So. When do you start calling yourself “a writer?”, as in, “I’m a writer, please go easy on me with the bad news.”
When you finish a novel?
When you spend a certain amount of time doing it?
When you decide it’s what you want to do?
When you have an agent?
Upon publication of your first novel?
And what about “author?”
Flemmily says
I guess I started calling myself a writer when I started spending a signficant amount time writing. But, I also don’t declare to be a writer like it’s my job title. I usually just say I’m a “blah-day-job-blah” and I write on the evenings and weekends.
I think the word writer has a little more leeway than other terms, like author. Author i’d be more picky about.
Anonymous says
I started calling myself a writer when I started writing seriously with the intent of submitting to agents and publishers. I called myself an author when my first work was published.
Kate says
Writing is a verb, so anyone that actively writes is a writer. One doesn’t become an author, until they have a book published. A journalist should actually be working for some form of news/periodical. But anyone can write, and anyone can call themselves a writer. The same way anyone can call themselves a golfer, or a dancer, or a poker player. Being a good writer, or a successful writer – those are claims that need a bit more backing.
RW says
I teach freshman composition, and I take the attitude that they are writers already when they enter the room–and I struggle mightily to persuade them to that view. If they can put pen to paper and communicate an idea, that makes them writers, and the rest is a matter of degree. If they feel like they have to cross some threshold before it counts as writing, they’ll have hangups that keep them from improving.
Working on my novel, I try to take the same attitude that I preach. I’m writing, so I’m a writer. I’m trying to be good enough that someone besides my wife will read it.
Neil says
In my opinion you’re a writer until you’ve published a book. Then you’re an author. The basic rule is: if you’re penniless, unpublished, have a day job and spend more than 20 hours a week writing, you’re a writer. If you’re penniless, published, still have a day job and spend more than 20 hours a week on promo, you’re an author!
CB says
I agree with Kate. You are a writer when you write. You become an author when you are published.
7-iron says
you’re a professional writer upon payment.
as for author, that would take a few publications, I think.
Nathan Bransford says
Does self-publishing make one an author?
Josephine Damian says
I went from “aspiring writer” to “writer” when I got two short stories published. Prior to that I’d gotten an article on forensics published in a magazine – I called myself a writer at that point too, but clarified it was non-fiction and that I still aspired to be published in fiction, which I did eventually.
I still call myself “aspiring novelist/screenwriter” since I have yet to have success there.
7-iron says
no
Josephine Damian says
“Does self-publishing make one an author?”
No, it and doesn’t make you published either!
Anonymous says
You are a writer whenever you begin writing. You are only an ‘author’ when your writing is published. Period.
Martin Willoughby says
You become a writer when you have at least two published pieces of work and twenty rejection slips/emails.
By a stroke of pure co-incidence, I’ve reached that mark.
Anita says
This is a very personal question, I think. A lot of people have a difficult time calling themselves a writer. I wasn’t comfortable calling myself a writer until I started earning cash from my writing. And I won’t call myself an author until my book is published. I’m not saying that’s the approach everyone should take…it’s just the one which works for me.
Anonymous says
I am a writer because I write. I am a writer because I think of myself as a writer. I think so therfore I am. That line has worked before.
Lara Lee says
Anyone who is compelled to follow that muse in their head is a writer. When a publisher buys your book and publishes it, then you are an author.
Marilyn Peake says
I’ve been writing since high school. At that time, I wrote short stories and poems, and had my own column at several local newspapers. I considered myself a “writer”. Years later, I started writing novels, including several practice novels that I stuck in a drawer. Eventually, I wrote three more novels that got published by a small publishing house and received many great reviews; and I started to think of myself as an “author”. In the back of my mind, I felt that I needed to get published by a big publishing house and make lots of money from my writing to really be an author. In the meantime, I started winning awards for my writing in major book award contests, in competition with books from university presses including Harvard and Yale; I’ve written many short stories that have been accepted for publication; and I’ve received interviews from websites that interview authors from the big publishing houses. I now consider myself both a “writer” and “author”. The economy’s in flux. I’ve decided to spend this time writing the best novel I can possibly write, and to submit it to literary agents when it’s done.
