An author is someone who writes books. That's not an opinion, just a definition. There are no special qualifications to become an author. It would be absurd to say "Here is a book that was not written by an author," or to ask "Was this book written by an author?" To ask "Who write this book?" or "Who is the author of this book?" is to ask the same question. Of course, that doesn't mean that the book is a good book or that you will enjoy the book. Even bad books are written by authors. Bad artists are still artists, bad bakers are still bakers, bad janitors are still janitors. You asked for book recommendations, and people recommended their own book. That only demonstrates that authors would like you to read their books, and surely that doesn't strike you as a surprise!
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Originally Posted by moonshot
Lots of people can sing but they are not all 'singers'.
Does someone who has written a story and put it in their desk draw deserve the title is author?
I think a line needs to be drawn in the sand so that we know who are the real authors; and just because its easy to upload your written word, so that it can be downloaded to another machine does not make you an author, any more than me buying a stethoscope allows me to be called a doctor.
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Sure they are. A singer is still a singer no matter how badly they sing. There is music that makes me wish I were deaf, but some people like it. There are no entrance requirements to be a singer and no entrance requirements to be an author. There are, however, entrance requirements to be a doctor. A doctor isn't at all analogous to an author. If you go to an unqualified doctor, you might very will die. If you read a book that's not very good, the only consequence is that you might not enjoy the book. A doctor is required to graduate from college and medical school and finish a residency. As much as you might wish there to be similar requirement to be an author, there is not and well not me.
The great thing about drawing lines in the sand is that it is so easy to erase it. Who decides who is a "real" author? Do I decide? Do you? Does some committee decide for us? All I really care about is whether or not
I enjoy a book. I don't need to have some committee pick my books any more than I need to have my food cut up for me.