Am I a writer or an author?

Building a Facebook page recently to coincide with the launch of my first full length novel (Systems Failing) I was faced with a dilemma! From the list of category options available do I include my status as a writer or an author? A quick bit of research pulled up numerous articles and comments on the subject which, to summarise, seem to conclude a writer writes and an author is published. There is something too about a writer regularly producing a broad range of material – short stories, poems, newspaper and magazine articles, journals, blogs etc while an author produces books and novels (accepting that an author might produce books of short stories and poems and will be required to ‘write’ articles to promote their work). It is also suggested that ‘writer’ defines the craft of writing whereas ‘author’ does not.

But which am I?

Hmmm…

I certainly write a lot of short stories (which are unpublished) and try to be as active as possible on social media (does this constitute ‘published’ even in the broadest sense)? But writing full length novels is what I like to think is my main writing goal. And my first novel has just launched on Amazon (ergo ‘published’).

I have a day job too. This requires me writing a lot of lengthy papers and reports, something (as odd as it might sound) that I quite enjoy.

So, pulling my deliberations together I have concluded (rightly or wrongly) that while I have ‘authored’ a first novel I write many different things in different arenas. I would like therefore to call myself a writer.

And so ‘writer’ is the category status I have applied to my Facebook page (and incidentally have also labelled myself a writer on my WordPress site).

I still have an Amazon Author page and a Goodreads Author profile though!

Maybe I need to give this some more thought.

It’s just occurred to me. I wonder if I might indeed be a ‘Novelist’…