Real-Life Decision Making -- Solution
You turn down the assignment, explaining that you would love to
do it, but you are committed to another project.
The assignment that you are being offered is one that you would love to
do. Chemistry is a subject that you are very interested in, and nothing would
make you happier than to be a part of producing a book of this kind. Unfortunately,
you are already committed to another assignment.
You explain this to your editor. You tell her that you wish you could take
the assignment, but because of this previous commitment, you will have to
pass. It's not the decision you would like to make, but it is the decision
that makes the most sense.
The editor appreciates your candid honesty, and assures you she will call
you again in the near future. Meanwhile, you go on to finish the project on
which you are already working. That editor is pleased with your work, and
immediately asks you to quote a time frame for another book that needs to
be indexed.
While you are preparing the quote for the next book for the medical publisher,
the editor with the chemistry books calls you. She has another chemistry-related
book that needs to be indexed, again on a quick turnaround. And again, she
has a bonus to offer if the index is finished in the allotted time.
This time, you are able to work the two publishers' time frames
together to give them both a quality product when they need it. And you don't
have to give up time with your family to do it.
"I had to turn down doing an index that I just couldn't fit into my
schedule," says indexer Stephanie Fysh. "It was a book that I was keenly interested
in. Ultimately, I had no choice, really. Indexers need to sleep, too!"