The Title of “Author”

For many writers, especially beginning or unpublished ones, the title of “author” feels like an elusive, far-off dream. Oftentimes, we refer to ourselves as “aspiring writers” or say that we write as a hobby because we are embarrassed or afraid to admit that we are Writers with a capital W. We feel like we haven’t earned the title of ‘author’.

I struggled with this for most of my life, due predominately to the crippling social anxiety that I used to have. I had a hard time talking at all, but especially about my writing. When you admit you are a writer, you will inevitably be asked questions like “what do you write” and “can I read something you’ve written,” and I wasn’t ready to talk about it. For me, writing was so personal, and I was always so afraid to let people see that far into my vulnerabilities. It wasn’t until a few years ago that I started openly telling people I was a Writer and that my dream was to publish novels. Since opening up about it, it has been a very empowering experience because it makes me feel that much closer to being a Writer in the professional sense.

I don’t think that you have to be published to call yourself an author. You don’t have to have sold 10 million copies of your book or be a New York Times Bestseller to call yourself an author. In my opinion, the title of “author” doesn’t have to be earned.

We are not aspiring authors; we are simply Authors.


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6 responses to “The Title of “Author””

  1. Question Savannah…so being a Writer and author are one in the same? Unless I am misunderstanding, you are using the terms interchangeably, correct?

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    1. Hi, Vicki! Yes, I do use the terms “author” and “Writer” (with a capital w) interchangeably. To me, they both describe the profession versus the hobby (“writer” with lower case w). I hope that makes sense!

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      1. Ah ha! Yes, thank you for clarifying. By the way I enjoy your insightful blog posts.

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      2. Thank you so much! I appreciate your readership and engagement!

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