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Co-Founder: Writer, Editor, Designer, Consultant
Rebecca M. Didier grew up in Sharon, Vermont, leaving the state to attend St. Lawrence University, where she earned her BA in English Writing, and then to work in Washington DC for a US senator. She returned to New England in 2001 and began a career in publishing, serving as Managing Editor and Graphic Designer for Trafalgar Square Books, the leading publisher of equestrian books, for over two decades. Rebecca’s role in the small Vermont company spanned acquisitions, editorial, design, and marketing, and she worked with top riders, trainers, and equine experts from around the globe to bring their books to print. The independent press also published a specialized list of craft titles, and a limited number of canine and nature books, and Rebecca gained experience shepherding books from all genres—including illustrated instructional, self-help, reference, memoir, biography, adult fiction, middle grade fiction, and children’s—through all stages of the developmental, editorial, design, and production process. Over the years she frequently traveled to Europe to attend the renowned Frankfurt Book Fair, handling rights meetings and conferrals, and around the country to present at conferences, solicit new book projects, build promotional partnerships, and support live author events.
Rebecca has designed more than 250 book covers for the nonfiction, biography, memoir, and fiction genres, as well as packaging for videos, and promotional assets for both digital and print. The book Naturally Curious: A Photographic Field Guide and Month-By-Month Journey Through the Fields, Woods, and Marshes of New England by naturalist Mary Holland and conceived of and edited by Rebecca, was a winner of the National Outdoor Book Award, and 7 Clinics with Buck Brannaman, the hit instructional series from the director of the international hit feature film Buck, won the prestigious Telly Award, honoring excellence in film and television. A number of the books to which she provided developmental editing expertise and cover design have gone on to become groundbreaking works and long-term backlist bestsellers in their genres. Rebecca is co-author of the book Dressage with Mind, Body & Soul (2013) with world-renowned animal behaviorist Linda Tellington-Jones and Finding Your Superhorse (2023) with trainer and clinician Lynn Palm, and she is the author of The Greatest Horse Trainer on Earth: The Sylvia Zerbini Story (2026). (Learn more about Rebecca’s work at rmdidier.com.)
Rebecca lives in Andover, New Hampshire, with her husband, son, and redbone coonhound, and enjoys riding horses and motorcycles, and writing her own stories, whenever she can.
Contact Rebecca: rdidier@dirtroadspublishingservices.com
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Co-Founder: Contracts, Print Buying, Consultant
Martha E. Cook grew up in the small town of Westmoreland, New Hampshire. Raised by a book-loving mother, books and libraries were constants throughout her childhood. She attended Mount Holyoke College where she received a BA in History with a minor in Art History. While exploring career opportunities Martha discovered a job at David & Charles—later to become Trafalgar Square Books—a small book publisher and US distributor of British books based in North Pomfret, Vermont. Knowing she was a Northern New Englander at heart, she accepted a marketing position at the company.
Martha worked with hundreds of books from the UK on topics that ran the gamut—nonfiction titles about gardening, cooking, music, crafts, history, and travel, as well as biography and fiction. The distribution operation represented over 50 British publishers, including major names Random House UK, Bloomsbury, and Harper Collins UK. The years Martha worked in the distribution division were a complete education in international publishing.
Martha concurrently helped launch the renowned Trafalgar Square Books equestrian publishing program. Shortly before her arrival at the company, the founding owner released Centered Riding, a groundbreaking work on horseback riding that is still in print today. Martha, an obsessed horse lover since toddlerhood, found her dream job—one that combined her love of books and horses.
As the equestrian program grew, Martha’s focus shifted to concentrate solely on the horse books, becoming the Managing Editor. Her responsibilities included book acquisitions, contract negotiations, and hiring and overseeing freelance editors and designers. She ran the book production, handling the print buying from both domestic and overseas printers. She also headed up marketing and promotion to the equestrian media and sales outlets. (There are few roles in publishing that Martha has not performed!)
In 2006 Martha was named Trafalgar Square Books’ Managing Director. She took on the oversight of the business’s daily operations, financials, and staff, as well as continuing roles in production, marketing, and international rights licensing. She regularly attended the International Frankfurt Book Fair, the London Book Fair, and the American Bookseller’s Convention.
After negotiating the January 2025 sale of Trafalgar Square Books, Martha co-founded Dirt Roads LLC with long-time colleague Rebecca Didier.
Martha lives with her husband in Hartland, Vermont, on a property with open pastures, wooded trails, vegetable and perennial gardens, and a small orchard. They share their lives with two Morgan Horses and three indulged cats.
Contact Martha: mcook@dirtroadspublishingservices.com
