So the big news this week is that my first short story, TO LIGHT AND GUARD, was published in the on-line magazine Bewildering Stories. I am very excited to have made my first official step into publishing!
We writers often quibble about words, and one of the ones we dither about the most is the word “author.” Writers define it in different ways. There is one camp that says you are an author as soon as you start to write. There is another that thinks you are a writer until you are published, then you can call yourself an author. Then there’s still another camp that says you aren’t a real author until you’ve been paid for what you got published.
I don’t think any of those definitions are inherently right or wrong—like most things on the writing journey, this is a highly personal feeling. When do you “feel” like an author? Sort of like every writer has a different definition of what it means to be a “successful” writer. Success and authorship are subjective.
My personal definition of author has always been upon publication. And by publication I mean a magazine or other outlet where you have to pass an editorial review. If there’s no chance of rejection, then it’s not the same thing, in my mind. So by that definition, I can now call myself an author without feeling weird about it—I have had a piece published in an editorially-reviewed magazine, thereby proving that I have reached a certain level of sophistication in my craft.
But. (There’s always a “but,” isn’t there?)
While I am comfortable with the author label now, I do not yet consider myself a professional author, since Bewildering Stories is not a paying market. I have not yet been paid for my work, which in my mind is the definition of being a professional in any field—when people will pay you for your goods or services. So that’s my next hurdle—but one I am eager to tackle. I have a couple of short stories that need a final polish before I send them out. Hopefully one of them will be the key to the next level.
I am very happy to have joined the ranks of published authors, and hope this is the first step of a long career!
How about you? Where do you stand on the “writer vs. author” continuum? And where are you in your personal journey?
It’s all a matter of semantics, as to the “author” title. One can be a writer who is paid for his or her craft, and not considered an author. I run an essay writing business and am paid for my work. I’ve also been paid a small amount for articles in a local newspaper. Am I an author or a writer? I think of an author as someone who gets substantial royalties from writing a book and publishing it through traditional means rather than self publishing. By this definition, I’m still not an author. Nothing wrong with the “writer” title though. I’d be interested in seeing other thoughts on this. I have a feeling this definition is not set in stone.
Congratulations, Kerry, for getting your short story published. That’s quite an accomplishment; you should be really proud about this milestone!
Rich
Thanks, Rich. No, there is nothing wrong with “writer” – I will always be a writer! I think there might be as many definitions of author as there are writers out there.