Publisher Spotlight: Maria Dismondy of Cardinal Rule Press

Today I’m excited to have Maria Dismondy here. She is the CEO of Cardinal Rule Press.

Hi Maria! Thanks so much for joining us.

About Maria:

1.  Tell us how you became the CEO of Cardinal Rule Press and what made you decide to found it.

The answer to this question is pretty funny because I never wanted to start a company! I went to college

to become a teacher. As a teacher, I found children’s literature was lacking stories that were realistic fiction. I decided to write a book and a few years later, it was released by a local publisher and the book was called Spaghetti in a Hot Dog Bun. Ten books down the road, I decided I wanted to share the knowledge I had learned as an author and started Cardinal Rule Press.

About Your Publishing Company:

2.  Share a bit about your publishing company and what it offers to its authors and illustrators.

Cardinal Rule Press produces children’s picture books that reflect modern day diversity. I carried out the mission of wanting to add realistic fiction to the literacy world. We offer education to our authors which is not common for a traditional publishing company. If our authors know how to build an author platform to market their books, then our publishing company, our distributor and the author ALL benefit from their efforts. We feel our commitment does the same for our distributor and author. We are #bettertogether.

What the Publishing Company Is Looking For:

3. Cardinal Press publishes picture books. What genres/types of books does your publishing company focus on and what are you looking for in submissions for these genres/types of books?

We are looking for books for children that are less than 1000 words, are realistic fiction and offer an important life message for children indirectly while offering an entertaining storyline.

4.  Is there anything you would be especially excited to see in the genres/types of books that your company is interested in publishing?

We would love to see a picture book that is “based on a true story.” We love to be able to connect the story with the real life character who inspired it. We also haven’t seen a ton of historical fiction land in our inbox but would be delighted if these types of manuscripts did!

What She Isn’t Looking For:

5.  What types of submissions are you not interested in? 

Honestly, we really just want authors and writers to follow the rules of our submissions. It’s a waste of their time and ours when the general guidelines are not followed. A sci-fi picture book is not realistic fiction. When this comes into our submissions inbox, we know the author didn’t take the time to research our company mission and purpose.

Editorial Publisher:

6.  Share what it would be like for an author or illustrator to work with an editor at Cardinal Rule Press. 

The editorial process is pretty simple and digital. Our content editor reviews the manuscript in a Google Doc format and leaves comments for editing in the document. Our authors usually only require one round of edits which is pretty amazing! Once we move into the copy editing phase, the book is already illustrated and laid out. Again, this is not usually a big deal and there are only small changes made at this time. 

Submission Guidelines: (Always verify before submitting)

7. How should authors and illustrators submit to Cardinal Rule Press and what should they include with the submission?

We ask for a complete manuscript along with a cover letter (also known as a query letter in the book industry). Something that may seem unusual is that we ask the writer to include three comparable titles in their cover letter. We spend a lot of time researching the market before offering a contract on one of our books. We like to see that writers are doing their research as well and making sure that their story is unique to the book world.

8.  Do you have any specific dislikes in cover letters or the manuscript submitted to your company? 

Again, we go right back to following the guidelines. Make sure you add in the comp titles and that you tell us why your story needs to be sold to the market. What makes your book special? You are selling not only your manuscript but yourself as an author as well. How will you go the extra mile to promote your book once it’s launched? We like to see that those would join our team are eager to put in 150%. 

Response Time:

9.  What’s your company’s response time to submissions? 

We have an open submissions period which runs from November 1st to February 1st each year. We make our decisions within 4 to 6 weeks after that. 

Self-Published and Small Press Authors:

10.  Can authors and illustrators who have self-published or been published by other smaller presses submit to Cardinal Rule Press? 

Absolutely! All are welcome! 

Clients:

11. Who are some of your published authors and illustrators?

Our list of authors and illustrators contains debut releases, meaning we were the first published book they released. Some of our team are veterans in the industry. It’s a beautiful, diverse mix. You can find out more on our website here. https://cardinalrulepress.com/creatives/ 

Links and Contact Info:

12. Please share how writers and illustrators should contact Cardinal Rule Press to submit a manuscript and its links on the Web. 

