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 is an author, radio producer and former publicist; Sam is a marketing manager at a major publishing company and a freelance editor. They are also proud members of the Rock Bottom Remainders, the all-author rock band founded by Kathi in 1992.

Lesson one: Do your own homework

For many of us, September is as much a time of new beginnings as January 1. It's that start-of-the-school-year thing: new pencil box, new notebook and resolutions to stay on top of our schedules, get organized, take proper notes and avoid detention. Even if you're long out of school, you may find yourself acting as though a new semester is beginning. In that spirit—especially the part about steering clear of detention—we've decided to address an age-old back-to-school issue: Do we really have to get out of bed, mom? No, seriously, the question is, when is it appropriate to copy someone else's homework? What's the difference between research and plagiarism?

Dear Author Enablers,

I'm a retired schoolteacher and I've written a book designed to end terrorism. The book contains long-range ideas for promoting permanent world peace or at least stopping most conflicts. My potential publisher told me I must get permission from copyright holders of articles I copied. I have tried, but rarely get answers. Can I reword the articles and then indicate the source? If so, is there anyone who might help with this?

Jack J. Morris
Pompano Beach, Florida

We're not copyright lawyers, and you might want to talk to one, but our understanding is that copyrights only apply to work as written; an idea cannot be copyrighted. If you paraphrase the concepts expressed in an article and then cite the source within your text, in footnotes or in a bibliography, you should be OK. The key is making sure you don't claim to have written something you didn't write. Regarding help: As a former teacher, you might be able to figure out a way to offer school credit in return for the help of a student intern—someone who can help you track down and contact your sources.

Dear Author Enablers,

How do I submit an idea for a coffee table book based on my journal? It's a collage of pictures I've pulled out of magazines combined with quotes from famous and inspirational people. Would publishers have to get permission to reprint the photographs? I love putting these journals together and find them uplifting and thought provoking.

Lisa Tunks
Beloit, Wisconsin

The pictures in magazines are taken by people who make a living working at their craft and who deserve to be credited and paid for the use of their photos in a published work. Furthermore, your publisher will expect you to contact the photographers, acquire permissions and pay the appropriate fees. This is a big undertaking; you might consider collaborating with a photographer to come up with something original. If you are putting these books together for your own pleasure, or to give to friends, then it's not an issue. And if you wrote a completely original work about how to create a unique, multimedia journal, well, we might even buy a copy.

Dear Author Enablers,

I have an idea for a book made up of the lyrics to songs that have helped me get through tough times. I have divided them into categories relating to the passages of life: birth, childhood, work, death and so on. Do I need to get permission to use the lyrics, and if so, how?

Suzanne Jensen
Duluth, Minnesota

If the songs are older, they may be classified as public domain and you are free to quote away, but it's still appropriate to credit the composers. With contemporary songs, chances are that someone owns the publishing rights and expects to be paid for usage. There are several ways to find out whether lyrics are copyrighted. BMI and ASCAP are performing rights organizations that protect their members' musical copyrights by monitoring performances of their music. Search www.bmi.com and www.ascap.com to find out who owns publishing rights to the songs you want to use. Once identified, it's up to you to contact the copyright owner(s) and seek permission to use an excerpt. (Meanwhile, our kids are lying in bed listening to illegally downloaded songs. Tony! Marissa! Dan! Laura! Why aren't you in school?!)

Thanks for writing,
THE AUTHOR ENABLERS