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.

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Dear Author Enablers,

If I started my own literary magazine, would I need to copyright it, and if so how would I do that? Also could I do movie and music reviews using photos of the products without permission of the legal owners?

R.J. Shortt
Denver, Colorado

Ah, the old start a literary magazine and get rich quick scheme! We've heard that one before. For starters, we can tell you that registering a copyright is recommended, but not required, for all new publications. The U.S. Copyright Office(www.copyright.gov/register/serial.html) will provide all the information you need. As for images, publishers allow the use of book jackets with book reviews, and we think movie and music companies do the same, since all such images fall under the fair use provisions of copyright law.

Dear Author Enablers,

I have a family (two high schoolers and a loving wife) and a full-time job. I am passionate about my writing and hope to someday have a publishable story that will set the world on fire. Can you please tell me how other writers find workable compromises to satisfy family, commitments and still engage in their passion?

Peter C. Walsh
Harrisville, Rhode Island

There are many examples of writers who found time for writing and a healthy family life: Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Ernest Hemingway, Dylan Thomas, Emily Dickinson and Marcel Proust are a few who come to mind. Seriously, it can be difficult to find time for our creative pursuits amid family, community and career concerns. We urge you to carve out some sacred time each day, and if you can, an annual retreat—even just a long weekend—for your writing. Join or create a writers group for support. Give up being precious about your writing environment and make use of time spent in the dentist's waiting room or the supermarket line. Write whenever you can, even if you only have a few free minutes. And include your loved ones in the solution by explaining how important this is to you, and supporting their passions. Balance your time by giving some of it wholly to them. Best of luck—this is hard for all of us.

Dear Author Enablers,

I am writing a magazine article that might be of interest to more than one magazine. It's an article about my recent experiences with gardening andbutterflies. Could I submit the article to the two or three magazines I think would be interested or submit to only one and await their answer? My concern is ethical—can I sell the same article to different magazines?

Carol Perlut
Evergreen Park, Illinois

Watch out, Carol, you know how provocative "gardening and butterfly talk" can be to us literary sorts. Around here, Sam does the gardening and Kathi wears the butterfly outfit, but yikes—that's probably too much information to share with our readers. We're indebted to our friend and colleague Leslie Levine (who carries thebutterfly net), author of Wish It, Dream It, Do It, for helping us out with this answer. It is not a good idea to send out multiple queries. While the chances are slim that two editors will want to assign the same story, you do run the risk of getting more than one call expressing interest, and then what do you do? Nobody likes to be two-timed, including editors (right, Lynn?). It's best to send your query to one editor at a time. Don't forget something essential to the success of freelance writers—you can call some of the shots by checking in with an editor who has not responded, indicating that you will assume it's a pass if you don't hear from her by such and such a date. Once the deadline has passed, you can feel free to submit elsewhere. Editors are hard-working people, just like the rest of us. Always send respectful, professional and courteous inquiries. If you play games with editors they won't like you anymore. Worse than that, they won't read your emails. We promise we'll keep reading your e-mail, which you can send to us at the address listed below.

Thanks for writing,
THE AUTHOR ENABLERS