BY KATHI KAMEN GOLDMARK AND SAM BARRY

The Author Enablers are here to answer your questions about writing and publishing. Together, Kathi and Sam have more than 25 years of experience in book publishing. Kathi Kamen Goldmark is an author, radio producer and former publicist; Sam Barry is a marketing manager at a major publishing company and a freelance editor. Together, they're the Author Enablers, here to answer your questions about writing and publishing. E-mail your inquiries to AuthorEnabler@aol.com.

Love's labors lost?

Dear Author Enablers,

I want to write a children's book about fathers in jail. I can illustrate it myself. It will be a labor of love. Proceeds will help families whose fathers are in jail. Since it is for charity, are there agents who would waive their percentage, especially if they knew the author was on death row?
—A Friend

Your project gives a whole new meaning to the term "captive audience," but publishers will ask who's going to buy this labor of love. Do families with fathers in prison have the disposable income to buy children's books? You say that proceeds will help families, but how will a publisher recoup costs? Is there a nonprofit through which donations can be made? These questions are sure to come up when a publisher evaluates your project. As for illustrating the book yourself—you can offer some drawings in your proposal, but be prepared for the fact that publishers often like to choose their own illustrators.

It is unlikely that a reputable agent would represent any project pro bono, especially one by a first-time author who is unavailable to tour in support of the book. Agents work hard for their percentages, and you want yours to work hard for you.

We've recently heard about a few forthcoming books for and about families of inmates. If those books do well, publishers will be more interested in a book like yours; if they tank, it could scare them off. In the meantime, you might write and illustrate stories to give as gifts to your own children and fellow inmates' children. This would be a true labor of love, helping people whose lives you touch directly.

Dear Author Enablers,

I have been writing children's stories and sending them in to publishers, but I don't think they read my stories. Children and teachers like my stories, and all I want is a fair evaluation. I read a lot of new books and some of them are awful. Why do some get through and others not?
—Mary Beth

It's hard to figure out why some books get published, isn't it? It's a sad fact that luck, timing, personal connections and the whims of the marketplace can be every bit as important as talent when it comes to why a book sells. Maybe the children and teachers who love your stories could write endorsements for you. You could include these in your proposal, and if an endorsement came from a well-known educator, so much the better.

There are many more people who want to write children's books than there are slots on publishers' pipelines. Here's some sound advice from Andrea Brown, a literary agent who represents children's authors:

"The children's book business is filled with everything from mass-market licensed junk to thought-provoking literature. The bottom line is that writers must remember their serious responsibility to children—to hook them in as readers early, and to give them entertaining and enlightening material to read. Never talk down to kids. They recognize honesty immediately."

Dear Author Enablers,

How do we get our children's book into the hands of Oprah, Lavar Burton and animation studios, so that we can quit our day jobs?
—Roland

If we knew, Oprah would be hugging our books! Seriously, this is an area where an experienced publicist can do wonders for you. The real pros know secret stuff like which of Oprah's producers is likely to respond to your kind of book, and there are agents who specialize in pitching to TV and movie producers. The thing is, a few other writers have the exact same idea, and media moguls of all types are inundated with worthy projects. Whether or not your book is chosen over thousands of others can be as much about luck and timing as talent. (Don't we sound like a broken record?) Our best advice is to keep writing—and keep your day job for now. Each new book will get you better known and improve your chances of attracting that fast train to the big time.

Thanks for writing,
THE AUTHOR ENABLERS