Check out those important guidelines here. https://cardinalrulepress.com/submissions/

Marketing?

13. How does Cardinal Rule Press market the books it publishes? How does it support its authors and illustrators in promoting their books? 

This is an area where we feel our team really thrives, in marketing. Being that I was an author before I was a publisher, I know what was and was not helpful. We offer a free, six week mentorship to our authors when they first join the team. We meet weekly and go over several topics to help them on their journey. Most of it pertains to marketing their author platform and books. After they complete this course, they are welcome to join our monthly office hours where members from the CRP team work with authors to solve problems or brainstorm creative ideas with them. Once a quarter, we hire speakers to educate our authors in areas like website messaging, YouTube with authors, productivity and more! 

Thanks for sharing all your advice, Maria! 

Upcoming Interviews and Giveaways

Tomorrow, Wednesday, March 17th I have an agent spotlight interview with Jennifer Herrington and a query critique giveaway 

Monday, March 22nd I have an interview with debut author Christina Li and a giveaway of her MG contemporary Clues to the Universe 

Wednesday, March 24th I have an interview with publisher Maria Dismondy of Cardinal Rule Press 

Monday, March 29th I have an interview with debut author Jessica Olsen and a giveaway of her YA fantasy Sing Me Forgotten 

Tuesday, April 6th I’m participating in the April Showers Giveaway Hop 

Wednesday, April 7th I have an interview with debut author Alexandra Overy and a giveaway of her YA fantasy These Feathered Flames and my IWSG post 

Monday, April 12th I have an interview with debut author Kaela Rivera and a giveaway of her MG fantasy based on Mexican mythology Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls 

Wednesday, April 14th I have an agent spotlight interview with Emily Fortney and a query critique giveaway 

Friday, April 16th I’m participating in the Rainbow on Roses Giveaway Hop 

Hope to see you tomorrow!

 

 

Word Counts for Children's Books

I received a request awhile ago to do a post on word counts for different age categories in children's lit.  Since opinions vary greatly, I did some research to verify the numbers in my head.  This is what I came away with.  Though, please note that most of the sources I found had slightly different numbers (and I think I'm missing a couple sub-categories).  Check out the links I've provided below and read the comments of this post.  I'm sure my readers will chime in with their knowledge and opinion!

***

Board Books: 0 - 100 words.

Early Picture Books: 0 - 500 words.

Picture Books: 50 - 1,000 words.  1k is pushing it.

Nonfiction Picture Books: 500 - 2,000 words.

Early Readers:  200 - 3,500 words, depending on age level. 

Chapter Books: 4,000 - 10,000 words.

Hi-Lo Books: 500 - 50,000 words, varies greatly depending on age level. A large number fall between 500 - 20k words.  Some 60-90k YA books get classified as Hi-Lo, but I don't think they were specifically written for the category.

Middle Grade: 25,000 - 45,000 words, usually around 35-40k.  Longer word counts allowed for fantasy, sci-fi, historical.  Up to 60-70k is probably safe (though there are even longer exceptions).

Young Adult: 45,000 - 70,000 words.  Longer word counts allowed for fantasy, sci-fi, paranormal, historical. 80-90k is safe (there are some as high as 120k, but I recommend staying below 100k, if possible).

Nonfiction MG/YA: 5,000 - 70,000 words, varies greatly (with some exceeding 100k) depending on the type of book and age level (I recommend researching similar titles to what you're writing/proposing to find appropriate range).  Memoirs seem to fall within the same range as novels for their age group. 

***

We all know there are exceptions, but I wouldn't count on being one.  I recommend staying within (or close to) the recommended word count for your age category/genre unless you've received a lot of feedback verifying it needs every word (or doesn't need more if you're low).  There are a lot of agents that will reject on atypical word count alone.

From my own experience as an intern, I tend to be more critical of YA manuscripts exceeding 80-90k and have to be blown away to want to read a full that length or longer.  While some need the length (and those tend to stand out) most simply need more revision and tightening.

Sources/Further Info:

Manuscript Length at Kidlit.com

How Long Does a Book Have to Be at Writing for Children and Teens.

