SCBWI-MI Spring Conference Presenter Maria Dismondy

 

MSU, Spaghetti in a Hot Dog Bun, CEO, Cardinal Rule Press, and Bright Spirits: Author and Publisher Maria Dismondy

Charlie Barshaw coordinates our regular Writer Spotlight feature and interviews writers of SCBWI-MI. In this piece, meet author and publisher Maria Dismondy. Maria is also part of the cast of distinguished faculty at the SCBWI-MI spring conference. 

To see interviews with other conference presenters, click HERE for Carrie , HERE for Sarah, HERE for Kat, HERE for Debbie, and HERE for John.

You’ve claimed that your favorite book is The Notebook  by Nicholas Sparks. What is it about the story that touches you so deeply? Does the movie increase or decrease your pleasure with the novel?

It’s the love story for me. I believe in true love and the book illustrates the many emotions that take you on a rollercoaster ride in a relationship. The movie made me love the book even more which I can’t say for every book turned movie!

You alluded more than once in interviews that your family life as a child was not ideal. Without getting into painful specifics, how did your experience of growing up shape your future as a teacher, writer, speaker, and publisher?

My experiences as a child fueled me with empathy and compassion as an adult. I’ve spent my life in roles of helping others. First, as a teacher, then as an author and now as the leader of a nonprofit. I want to help others to find their light, especially in dark times!

After commuting to college your first year, you applied and were accepted at MSU. What did you find in the dorms and the MSU community that powered you through undergraduate and graduate course in education, child development, and research?

I loved my experience in college. I didn’t take my studies very seriously in high school. In college I learned how to study and I discovered a love of learning. I always had a job in college and enjoyed the challenge of balancing my school work with my job as a sandwich artist at Subway! I was so lucky to have really wonderful teaching experiences at a local Head Start Preschool along with elementary schools in the area.

You have always had a drive to succeed, as a teacher, as an author, as a book publisher, as a speaker. How do you keep your energy up? What strategies and tools do you use to keep organized and moving forward?

I loved my experience in college. I didn’t take my studies very seriously in high school. In college, I learned how to study and I discovered a love of learning. I always had a job in college and enjoyed the challenge of maintaining harmony in both working and learning.

Finding a strategy to stay organized is still a mission of mine! I have tried digital tools but always find myself back at the basics. A pad of paper and pen work wonders on keeping my deadlines in check!

As a teacher you searched for books teaching empathy and self-worth to students, but were frustrated when the books featured animal characters. You wanted realistic fiction with characters the students could identify with and root for. That’s why you wrote your first book. Why do you think that important niche for young readers had been ignored?

This is a great question! I am not sure I know the answer. Why was realistic fiction ignored for so many years? Maybe because one component of reading is for entertainment. Authors have fun creating dancing dinosaurs and singing fish! However, another aspect of reading is to learn about new things, to practice empathy and look into the life of another human being.

Spaghetti in a Hot Dog Bun was a book you shopped around on your own in 2005, sending out 90 queries, getting back 88 no’s, 1 maybe and 1 yes. This was based on your own school experience bringing “weird” food for lunch. This is still your best-selling title. What is the long-term appeal of the story?

It’s wild to me that this book is still selling thousands of copies a year! Children share their honest feedback with me all the time while visiting their school for author programs. They love how the main character Lucy chooses not to fight back but to show kindness to someone who needs help. They also think Lucy is brave because she goes back to school at the very end of the story with her favorite sandwich (spaghetti in a hot dog bun) even after being teased for eating such an odd combination!

The subsidy publisher who took on Spaghetti went out of business, but not before you recouped our initial investment on book sales. Did the experience of switching horses in the middle of a stream plant the seeds for your future venture into publishing?

I never planned on writing books and I definitely never dreamed of being a business owner. I love how life takes you on a journey outside your wildest dreams!

After the publisher I originally worked with went out of business, I knew it was my responsibility to keep my books out in the world. They were needed by children and they were making a difference!

You were approached by a former football player who had a children’s book he wrote and wanted to publish. You decided this would be a one-off for you as you ventured into publishing other’s work. What was it that convinced you to found Cardinal Rule Press and take on the role of CEO?

I didn’t have the idea to start CRP, our distributor, IPG out of Chicago suggested it since my books were performing so well. I also had a business coach that pointed out I was already running a business and it didn’t need to look very different!

You offer a free six-week mentorship with your new authors, focusing on promoting and marketing their books. How has your relationship with authors evolved since you first took over the helm at your publishing company?

Once a teacher, always a teacher! I knew from my own experiences being a published author that when we feel educated and empowered, we are more confident in marketing our platform and mission. I never liked feeling in the dark and not knowing what my publishers were doing on their end as far as promotions. We communicate quite clearly with our author family so they don’t have a ton of gray area working with us!

Our editor, Adam Blackman has recently taken on a new role and has been working one on one with our team of authors to support backlist title promotions. We are dedicated to selling our books the entire time they are in print, not just before and during the book launch! Now Adam has created a relationship with authors so I have more time to focus on other areas of the business.

How does Cardinal Rule Press handle the writers? Is it a flat fee system? What rights do they retain? How about illustrators? Work-for-hire? What rights do they retain?

Each contract looks a little different. In a nutshell, our authors receiving an advance along with a royalties. Our illustrators have always been work for hire in the past simply because this was an easier system for me as a small business. We have our first author/illustrator book being released this fall which goes to show we are not afraid to try new things!

You never took marketing or public relations classes in college, but those areas are your strong suit. How did you learn to effectively market and promote books?

I am constantly reading books, attending webinars and listening to podcasts. I love learning from others experiences though networking and relationships with my colleagues. This is the best way to learn in my opinion. Connect with others and learn what works for them and what doesn’t. I think it’s important to be willing to share openly with others and in return, the walls of competition break down!

You are a master at using social media. Which platforms work best for what purposes?

You are so kind! I would not say we’ve mastered social media by any means. It’s frustrating how it is always changing and makes it hard to keep up. What we have done is chosen to focus on just a few platforms instead of spreading ourselves thin and trying to be on them all!

Currently, we have taken a pause from the platform X. In the past, we have used this platform to connect with literary agents and aspiring writers. Our Acquisitions Editor, Adam, has built relationships outside of social media and we don’t feel we need the platform for visibility as much these days.

You’ve never met a podcast (samples HERE, HERE, and HERE) you didn’t agree to appear on. Why is a podcast an effective informational and marketing tool?

As a former teacher, I go back to the fact that there are many different learning styles. Let’s meet people where they are at and give them many options to absorb information in a way that works for them. Podcasts are just one delivery system!

What will you be presenting at the SCBWI-MI spring conference?

This spring I will be diving into writing craft that is not often talked about. We are going to dig deeper into what is currently trending versus traditional craft.

What’s next for Maria?

In 2023, I became active in conversations around book access. I started a nonprofit called Making Spirits Bright. Metro Detroit needed a book bank, a place dedicated to recycling like new books into the hands of children who need them. 

My researcher heart couldn’t believe how many pockets in our area that are deemed as book deserts (locations where children do not have age appropriate books in the home). I could go on and on about the work we do at MSB. 

Publishing feels like a secluded job. You spend a lot of time at your desk and behind computer. With the book bank, I am in the community with others who are passionate about reading. 

It has helped restore so much joy in my heart during the work day and has reminded me how very important publishers and writers are in the world of literacy!

Social media you'd care to share:

www.cardinalrulepress.com

www.makingspiritsbright.org