Hello,

Me being a day late with this reflection seems apropos. I didn’t plan to be late, and I apologize. It has been a busy couple of weeks.

Deadlines.

Perhaps what I dread most about being a freelancer. The aspect of my business I feel like I am the most terrible at. It probably happens at least once a month that I am running behind on an index.

I hate being late. I feel ashamed when I need to admit to a client that their index is delayed. Despite trying to do better, it still happens. Yet publishers and authors still hire me, some for multiple projects. A few professional relationships span years. So, do deadlines actually matter?

I’ve given a lot of thought to why I struggle so much with due dates. Part of it is certainly my fault, whether underestimating how long a project will take, booking too many projects, or conflicts, foreseeable or not, with matters in my personal life. Or the issue may be on the client’s end, if the schedule given to me is vague or proofs arrive early or late. Often, it seems like a combination of factors that snowball. One late index pushes into the next and it takes me a couple of weeks to catch up.

I also wonder if I am simply bad at deadlines. I have a vivid memory from grade four. Our assignment was to write a short story, only two or maybe four pages. We had a week or so to complete the story. About ten pages in, I was thoroughly engrossed and nowhere close to being finished. My story featured three protagonists, each with their own very important story arc. The morning that the story was due, I hid myself in the guest room on the top floor of our house, to avoid my ride to school. I remember sitting at the desk scribbling furiously, trying to finish the story, conscious that I was rapidly running out of time. I don’t remember if I ever finished the story. I do remember the sense of panic and failure and disappointment. In some ways I am now better at deadlines. In other ways, I still tend to get drawn into projects and lose sight of the schedule and of anything else happening around me.

But to answer my question above, yes, deadlines are important. Most print books have an appointment with the printer, which can be difficult to reschedule, and so the entire production schedule, including the index, is geared towards making that final deadline.

And yet, there is often a caveat. I’ve learned a few things over the years about indexing deadlines:

• A due date does not necessarily indicate urgency. Presses often plan for two, three, or four weeks for the index simply because that is what they always do. It is not indicative of how easy or difficult it will be to write the index, nor may it be indicative of when the book is due at the printer. The due date may be urgent, but not always. It can be worth asking and there may be more flexibility than you realize.
• The best response I can give, when considering a project, is to be honest about whether or not I can meet the proposed deadline. If I need more time, it is best to ask early, when the publisher is either still figuring out the schedule or still has time to find someone else.
• Similarly, ask early for an extension, if I realize after agreeing to the project that I will need more time. This is especially true if the project was booked several months in advance, when it can be hard to pin down exactly what my schedule will look like. The earlier I ask, the easier it is for the client to be flexible.
• Again, inform the client and press early once I realize I am going to be late. You are probably noticing a theme here. As much as I hate admitting that the index will be late, it is a lot easier for everyone involved to discuss and plan a new timeline if I speak up early.

I know that some indexers say that they always submit indexes on-time. That is one of their selling points, and they are correct that timeliness is important. Kudos to them. I’ve never been confident enough to claim that for myself.

What I can focus on, though, is the quality of the indexes that I write and being someone who is otherwise easy to work with. Maybe this is partly why I struggle with deadlines, in that I refuse to submit an index that I am unhappy with. Maybe I would be more on time if I was less picky? But then, would clients return if they were less satisfied with the quality of the work?

I don’t know.

What I do know is that while meeting deadlines is important, it is not everything. Due dates are not always as firm as they appear. The quality of work also matters, as does how I communicate and interact with the client. While trying to do better with deadlines, I also focus on my strengths.

I’ve also learned that I need to take care of myself if I am going to show up and do my best work. I could stay up all night to finish an index to meet a deadline (and I have, in the past), but that then means that I am a zombie for the next few days and will probably be late with the next index. It is not worth the hit to my health. I’d rather be late.

I sincerely hope that you are better at deadlines than me. It you have a secret strategy for always being on time, I’d love to know! And if you are occasionally late, it’s okay too. Continue to do your best work. Communicate early. You do have some agency in shaping what happens.

Yours in freelancing,

Stephen

PS. My book, Book Indexing: A Step-by-Step Guide, is on sale again at Smashwords for their Read an Ebook Week sale. You can find it here for 50% off.