Mission Statement

At Indigo Editing & Publications our mission is to strengthen authors' words through impeccable editing.

We have come together to benefit publishing and business communities with our collective editing expertise. Through multiple editors with varied specialties and skills, we are able to provide the best professional editing to publishing houses, independent authors, small businesses, newspapers, and magazines.

About

Indigo Editing & Publications is a firm of editors with various specialties. We find strength in working as a team, offering at least two sets of eyes for projects that require multiple editing rounds, and providing you with the highest quality of editing services. Indigo Editing & Publications is based in the Portland, Oregon, area and services clients across the country.

The name Indigo comes from the type of ink used in old-fashioned country school houses for use with quills. The leaf of the indigo plant inspired our logo, and the ink's dark blue hue is a perfect color for editing—complementing the author's words in black. This is representative of our editors’ goals—to complement and strengthen, not add to or detract from, an author’s words.

Indigo Editing & Publications is dedicated to sustainability in all its various forms. We track our paper usage, both in the office and in our publications production, and replace it by planting twice as many trees. We are also conscious of energy conservation and minimize our power usage as much as possible. Furthermore, we dedicate time and money to give back to the publishing, writing, and literacy communities.

Executive Editor & Director of Business Development Ali McCart
Ali thinks her love for the written word might have something to do with the pungent odor of ink and the methodic sounds from her parents’ printing press, which permeated her senses before she even knew how to read. She has a bachelor’s degree in English from Willamette University and a master’s degree in book publishing from Portland State University. She’s written and edited for periodicals in Oregon, Idaho, and Montana and edited for authors and book publishers across the country. She also spent two years as a bookseller and sometimes still itches to create front-of-store displays. When she’s not editing, reading, or sneaking whiffs of local print shops, Ali spends her time hiking with her dog, traveling, and feeding the geese at the park near her house.

Ali is also the director of the Sledgehammer 36-Hour Writing Contest.

Ali's editing specialties: health and wellness, fitness and recreation, metaphysical, how-to, self-help, memoir, and feminist nonfiction books; young adult fiction and nonfiction; short stories; professional documents as well as calendars and other design-heavy materials.

Senior Editor & Director of Community Engagement Kristin Thiel
Editing fiction and nonfiction for a variety of clients—among them individual authors like Melanie Thernstrom, Coffee House Press, Simon & Schuster, Portland State University, and Studio Geologie—Kristin loves the written word, its playfulness and intricacies, and working with writers to snap each one into just the right spot.

Kristin draws additional editing support from her own work as a writer. Even before she knew how to form the letters of the alphabet, Kristin was "writing," dictating stories to her mom to put on paper. Her short fiction "Patient" is forthcoming in Men Undressed: Women Writers and the Male Sexual Experience (Other Voices Books/Dzanc Books, fall 2011), and an excerpt from her story "Pilgrim for Hire" is in the reference book Don't Sabotage Your Submission: Save Your Manuscript from Turning Up D.O.A. Kristin regularly reviews for the Oregonian and Rain Taxi and will soon be talking books in the Star Tribune (Minneapolis-St. Paul) and the Christian Science Monitor.

Kristin signs on here and at www.kristinthiel.com.

Kristin's editing specialities: adult literary fiction (anything along the magical realism spectrum is of particular interest), adult mystery or thriller. Kristin also edits university materials, including catalogs, brochures, and more.

Associate Editor Susan DeFreitas
Susan grew up reading mysteries, fantasy novels, and science fiction—and despite her recent fixation on literary fiction, still loves “the genres.” She studied fiction and poetry at the Interlochen Arts Academy, earned her BA in creative writing from Prescott College, and is currently working on her MFA in writing at Pacific University. Her poetry, fiction, and magazine journalism have been published in Yes! Magazine, Natural Home, The Utne Reader, The Bear Deluxe, The Noise, and Southwestern American Literature, among others. Along the way, she has worked as a freelance editor and publicist, a copywriter, a grant-writer, and even a professional blogger.

Susan's editing specialties: poetry, fantasy, science fiction, and mysteries, as well as grants and business plans.

Associate Editor Laura Meehan
Laura was born with a book in her hand. At the age of eight, she won a school-wide book-cover illustration contest, and she started telling people she wanted to be an "author-slash-illustrator." Since then, she has dropped some of the visual-art dreams, but she still loves books—reading, editing, and hopefully someday writing—with a passion.

After receiving a BA in English from UCLA and an MA in book publishing from Portland State University, Laura started her career working as senior editor for Ink & Paper Group. Since launching her freelance career, she has edited for Ken Arnold Books, Ink & Paper Group, the Hollywood Star News, intentionally urban magazine (where she also served as lifestyle department editor), the Portland Bridge calendar, and many individuals. Outside of work, she enjoys chasing her two young children, being active outdoors, and cooking and baking.

Laura's editing specialties: nonfiction, historical fiction, young adult fiction, children's books, and women's fiction. She also edits academic works, including anthropology journal articles and books, and graduate student materials. You can also visit Laura's Web site at www.laurameehan.com.

Publication Consultant Vinnie Kinsella
Vinnie Kinsella’s varied career as a publishing professional includes work as a writer, editor, document designer, journal publisher, and college instructor. He has used his broad knowledge of the publishing industry to help numerous book publishers, independent authors, small businesses, and nonprofit organizations produce high quality print and online publications.

Vinnie's specialties: guiding independent publishers through the publication process, book design.

Mind, body, spirit books published by Beyond Words Publishing/Atria Books, Red Wheel Weiser, Amber Lotus Publishing, and HarperOne.

Health and wellness books published by Healing Society, Red Wheel Weiser, and HarperOne.

Children's and young adult books published by Pipsqueak Publishing, Beyond Words Publishing, and Bing Note, and for authors like Jason Britsas, Rich Stever, Angela Carlie, Katherine Elliott Scott, John Aylewsorth, and Donald Kunzer.

Literary fiction, including short stories, by authors like Tim Harnet, Mark Ellis, Charles Dye, Judy Sobeloff, and Janet Freeman.

Genre fiction by authors including Trey Copeland.

Literary journals like Ink-Filled Page.

Cookbooks by authors like Anne-Louise Sterry and others published by HarperOne.

Memoirs by authors like Mary Mandeville, Ryan Chin, Robert T. Anderson, and others published by Red Wheel Weiser and HarperOne.

Materials for educational organizations and institutions like Studio Geologie and Portland State University.