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Stephen Ullstrom

Professional Book Indexer

2x award-winning book indexer and the author of Book Indexing: A Step-by-Step Guide. I teach you how to write excellent indexes, along with reflections on succeeding as a freelance indexer.

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Featured Post

But Am I Really Qualified to Index That?

Hello, One of the challenges of being a freelance indexer is knowing where to draw the line on projects that are a good fit. Do you stick to subjects that you are comfortable with and for which you have prior professional or academic expertise? Or does indexing know-how mean that you can index anything? I think it is a bit of both. I consider myself a generalist, with some caveats. I am comfortable with most trade books, written for a general audience, since I consider myself part of that...

12 days ago • 3 min read

Hello, A few months ago I wrote about financial practices for freelancers that I find helpful in my own business. I’ve been wanting to write about money again, specifically about setting rates. Rates are a constant and ongoing issue, of how to set rates, and when to raise rates, and whether or not rates are appropriate. But the truth is, I don’t think I have any good advice. I do set prices for my indexing work and I have raised rates, but it so often feels like trial and error that I don’t...

26 days ago • 3 min read

Hello, I found myself thinking last week about the value of making a plan before starting an index. It is something I do as part of my indexing practice. But what do I mean by making a plan? While I discuss elements of making a plan in my book (especially in the “Get Ready” section, though the whole book, really, is to help you make a plan to tackle your index), I don’t think I’ve previously pulled together what it is I mean when I am beginning an index. So, assuming you understand the basic...

about 1 month ago • 4 min read

Hello, A month ago I wrote about my ideal working relationship with publishers, as a valued member of the team. But not every publisher or client is going to be ideal, and sometimes you need to know when to walk away. Walking away from a project or client is scary. Especially early in my career, I was loath to pass up an opportunity. I needed the paycheck and would say yes to books that I either had no interest in subject-wise, or were beyond my skill level in either subject matter expertise...

about 2 months ago • 3 min read

Hello, Living in Canada and regularly working with a number of Canadian presses, I’ve had the privilege, since I’ve begun freelancing, to index several books relating to the Indigenous Peoples of Canada. There seems to be a growing trend in Canada to publish books by and about Indigenous Peoples. I’ve also noticed what seems to be a further trend in the books I index, which is the preference for using Indigenous terms and names over their English translations. Often to the point where the...

2 months ago • 6 min read

Hello, As you may have noticed, I am trying out a slightly different look with these emails. I am also trying out a new name for this newsletter, Indexing Matters. I like the wordplay. As in, matters pertaining to indexing, while also emphasizing that indexes do actually matter in the realm of books and information management. What do you think? A Member of the Team? In today’s reflection, I want to reflect on the relationship between freelance indexers and the larger publishing industry....

3 months ago • 5 min read

Hello, Local history can be both a joy and a challenge to index. It can be deeply personal, both for those telling and writing the stories, and for those reading, as it reaffirms our bonds with each other and with the places we belong. The index is often the first point of contact with the text, as readers search for the people, places, and memories that they hold dear—or even search for themselves. Over the last few years, I’ve had the honor and pleasure of working with Elaine Thomas, an...

3 months ago • 7 min read

Happy New Year! I hope your year is off to a fabulous start, whether you are hitting the ground running or easing into the new year. I recently heard the term “gentle January,” which sounds about right to me. Do I have goals for this year? Yes. Do I need to accomplish them all in this first month? No. I had a good break over the holidays unplugging from work, and I’m also taking my time preparing for 2024. As part of getting ready for 2024, I am still reviewing 2023. I don’t think I’ve shared...

4 months ago • 5 min read

Hello, A big thank you to everyone who wrote after my last email, about my grandfathers’ dying this fall. That was a lovely surprise and meant a lot. Thank you all very much. This last month has had its ups and downs. I have gotten caught up on work, sort of. It helps that a couple of projects that I was expecting have been delayed until January. I was also quite sick a few weeks ago. I am feeling physically better and am trying to wrap up the last of my December projects before Christmas,...

4 months ago • 1 min read

Hello, It has been a few weeks since I last wrote. A lot has happened. I am not quite ready to get back to writing about indexing and freelancing, but thought I should still write an update to let you know what has been happening. In Memoriam Both of my grandfathers, Jan and Peter, died this fall, on October 1 and November 3, respectively. They were both in their nineties and in declining health. My family and I had been anticipating for a while that they were nearing the end, though we...

5 months ago • 3 min read
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