Word Count For Novels and Children's Books at the Guide to Literary Agents Blog.

From Picture Books to YA - Information to Get You Started at QueryTracket.net.

Counting Chickens - A Few Words About Word Counts at Hope Vestergaard's site.

On Word Counts and Novel Length at The Swivet.

Word Counts at Stacy Whitman's Grimoire.

Hi/Lo Books: Writing for Reluctant Readers at Writing World (stated count of 400-1200 words).

Hi-Lo Books for Upper Elementary Grades at ALA (example titles ranging from 10-90k words).

Writing for Children - Age Categories Determine the Guidelines for Your Children’s Book at Suite 101.

For non-fiction MG/YA I looked at 2009 nonfiction mg/ya nominations for YALSA and the Cybils.

Tip!  Use Renaissance Learning to research word counts on existing titles.  I recommend looking at a large variety to avoid exceptions.

Researching Literary Agents Part II

In Part I we covered the best sources for finding literary agents.  We learned to weed out those agents who are closed to submissions and/or don't represent our genre.  And we've got a list of prospective agents ready or in the works. In Part II we'll be covering how to assess an agent or agency's legitimacy.

Your main interests are:  Making sure an agent/agency is legitimate, has a respectable name in publishing, and has verified sales.  I'd recommend checking at least three of the following before contacting an agent.  I'd also recommend keeping notes of interest on each agent as you research to help you prioritize later.

Check with the Association of Author's Representatives:

You don't necessarily have to do this first.  I've noticed that more and more agents are choosing not to be members (for a variety of reasons), and a lot of new but perfectly respectable agents just haven't met the criteria to join yet.  Don't be alarmed if some of the agents on your list are not members.  Just put a mark next to their name and carry on. 

However, it is a good starting point.  You might first consider familiarizing yourself with the AAR by reading the following:  About the AAR, Canon of Ethics, and Membership Criteria.  While word of mouth is an excellent vessel for information and opinion, you should make a habit of verifying the legitimacy of something by learning about it and coming to your own conclusions.  Now, use the search function and see which agents on your list are members.  If they are, mark that down somehow, perhaps by writing "AAR" next to their name. Make note of any specific information you can gleam from their profile.  If they aren't a member, mark that in another way.

You've just taken your agents through their first checkpoint.  But don't stop here.  I mentioned that market guides can have errors and scams.  Well, the AAR can have bad apples, too. 

Look to your friendly watch-dogs right here on the net:

Predators and Editors is a great place to go next.  P&E offers quick, reliable information for a second checkpoint.  Once again, I'd recommend familiarizing yourself with the site by reading their Rating Criteria.  You'll need this information to fully understand how the agents are being rated. 

Once you're ready to proceed, find your listed agents by first name in the directory.  If the agent is not recommended for any reason, I would personally scratch them off the list.  However, if you're iffy about the reasoning, you can always continue to research the agent.  Please note, however, that legitimate agents should never charge fees.  If any of your agents are noted to charge fees I'd highly recommend that you do not proceed.  While you're there, you'll be looking for agent rating, notes on the agent, if they have verified sales, etc. Make notes on your list as you see fit and carry on. 

You can also check with Writer Beware.  There is an invaluable amount of information available on the Writer Beware web site (including information on agent research) and Writer Beware will keep you up-to-date on schemes, frauds, unreliable agents, and information on how to protect yourself from the aforementioned.  You can familiarize yourself with there mission statement by reading About Writer Beware.  If your research reveals little about an agent and you're still unsure, you can e-mail Victoria Strauss (awesome WB staff member) and she'll check the archives for you.  Or you can use this (free) Agent Verification Service. 

Check out trusted industry resources:

Publisher's Marketplace is a great place to go for information.  If you're a member, you can see agent and agency profiles (editors, publishers, and authors, too), look up previous sales, clients, and publishing history, etc.  If you're not a member, it's still worth your time to check out.  Some agents and agencies have public pages and keep their recent sales and clients updated, and you can also sign up for Publisher's Lunch, a free newsletter that is e-mailed daily.  Also, consider signing up for at least a month or two of paid membership while you're doing your research.  Payment is month-to-month and you can cancel your subscription at any time. 

