indexing.
Did You Know?
Editors surveyed for The Accidental Indexer ranked accuracy and meeting deadlines as the most important aspects of an indexer’s work. Adherence to accepted standards and to the client’s in-house guidelines were also cited as important aspects of index quality.
Nan Badgett, The Accidental Indexer (Medford, NJ: Information Today, Inc., 2015), ch.7
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