what's the difference between a writer and an author?

Answer 1

Nothing. There is absolutely no difference. They are synonyms for each other.

EDIT: All right, fine, there is ONE difference. See definitions 4, 5, and 10 under author.

However, in the sense of composing text, they are the same thing.

From:
http://www.answers.com/writer
http://www.answers.com/author

Writer
1. One who writes, especially as an occupation
2. Person who composes with language
3. A person who composes stories, poems or articles
4. Writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay). Synonym: author
5. A person who is able to write and has written something
6. The term writer can apply to anyone who creates a written work, but the word more usually designates those who write creatively or professionally, or those who have written in many different forms. See also: author

Author
1. The writer of a book, article, or other text
2. One who practices writing as a profession
3. One who writes or constructs an electronic document or system, such as a website.
4. An originator or creator, as of a theory or plan
5. One that creates, founds, or originates: architect, creator, entrepreneur, father, founder, inventor, maker, originator, parent, patriarch. See start/end
6. Writer
7. A person who writes a book, story, article, or poem
8. Writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay). Synonym: writer
9. Someone who originates or causes or initiates something. Synonyms: generator, source
10. An author is the person who creates a written work, such as a book, story, article, or the like, whether short or long, fiction or nonfiction, poetry or prose, technical or literary. Within copyright law the term "author" is often used for the creator of any work, be it written, painted, sculptured, music, a photograph or a film, and may be a corporation as well an individual. See also: Writer

Answer 2

a writer can be any1 who writes an author is a writer that is published i am a writer as in not yet published

Answer 3

A writer can be many things relating to pen and paper i.e. a clerk etc., as in writing with pen . Whereas an author relates to a person who has written a book - however, nowadays both are used to symbolize penmanship - I would think.

Excellent question though - and I am going to treat you for same.

Answer 4

Not much. Personally, I call myself a writer because I haven't been published yet. Once I am published, I will probably... continue to call myself a writer, because I like it better. :-) But yeah, they're basically the same thing.

Answer 5

I think it's a matter of ego. If you're at some fancy smancy cocktail party, you tell people you're and author, otherwise you're a writer when you put your facade away.

It's like people saying they're a management consultant, which is a person that works by temporary contracts.

Answer 6

The crucial to unlock the electrical power to make money from house is obtaining the proper on the internet interface for writers

Answer 7

Both write, but an author is published

Answer 8

um. i imagine an author to write published books. and i imagine writers to write whatever they feel like or wherever work takes them. then maybe sell stores to magazines or... god knows. sorry.

Answer 9

Gore Vidal is an author
Dominick Dunne is a writer/diarist.

There's a huge difference.

Answer 10

what she said