Writer, author—you might say it makes no difference what you call yourself. To me, an author is someone who writes and publishes books, has a publicist, a fan following, speaking engagements, and/or book signings. A writer is someone who—well, writes to entertain or inform others.
Do you write because you enjoy writing? Or because you dream of being an author? If you write because you want to be an author, you may be setting yourself up for disappointment. Many people dream of writing and publishing a book, of having the fans and the book signings. But, if you want your work to be read, perhaps you should choose another path. An author might sell a few hundred books, each of which might be read by two or three people. Still, the total number of readers would probably total less than 5,000 at best.
For the writer, the focus must be the reader’s wants and needs. One article in a magazine with a readership of 100,000 will give you more exposure that a published book, even if only half of the subscribers actually read your article. Once you’ve established a demand for your work as a writer, you can think about publishing your book.
Being a writer is the starting point. Being an author is the destination. To want be an author first, that means you want to start at the top. And, not many people have succeeded with that approach.
Additional Information:
Terry Whalin’s “Magazine Writing Leads to Book Publishing”
Cecil Murphey’s “Articles First” Series
Thank you for this encouragement, Emily. I am in a large writers group; however, we meet in small groups for critique. Most of the writers are writing books and have never written an article or devotion. I feel like the Lone Ranger submitting my articles, stories and devotions for critique. Terry’s and Cecil’s articles were encouraging too. Thank you!
Thanks for your comment. You have encouraged me in return.
You might get your work published before they ever finish their books!