I consider a “writer” someone who writes and is driven to write, and an “author” someone who gets their work published. Both a “writer” and “author” can produce high-quality work.
Ann Victor says
I tend towards the writer when you write, author when you’re published view.
Susan Helene Gottfried says
When you make the commitment. As for author? That’s only one facet of what makes a writer anymore.
Madison says
I called myself a writer after I finished my first story when I was six years old. I will always be a writer. The question is: will I ever become an author? 😀
Ugly Deaf Muslim Punk Gurl! says
everyone is a writer to some extent. “Novelist” woudl be more accurate for people who ACTUALLY make a living out of writing books. “Journalist” or “blogger” would work, too, if you have a money-making career out of that.
The same goes for artist. Everyone’s an artist at one point or another, but not many people can actually say they’ve had their art displayed at a gallery or sold art at a good price.
Just_Me says
A writer is anyone who puts proverbial pen to paper. They may be a hobby writer, or a closet writer, or a paid writer, but they are all writers.
Author… I don’t think I’ve ever stopped to define that one. I suppose after you’ve finished something, be it short story or rough draft, you are an author. You have created something from beginning to end.
Published is a whole different ball game. I don’t tie a publication to whether or not a person is a writer or author. Writing and being an author are artistic forms of creation. Publishing is at the far end of the spectrum, it’s recognition of the art. You don’t need recognition to be an artist, it’s just nice to have.
Sandy says
I think it might depend on your level of self esteem.
High self esteem = you’re a writer when you write.
Low self esteem = you’re a writer when you have a book published.
I fall in between. I’ll call myself a writer when I have an agent. Right now, even though I’ve completed two books and am working on a third, I just tell people I’m trying to become a writer. If I were to say I am a writer, they’d ask me what I’ve published, and then I’d get all awkward and sad when I had to admit nothing.
Tia Nevitt says
Anyone who writes is a writer. Just like anyone who draws is an artist, and anyone who plays sports is an athlete. It is a noun. It doesn’t describe talent or skill.
Anyone who has finished a written piece and attached his name to it is an author. Whether or not that piece has any value is in the eye of the beholder. Just as the beauty of art is in the eye of the beholder.
Just my opinion. 🙂
Ink says
I’m a writer, but I usually only admit to it if asked directly. I’m not sure if that says more about me or our culture…
And, Nathan, do you consider yourself a writer? You’re a literary agent, but you’re also the “author” of a successful blog. You have many readers who come to you not only for information but for the amusing things you do with words. So what do you think? Was there a moment for you when you had that realization? Or do you see yourself as someone who represents writers but not one yourself?
And feel free to ignore me. So many do… 🙂
My best, as always,
Bryan Russell
Scott says
I agree with the ‘writer’ because I write and author when I’m published.
Kiersten says
Wow. I posted on this just a couple of days ago, mostly because it always strikes me as odd when people say they are authors if they are unpublished. It was an interesting discussion in the comments.
I’m a writer. I’ll be an author when my agents sells something. But I don’t tell many people in real life that I’m a writer, because I’m lazy and it takes too much explanation. SAHM is much simpler.
Julia Weston says
I thought I’d start calling myself a writer once I’d completed my manuscript, but that didn’t happen. I probably won’t feel comfortable with the title until I’m published – and only then if the book is “successful.” The term “author” just never pops into my head.
Marilyn Peake says
Nathan asked:
“Does self-publishing make one an author?”
Yes, if that novel is of high quality and/or becomes a successful business product in terms of sales. I met an author online who made a couple million dollars and received fantastic reviews for his self-published quirky novels. I know another author who wrote a screenplay that was turned into a movie starring Jon Voight; she self-published a novel based on that screenplay. Many famous authors – including Mark Twain, Virginia Woolf, and Christopher Paolini – self-published their novels.
