See Also—April 2023

To Your Health

8 Tips for Healthy Eating in 2023 & How to Stay Fuller Longer

Whether you need to make it through an afternoon without overeating or you’re trying to keep your energy while not stopping for a quick bite, eating well-balanced and proper meals during the day can play a big part in helping you feel fuller for longer. Get eight helpful tips here.

Associated Industry News

The value of an index is the focus of BISG webinar

ASI members Kate Mertes and Devon Thomas were guest speakers at a recent Book Industry Study Group event for publishers titled "Index Confidential: A conversation about how indexing can make better books." The webinar was hosted by BISG Executive Director Brian O'Leary.

Mertes gave an overview of the index-creation workflow, focusing on an indexer's relationship and communication with publishers and authors, including what information an indexer needs to evaluate a potential project; negotiating pay; schedules; indexer queries; submission of the index; and post-project feedback. She also emphasized the importance of timely payments to indexers.

Thomas started her presentation with potent examples showing the value of an index versus the "blunt tool" of a full-text search. She then explained electronic publications, including the embedded indexing workflow; embedded vs. linked indexes; and the pitfalls of machine-aided indexing. She offered resources on indexing and tools to find the right indexer for a project.

Their presentations were followed by a short Q&A session, which included discussion about author-generated indexes. To view the replay of this webinar, click here

Business and Marketing

First estimated taxes due in April

For those who are self-employed and pay quarterly estimated taxes throughout the year, the first payment is due this month.

Here are the federal tax due dates for 2023, according to Kiplinger and other sources:

April 18, 2023: First payment, for income earned January 1 to March 31. This is also the date when 2022 income taxes need to be filed.
June 15, 2023: Second payment, for income earned April 1 to May 31.
September 15, 2023: Third payment, for income earned June 1 to August 31.
January 16, 2024: Fourth payment, for income earned September 1 to December 31.

Freelancers and others who are self-employed should use IRS form 1040-ES to calculate their taxes.

Kiplinger advises also checking individual state tax departments, in case the due dates vary.

Spotlight on Pilar Wyman

This month's Spotlight is on Pilar Wyman, owner of Wyman Indexing. If you would like to be in the Spotlight, or would like to nominate someone for it, please contact Laurie Hlavaty.

Where do you live now? Where are you originally from? Do you share your home with pets or family?

I live in Washington, DC, close to my 84-year-old father, though he is still working and may never really slow down. His career in government service had us living abroad most of my childhood, so I’m one of those Washingtonians who grew up overseas. I was born in Beirut, Lebanon, was raised in the Middle East, and then lived in Spain before settling in Annapolis, Maryland, to raise my children. Ten years ago, after my mother died, I returned to DC. I recently discovered my 1st and 2nd great-grandparents’ gravesites, in a beautiful, local historic cemetery. I am a fourth-generation Washingtonian.

What is your educational background?

I was a liberal arts student and majored in mathematics and philosophy while reading the Great Books at St. John’s College in Annapolis, Maryland, and Santa Fe, New Mexico. I also studied mathematics at the University of California, Berkeley, and Mills College as a National Science Foundation Minority Graduate Fellow.

Do you have any hobbies, travels, volunteer work, or other interesting things to share?

My hobbies include needlework, hiking, puzzles, travel, volunteer work as time allows, and live music. I started off 2023 walking in a Second Line in New Orleans: Laissez les bon temps roulez, mes amis! (Let the good times roll, my friends!)

What kind of work did you do before you studied indexing? Are you still doing that or other work in addition to indexing?

I started work in indexing when I was a college student in the 1980s and worked as a typist doing data entry for a professional freelancer. I’ve never really looked back, you could say, because after that initial work as a college student, I kept coming back to it. As an indexer, I feel like I get to be a student forever. That’s one of the benefits and joys of this profession.

What is a favorite strategy to help motivate or inspire when you are feeling stuck during a work project?

Just keep swimming, walking, putting one foot in front of the other, even if it is to simply put some sort of flag on an index entry you’re writing, so as to review it later. Little breaks can be good, too, to clear your head.

When did you start indexing? When did you join ASI?

I officially started my own indexing sole-proprietorship, Wyman Indexing, in February 1990, before becoming pregnant with my first child. That was exactly 33 years ago as I type this, and it turned out to be great timing. I joined ASI on my own then, too. I indexed part time when my children were small, full time since they were grown.

I’m not as active in ASI as I used to be. For many years, I served ASI actively as a leader in the Washington, DC, chapter (now the Mid- and South-Atlantic Chapter), as editor of Key Words, as the international representative, as president, and on various committees. I’ve really enjoyed getting to know and working with my colleagues in ASI and our sister societies. I treasure all those relationships and friendships.

What a fascinating ride it’s been. I’m looking forward to more.

For you, what is the best advantage of ASI membership?

For me, professional development and networking are the biggest advantages of ASI membership. I learned HTML in one of Jan Wright’s workshops, for example. I continue to learn about new tools and techniques from other indexers in the Digital Publications Indexing (DPI) special interest group.

Items to be considered for the See Also newsletter should be submitted by the 15th of the month before publication. For May inclusion, please submit to SeeAlsoEditor@asindexing.org by April 15.