I first learned about book indexing as a profession at the Colorado Independent Publishers Association College in 2002. At the time I had just finished
my first novel and was exploring publishing options. I met a freelance indexer who told me about her profession with great enthusiasm. I filed the information away as something to be looked into further, knowing that fiction writing, however beloved, rarely becomes a career.

Upon investigation, indexing appeared to be the perfect blending of my literary interests and my personality. I’d spent the past 20 years as Realtor, while writing freelance for newspapers and magazines, as well as my own fiction and non-fiction endeavors.

On the other side of my brain, I was a mathematics major in college. Algebra and geometry were like doing puzzles, my favorite homework. Indexing gives me the very same feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction.

As Nancy C. Mulvany, author of the acknowledged standard text on the subject, Indexing Books, says, “Book indexing is something you will either enjoy or detest; there is little middle ground. You will have a knack for it or you won’t. I do not believe indexing can be taught… a very important aspect of this work comes down to the individual indexer’s judgment and communicative abilities… Like other types of writing, it is a mixture of art and craft, judgment and selection.”

As I dove into the Basic Indexing course offered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (a tried and true standard), Mulvany’s remarks in her preface were very intimidating. Happily I soon discovered I did have the necessary brain wiring and desire, and passed with high marks.

The next step was to set up my business, All Sky Indexing. Most indexers these days work freelance as independent contractors, hired either by publishers or the authors themselves. With my many contacts in the publishing business, work began to flow to me as soon as I sent out the word. Each project is interesting in its own way, and I learn from each one.

On a personal level, I lived in Hawaii most of my life, with college in Oregon and six years immediately following in Alberta, Canada. I raised my children on Maui, and moved to Colorado Springs in 2001 to be closer to my sons and their families. In 2009 I relocated to Wilsonville, Oregon.