Of course, there are also many terrible self-published novels.
T. Anne says
I consider myself a writer. I aspire to be an author. I guess since I am writing novels I am living half the dream. It will never be complete without publication of some sort, I need someone to read and appreciate my paper children.
P. Bradley Robb says
I became a writer when I started writing. I became a journalist when I started to get paid to write. I’ll be an author when the first book is printed.
You know, even for a group of word nuts, this is treading a fine line between semantics and absurd.
Sharla says
I called myself a writer in my head for a long time. I started calling myself a writer (meekly, I might add) to others when I started the querying process. The real clencher was the day I told my BOSS. Eeeeeek! She asked me what I did over the weekend, and when “I worked on getting an agent for my book” fell out of my mouth, I of course had to provide explanation to her “What?”
When she walked away after telling me how cool that was, I had to do some deep breathing exercises, but told myself, “Okay. NOW you’re a writer.”
Nathan Bransford says
bryan-
Nope, I don’t consider myself a writer.
Anonymous says
I became a writer when I realized that I wasn’t any good at anything else. I became an author when I realized I wasn’t any good at writing, either.
Mira says
I see this alittle differently.
I believe you are a writer the moment you put pen to paper.
I think you are an author the moment you finish your first work, whether it’s a short story, a poem or a 10,000 page trilogy.
Personally, I don’t see what being published has to do with it. All publishing means is someone liked your writing. They liked it so much they thought they could sell it to other people and make money off of it. That’s just business, which has nothing to do with art.
I thinhk being a writer and/or author is self-defined by the artist, not other-defined by the business world.
And yes, even if no one ever reads your book, you’re still an author. That’s what I think anyway.
Mira says
And Nathan, I think you’re a writer. You write this blog for one thing. That’s writing. And very good writing, actually.
Kristan says
“Does self-publishing make one an author?”
I’m not self-pubbed, and I don’t particularly want to go that route, but I think the answer is yes. If nothing else, due to the technicality, but also because I think like YouTube and MySpace, self-pubbing is becoming the next step in the pyramid, the way you try to get noticed, and thus shedding a lot of its stigma.
(Maybe I’m also just sick of judgment…)
Vieva says
You’re a writer when you can tell someone that is either your day job or “what you do” with a straight face and not feel like you’re conning someone.
You’re an author when you can put it on your resume with a straight face.
dalecoz says
I would say a person is a writer if they consistently write for reasons other than the requirements of getting a degree or the requirements of a primarily non-writing day job.
When does a writer become an author? When they derive substantial income from writing outside the requirements of a primarily non-writing day job. If a writer self-publishes and somehow manages to sell a couple thousand books at a decent profit, then I would accept them as an author. If they sell a couple dozen to their family and friends I wouldn’t classify them as authors.
How many books sold and how big of a profit does someone need to be an author? I’m not sure. I sold probably 400 copies of my self-published book and made back somewhat more than my costs. To me that isn’t enough to be considered an author. The vast majority of self-published writers aren’t authors in my view, but a few are.
Michelle Moran says
I think it’s when someone spends a certain amount of time dedicated to the craft, whether or not they publish, and whether or not they ever find an agent. Of course, it helps to actually finish something.
Thomas Burchfield says
When you can’t stop yourself from doing it. When you sit down and go at it, with consistency and an unconscious discipline, whether you feel inspired or not.
You become an author when the check clears.
Anonymous says
As a teacher…when I can read it. Ugh!
As a writer…when it’s published, people read it, love it, and want more. Success! 🙂
By the way….I LOVE what anonymous 9:24 said.
Robena Grant says
In my worldview:
You can call yourself a writer if you are writing with the intent to pursue a career and can show proof of advancement (as per the IRS).
You can call yourself an author if you’re published.
You’re published if your work is copyrighted and has been given an ISBN, even if it is self-published.
Joy says
I agree with Kate also. You’re a writer when you’re actually writing. You’re an author when you’re published.