Another great site to check out is Agent Query, which is generally viewed as one of the best and most reliable resources for writers on the net.  Recommended by both Writer Beware and Writer's Digest.  They have a searchable database that offers generally up-to-date agent profiles.  They also have interviews, live-chat transcripts, message boards, networking opportunities, etc.  It's also free.

Google is your friend:

Google offers a variety of useful resources.  You can start by going to Google Groups and doing a quick search on your agents.  Sometimes you can find some great, pertinent information through questions and discussions about agents that have been posted.  After you've done that, you might choose to do a Google Book Search.  If you type an agent's name into the search box with quotations, you can often find snippets of acknowledgements where an author's agent has been mentioned.  This is a good way to 1) Check an agent's legitimacy. 2) See who an agent's clients are if you're unsure. 3) See how authors are describing their agents in the acknowledgements. 4) Check past sales.  This also works (sometimes) with Amazon's "Look Inside" feature. Beyond this you have your regular ol' Google search, which is equally if not more helpful.  I usually search for an agent by name-only and then also with the word "agent" or "literary agent" with it.  As a general rule, I look through 6+ pages, usually close to 10.  This might seem like a bit much, but I've found some hidden treasures farther into the pages than one might generally look. 

Check the buzz:

I'd highly recommend checking one or more message boards to see what people are saying about the agents you're interested in.  You may have already done this during your Google search as the boards will often come up.  If not, the Absolute Write Water Cooler has a Bewares and Background Check forum including a great index that you can check.  The Verla Kay Children's Writers and Illustrators Message Board also has certain boards where you can read about agents and their response times.  Another tip:  If you sign up for Query Tracker (it's free) you can read comments people have left after querying an agent.  This can help you get a sense of how an agent responds to their queries, the taste they leave in writers' mouths, and what you might expect when you send out your own query.  Keep in mind, however, how subjective this area of research can be.

You can do even more:

If you have any friends or acquaintances that are agented (online or in a critique group, perhaps), you can always ask them who their agent is, how they like their agent, and how the agent works.  You can also ask if they have any knowledge of the agents on your list or if they've had any experience with them, i.e. if they've queried them or met them at conferences, etc.  I would not recommend trying to get an "in" with anyone's agent unless they offer.  You're only heading in to awkward territory (for many reasons) if you do.

Go to conferences.  A great way of expanding your list and meeting legitimate agents is to go to conferences and network if it's within your means.  I'd recommend, however, that you get a good feel for how the conference is run and make sure you know how to handle yourself.  If you actually meet with any agents and cannot handle yourself professionally and competently, you might lessen your chance with an agent rather than increase it.

Keep an eye out for publishing news and interviews.  Publisher's Marketplace and The Guide to Literary Agents blog are great for this.  New agents and agencies are generally more open to expanding their lists than the veterans, and they spring up all the time.  So, if a new agent/agency has a decent publishing history (or has worked with a respectable house) and you've made sure they are not a scam, they would be excellent to target if they meet your criteria.

Final tips:

• Resist agencies that advertise.  Respectable agencies usually don't need to.
• Never trust one source of information.
• If you're unsure about an agent, it's better to pass over them or continue researching.
• Learn how the publishing industry works before querying.
• Educate yourself about scams and warnings signs.
• Try to get an idea of each agent's reputation - a legitimate agent is not necessarily a good agent.
• Care about yourself and writing enough to find a good match.  

Hopefully everyone on your list so far has shaped up to be a good and legitimate match.  If you didn't do this before you began your research, you might begin to consider the things that are important to you in an agent, i.e. years of experience, track record, reputation, personality, if they are editorial, etc.  Using the Google and message board methods mentioned above, you can do even more research to try to answer your interest-specific questions.  Once you've found out everything you can, which is sometimes limited, I know, begin to prioritize your list.

In Part III we'll take a look at agent specifics, submission guidelines, and personalizing queries.  If there is anything else you'd like me to cover, let me know in the comments!  Also, I'm probably forgetting plenty here.  If you have some other nuggets of advice, please speak up!

