ABOUT

With over 25 years of extensive experience in the publishing field plus a Master’s degree in Library and Information Science, I have dedicated myself to developing thorough, insightful, and creative indexes to publications ranging from computer technology books, how-to manuals, educational textbooks, travel guides, and nonfiction trade books. I have demonstrated success managing multiple projects simultaneously, meeting tight deadlines, and providing detailed, high-quality indexes. I have also served as a freelance editor and indexer for Frommer’s travel guides including guides to Paris, Australia, London, and even Disney World!

I offer a wide variety of indexing services in varied software formats and workflows, including embedded indexes in Microsoft Word and Adobe InDesign, as well as indexing from PDFs and hard copy. I have a reputation for troubleshooting and resolving problems, adapting easily to changing workflows with efficient and flexible project management.

I display my indexing versatility with specialties in the following categories:

Computer hardware and software (all levels)
Business
Career development
Religious studies
Political science
Travel guides
Education textbooks (all levels, multiple subjects)

During my 20+ years at Pearson I managed 175+ titles per year for several different imprints including Que, Sams, Alpha, and New Riders. I managed multiple indexing projects simultaneously while maintaining quality and meeting strict deadlines. I hired from a pool of 12 freelance indexers, scheduled up to 5 in-house indexers, and personally completed over 30 indexing projects per year. I solved any indexing difficulties and answered indexing-related questions from colleagues in the production department. The books I indexed ranged from 200 to 1200 pages and covered beginner- to professional-level computer topics.

Some of my responsibilities while working for Pearson were:

Manage demanding, fast-paced production schedules by continually tracking in-progress books on a spreadsheet, juggling workloads among indexing staff, troubleshooting problems quickly and efficiently, and managing time spent on individual projects effectively.
Solve problems with embedded indexing codes, including finding and fixing corrupt codes in InDesign files, troubleshooting Word codes that dropped out during import into InDesign, and rewriting QuarkXPress codes that interfered with page composition.
Test and improve indexing workflow for XML files, enabling use of streamlined process for print titles being converted to ebooks.
Collaborate with project editors, development editors, and acquisitions editors on multiple projects simultaneously while maintaining attention to detail and adherence to deadlines.
Meet strict deadlines by balancing assignments for in-house and freelance indexers, finding help as needed, and keeping track of progress on each title in production.
Contribute to meeting division’s days-in-production metric, enabling books to be published on time and maximizing sales.
Collaborate with top-selling-series authors, ensuring indexes met expectations while maintaining adherence to indexing standard practices.
Complete multiple ebook reviews.

I have been a member of the American Society for Indexing for many years. Currently, I am a member of the ASI Board and am serving as treasurer. I’ve made speaking appearances for ASI at statewide, regional, and national meetings and conventions on various indexing topics. I have also utilized these meetings and conventions to network with other indexing professionals while upgrading my knowledge of new trends within the indexing industry. My article about indexing travel guides is available in the Fall 2024 issue of Key Words, ASI's professional journal.

When I’m not working, I spend much of my free time with my husband and our menagerie of pets (dog, birds, turtles, fish), some of which were left in our care by our 20-year-old twin daughters when they left for college. We enjoy walking the dog, hiking state parks, going to high school football and basketball games, and watching movies/TV shows.

If you’d like to hear from some of my references or see more of my qualifications, you can look on my LinkedIn page. Or contact me via my contact page.