For the purposes of this blogpost, I am drawing a distinction between these two terms.
Let’s look at the dictionary definitions:
Writer
noun
noun: writer; plural noun: writers
a person who has written something
Author
noun
noun: author; plural noun: authors
someone who writes books as a profession
There you have it. The crucial difference between the two.
Now, not every writer wants to become a professional, and this is fine. Some writers are publishing academic papers, or a family history only intended for a select group of people.
But if you’re a writer who dreams of calling it your career in a few years, there are certain steps you need to take. You need to build a bridge to get from being someone who writes, to being someone who writes as a profession.
Here are nine suggestions to help you make that leap.