Author vs Writer: What’s the difference?4 min read

Authors and writers are usually thought to mean the same thing, and are sometimes used interchangeably. Though they share quite several similarities, there are subtle differences when comparing “Author vs Writer.”

Generally, the difference between an author and a writer is that an author writes professionally and has published their work. A writer, on the other hand, is someone who writes, published or not.

Therefore, you can say all authors are writers, but not all writers are authors. 

Author vs Writer

Who is an Author?

An author is someone who writes professionally and whose work has been published. Someone is also said to be an author if their work’s ideas, structure, plot, and content are initially theirs. In addition to all these, an author owns the copyright of the published work. 

Who is a Writer?

A writer is someone who engages and spends time writing, whether published or not. It may be blog posts, journals, articles, short stories, whatever, as long as it involves the activity and process of writing. 

However, a writer’s work’s ideas, structure, and content don’t necessarily have to be original. A writer may or may not own the copyright of the written word. 

Though stated above, all authors are writers; not all writers are authors; there are different categories under each. 

Author vs Writer

Types of Authors

• Novelists
• Autobiographers
• Biographers
• Poets
• Playwright, e.t.c

Novelists

Novelists are authors who write stories on varying topics and can range from fiction to non-fiction. The stories can be short, long, or even in series. 

Autobiographers 

An autobiographer is someone who writes stories and books about themselves and their life experiences— their biographies. “Autobiographies” are the titles of their published works.

Biographers 

Writing about other people’s life experiences, dead or alive, is what a biographer does professionally.

They collaborate with celebrities or persons of interest to write about their lives and then carry out lengthy research into the lives of dead people, meeting families and friends to collaborate their stories. 

Poets 

A poet is someone who writes and creates poetry. They make maximum use of language, creating an emotional feeling and effect on the audience and readers. 

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Playwrights 

Plays and dramas are literal pieces presented in dialogues and are most times performed. Playwrights write these types of works.

They are similar to novelists as they work on a particular topic and theme. However, they break the stories into lines, scenes, acts, and dialogues. 

Author vs Writer

Types of Writers

Bloggers

A blogger is someone who writes on websites or web journals. Their writings may be short stories, blog posts about personal experiences, anything; it all depends on the writer’s intent. 

Copywriters 

Copywriters write and create well-organized and compelling pieces/content for marketing and advertising firms and agencies.

They use their writing to create awareness for brands and businesses, therefore, causing a reaction by the audience and readers towards a particular action. You can find their works online on websites, in magazines, and in leaflets.

Content writers

Most writers, asides from authors, are generally referred to as “Content Writers.” 

However, a content writer is a person who writes and creates content for websites, blogs, advertising and marketing agencies, social media, and many others.

They create content that engages consumers and readers, therefore, communicating values and promoting businesses for companies and firms they work with or own. 

Ghostwriters

A ghostwriter writes articles and literary works that are credited to someone else and not them. Though there is payment for their work, someone else takes the “glory” for it. For example, academic writers create essays for professional services which sell original papers online.

Journalists 

Journalists carry out research and write on current trends, issues, and events happening in their environs and across the globe, putting it in a detailed and newsworthy form and structure.

They sometimes choose particular niches in which they specialize their writing. 

Author vs Writer

Conclusion

Anybody who writes is a writer. However, an author is a writer whose works have been published and receives credit for them.

A writer may or may not have their work published and may or may not receive credit for it. Therefore, anybody can be a writer, but not everyone is an author.  

Awesome one; I hope this article answered your question.

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