And as for self-publishing, I edit for a self publisher, and I believe they serve a specific purpose. They are especially helpful for niche writers who can promote their own book via their occupation (eg. itinerant speakers, dog trainers, etc.), and they offer a unique opportunity for anyone who’s not necessarily looking for a NYT bestseller, but would love to see their name in print so they can share it with family and friends. While that doesn’t necessarily mean their work is quality, there is something to say for someone who sat down and wrote a book all the way through and did some work to get it published. That’s a lot more than many “writers” can say they’ve done with their dreams.
jordansummers1 says
I think the answer depends on if you’re talking to yourself or other people. I considered myself a writer when I published my first book. It took several books later before my family considered me published.*g*
jimnduncan says
This seems like a no-brainer on the surface, but then if you think about it a bit more, it starts to get rather murky. If one looks up dictionary definitions, you get a rather confusing overlap, where writer is basically synonomous with author. Being a writer does not appear to be synomous however, with the simple act of writing. It becomes then, a matter of intent. It seems to me then, that a writer is someone who writes with the intent of creating some particular piece of prose, whether it be poem, news article, novel, etc. Given just this however, one could say that my six year old’s two line poem completed for class would make him a writer. Again, back to intent. I think to consider oneself a writer, there must be not only the intent to complete a written work, but to do so on a continued basis. You do not have to publish them or get paid for them to consider yourself a writer. So, how does the term author fit into this scheme? If it were merely the term applied to a completed piece of writing, then the world is full of authors. In this sense though, the verb form of author comes into play. My six year old is the author of said two line poem. He authored it, that is he is the creator, originator of the work. I would not call him an author. I believe this goes back to intent. An author is someone who has completed a written work with the intention of making it viewable to the public eye. So, if you write short stories that you keep in your writing journal on your desk, you are a writer of poetry, you are the author of said poetry, but unless you put it out there into the world to be read, whether in an e-book available on your website or published in a distributed anthology of poetry, you are not an author in the wider sense of the word. So, yes, a self published writer would be considered an author. Someone who has only published in e-book format is an author. I, on the otherhand, am not yet an author. I write with the intention of completing novels, which I have done. So, I call myself a writer. My completed novel is not available to the wider public. You can’t go to my website and download it. No publshing house has picked it up (yet). I authored it, but I am not yet an author. My humble opinion of course.
A deceptively simple question, Nathan. You are always good at provoking writerly thinking here, which is good. You’re an editor after all 🙂
J Duncan
Annalee says
When one starts producing written work.
This is distinct from when one starts talking about the written work one plans to produce when one finds the time; which does not make one a writer. Talking about it at length whenever writing comes up may or may not qualify one as a poseur.
Essentially, being a writer is being one who takes writing seriously enough–as a craft, as a business, whatev–to put their time and effort where their mouth is. To me, anyway.
Anonymous says
Had to fill out a form at the doctor the other day and even with a half dozen novels pubbed in 4 countries, a film deal, and one of the books becoming a ntl bestseller, I chickened out and instead of writing author under “occupation” I wrote writer.
Ahh, the insecurity of a writer. I mean author.
Poodle Girl
macaronipants says
We should ask the Inuit to get to work on the word “author”.
Joel Hoekstra says
I’ve had articles and essays published in student/college newspapers. I wrote them, so I guess that makes me a Writer. I once wrote a software tutorial which was submitted and published on someone else’s website. Does that make me an Author? Or do I have to write fiction to obtain that lofty title? I have also “posted” fan-fiction on the interwebs for my own amusement and to (hopefully) amuse fellow fans. Am I the Author of my own fan-fic? Or am I just a Writer wannabe? Inquiring minds want to know.
Full Disclosure: I have self-published 😉 business cards that say “Professional Illustrator” under my name. I list a bunch of other talents below my address and phone number (like Web Design, Architectural Rendering, etc) But I left off Writer and Author. Am I selling myself short?
For all of you aspiring “writers” out there: A. Do you have a business card? B. If so, do you refer to yourself as a Writer or an Author on your business card? C. Why or why not?