Indexing Services
   Home     Recent Indexes     Rates     Contact   

Indexing Services


"Maria --  it was a real pleasure working with you, and we are quite pleased with the
indexes that you did for us.  I appreciate your taking the time to think through what
would be the most useful for the index users who, of course,
are unfamiliar with the
subject matter and technical terms.  I hope that we can work with you again."

- Barbara A. Lee, Rutgers University
Co-Author of
The Law of Higher Education, 4th Edition - Student Edition



Index Plus can create a back of the book index, or an index for your periodical.  A solid index makes your book easier to use, makes your book more likely to be purchased, and makes your book a better choice than a similar book without a good index.   Indexes for other materials, such as periodicals or documents, can also be prepared.


Why do you need an index?
  •  An index makes your book easier to use, which is more attractive to the people or libraries considering your book for  purchase.
  •  Book reviewers comment on indexes that are especially well done as part of a book review.
  •  A helpful index pleases readers who are looking for information they recall reading somewhere in your book.  What's more  frustrating than trying to find something you remember reading, but due to a lack of an index you can't?
  •  A good index raises the value of your book.
Why should you hire Index Plus?
  •  Maria Sosnowski has earned a Certificate of Practical Competency in Indexing from Index West, a Certificate of Participation  for the Building Indexes and Taxonomies for Legal Materials workshop by Enid Zafran and Kate Mertes, and has completed  the ASI Training in Indexing Course.
  •  Continuing education includes attending monthly peer review meetings and ASI chapter meetings.
  •  Maria's education includes a law degree and a psychology degree.    Employment history includes working as an attorney, a  law librarian, and a  freelance writer.  
  •  Professional affiliations include:
    • Secretary, Pacific Northwest Chapter of ASI, 2008-2009  (www.pnwasi.org)
    • Events Coordinator, Legal Indexing Special Interest Group of ASI, 2006-present  (www.legalindexing.org)
    • Treasurer, Behavioral and Social Sciences Special Interest Group of ASI, 2007-2008 
  •  Past volunteer work includes:
    • SMART (Start Making a Reader Today)
    • Write Around Portland
    • St. Andrew Legal Clinic
    • classroom helper at sons' school
Specialty subjects  include:
  •  law and criminal justice  
  •  education                                                          
  •  children, families, and parenting                                
  •  psychology and social sciences                                
  •  finance and money management                  
  •  writing
  •  animals 
However, I will consider any subject if I feel that I can do a good job with the material.

Why can't an author do his/her own index?

  •  A good index requires an objectivity which an author lacks.  An indexer can see the book from the reader's perspective, and  allow the reader to access information in multiple ways.
  •  An indexer uses professional software that increases indexing speed to meet  tight deadlines and to offer various output  options.
  •  An indexer has technical training and practice in indexing.
  •  Although the author is the expert on the subject, the indexer brings a  sense of  priority and structure to the work from an  outsider's view.
  • Read this in the words of someone who tried to do it himself: chronicle story
  • Why you need a human, not a computer, for your index: human versus computer
 


© Copyright Maria Sosnowski 2006-2012.