Posting Writing Online - Safe?

In case you missed it.

Moonrat has an answer to the rather popular, elusive question: What's safe to syndicate online?

On Researching and Dealing with Agents

A few days ago I received a query. This morning I had a tweet from someone wanting Jodi Reamer's e-mail and/or web site address. As someone trying to promote agent research, I find these incidences somewhat alarming. Let's have a closer look shall we?

The e-mail:

My first and foremost concern is that this person has an obvious disregard or ignorance of the following: publishing history, previous sales, scams. If said person had done any research, they would have realized I am NOT a literary agent. However, let's say there was a misunderstanding since I do happen to have an e-mail address with the word "agent" in it and do the Agent Spotlights. Even if someone had mistook me for an agent, a quick Google search would have revealed the following: no web site, no Publisher's Marketplace page, not on Preditors and Editors, AAR, or any query-tracking web site, and most importantly, I have ZERO sales to my name. Red flags, people. Huge red flags.

Beyond this, I must assume the author is also disregarding submission requirements. If the writer was following submission requirements, it seems likely he/she would have noticed I have none and am not an agent. On top of this, the query was addressed to "Dear Sir." I may have a gender-neutral name, but again, research would have revealed my name and, I'd like to think, my gender. But don't worry, I did not take offense because we have already deduced there was zero research involved. Tip: You can find an agent's gender on LitMatch.

The tweet:

My first thought was as follows: Google!? My second thought: Maybe this is someone I know and they want some quick information. Though, even that would have been alarming. Shall I repeat myself here? Research the agents you want to query, please! But, on realizing I did not know this person, I clicked over to their profile. What did I find? They are tweeting everyone under the sun (including John Green and Stephanie Meyers) trying to get Jodi Reamer's e-mail address. We must note, if the writer does not even know what web site Jodi Reamer can be found at, we can assume he/she a) does not know Jodi Reamer is with Writer's House, and b) he/she is planning on firing off a cold query with complete disregard to Ms. Reamers submission requirements. Alas, there is more. The writer was tweeting agents asking, "are you an agent?" and tweeting "e-mail me at X if you're interested in X kind of manuscript." Shall I continue? The writer also spelled query wrong in all of his/her tweets and was promoting their novel as "epic" and "fabulous." Can we get a tally on the mistakes here? Anyone?

Honestly, I'm not writing this to poke fun at either person. I would love to see them succeed. However, I am concerned, and I'm feeling an increasing amount of pity for literary agents. I took the time to e-mail both of these writers to suggest they use Querytracker.net, at least, and gave the tweeter a rundown on what he/she was doing that was unprofessional.

Where do we go from here? Look forward to a series of posts on researching and dealing with agents. I know most of my readers know what's what, but maybe we can field a few of these unknowing aspirees and help them. Feel free to put your 2 cents in on the upcoming posts.

Best-Seller Royalty Statement

I clicked over to Jenny Rae Rappaport's blog this morning and was quite intrigued to find a post called "Royalty Statement Anatomy." She brings attention to a post made by Lynne Viehl where Ms. Veihl shares the royalty statement for her New York Time's Best Seller, TWILIGHT FALL (sixth in her Darkyn series).

If you've ever wanted to see some hard numbers, which are rather hard to come by in this business, here's your chance!

You can see the royalty statement here.
Read Ms. Veihl's post about it here.
And, make sure you read Ms. Rappaport's dissection here.

Great stuff!

Publishing Terms Explained

Have you ever wondered about an obscure publishing term or abbreviation? Always looking for more inside scoop on the pub biz?

Well, whether you have or haven't, are or aren't, the great Editorial Anonymous has been enlightening readers with a "Publishing Dictionary."

Presently, you can learn about the following: Cast-offs, galleys, ARCs, proofs, PBB, ISBNs, F&Gs, advances, and CMYK with, I beleive, more to follow.

It's been very interesting, informative, and much appreciated, despite EA's initial surprise that writers would even be interested in these things.

So, if you share this interest, stop by and check it out.