just because you have written a book does not make you an author

[jgaiser]

Originally Posted by Kumabjorn

Can I nominate the Bible or the Qur'an?

Actually, No... They have multiple authors. Some known and some unknown.

[BearMountainBooks]

Originally Posted by moonshot

Simply wrong. At lease it is not getting to complicated.

My original point was that there should be some way to separate the person who writes for a living from those that write as a 'hobby'.

I write for a living. It is not a hobby. I do not have a book in hardback (although I could achieve that if I desired--all I'd have to do is pay for it.)

I don't think my books are listed on fantastic fiction, but plenty of kind souls have purchased them. I am glad they did not have your criteria when they decided to purchase my books. I am happy. The readers are happy.

You choose to have different criteria for purchasing. Go you.

I call myself an author. You may call me some other term if it suits you.

Not all readers want someone to help sort books for them. If you wish to use "traditionally published" as your sort tool, that is fine for you. Go for it.

There does not need to be some universal gatekeeper just to suit you. Use your own tools and your own criteria.

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by Prestidigitweeze

Catlady:

Your definition of artists as professionals would make more sense if you referred to them as professional artists. A person who makes money from art, whether occasionally or constantly, is to that extent a professional artist. A person who does not is an artist all the same, but deciding that money determines the level of the quality of the work itself is arbitrary.

To me, "professional artist" would be at a somewhat higher level; that is, I would expect someone defined as such to pretty much make a living at it, as opposed to simply earning some money from it.

Money isn't the determinant of quality, but earning money does mean you're offering something that some people are willing to pay for, which is a least a minimum standard to separate a real author from a wannabe. It doesn't automatically follow that more money earned indicates higher quality.

The next level of discussion might be to try to determine whether excellence is a fixed attribute or simply a matter of collective preference to be decided from year to year by consensus. If the latter is true, then perhaps you're using money as your gauge for popularity.

Beyond basic competency in grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc., quality is largely subjective.

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

Dude... I'm beginning to get the feeling that you are making a conscious effort to be obnoxious. I agree to you drawing your line, but at the moment you do it, I am making the choice of NOT being on your side.

You can't force people to be on your side. You know why?

Because that will create a fracking war. (For proof, see history.)

edit: basically what jgaiser says just above me.

But Katsunami, are you really going to stay on your side of the line and dismiss every author who was traditionally published?

Seems to me like some of you are refusing to draw ANY line at all, making the designation of author meaningless.

[Glorfindel]

Originally Posted by Kumabjorn

Can I nominate the Bible or the Qur'an?

The Bible was written by men but inspired by God... So God is the author...

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by Catlady

But Katsunami, are you really going to stay on your side of the line and dismiss every author who was traditionally published?

No. But that was not the point of that post. The point was that drawing a line is useless, because there is no way to agree on where to draw it. Everyboy has a different opinion.

Seems to me like some of you are refusing to draw ANY line at all, making the designation of author meaningless.

For me, it is.

I go by blurb, reviews, Goodreads and Amazon ratings, and recommendations on this forum. I don't really care if the book was ever a hardcover or not, or if it's published traditionally or not, or if the author is a professional or not. I really don't care.

See book -> Read blurb -> If interesting, read reviews/ratings -> If many good reviews/ratings -> Buy book.

That's it.

[pholy]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

This thread topic falls short of the minimum standards required for intelligent discussion. We regret that it can no longer be referred to as a "thread." Sorry.

Ack! That was six pages ago. I think I'll bail now.

tl;dr

[Kumabjorn]

Originally Posted by jgaiser

Actually, No... They have multiple authors. Some known and some unknown.

Actually, they are the word of God and if you don't believe in God, doesn't that make them authorless books?

[Glorfindel]

only to people who also don't

[Anne Lawrence]

RE: the singer comment.

Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, Neil Young, Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley... all come to mind as professional, well-known singers, each with their huge fan base... and I would venture to say that not everyone would consider these guys good singers. In fact, some would say they're downright bad. But they have style, flair, personality and the 'it' factor that tug at people's core. Some people's core. They tug at mine... but so does Andrea Bocelli. It's not about technical perfection for me... it's about heart and authenticity.

I'm a first-time self-published eBook writer. I write in the first person. I've had good reviews... but it's a given not everyone will like my style. Some will, some won't, so what? And you never know... you might like it if you give it a chance. To judge an eBook written by someone who is not published in the traditional hardcover/paperback sense as being of 'lesser quality' is misguided. Who knows what jewels lie within. Isn't that true of any book?

As for the word author (or writer for the matter)... (as everyone above has pointed out), defines someone (anyone) who writes (whether they meet your criteria or not).

[gmw]

Originally Posted by Catlady

[...]Seems to me like some of you are refusing to draw ANY line at all, making the designation of author meaningless.

It already is, at least the sense required by the OP. It has a dictionary definition and any meaning construed beyond that must be based on some other criteria (or on unfounded assumption).

Your example earlier of what someone calls themselves is valid. But when someone asks "What do you do?" there the often silent "... for a living" implication to the question. They don't expect you to say that "I mow lawns", when you only do that at your own place on weekends. But that's not really the point when it comes to the OP.

If you have written a book you are an author. Ipso facto. So the subject and OP is quite simply and inherently wrong.

Everything else is just how you choose which books you want to read. There will be no universal agreement on the way to do this, so we each find a way that suits us. The OP suggests that books published in hardcover are a reliable way to get quality. If that's the case it should be easy for that person. Just check the available editions before they purchase and off they go. No problem. Nothing to complain about.

[Freeshadow]

Originally Posted by Kumabjorn

Can I nominate the Bible or the Qur'an?

No, they have authors and a collecting publisher.
You can nominate your town's phone book.

[mrscoach]

If I was at a party and someone said they were an author the thought that comes to my mind is "have you been published?" Does this negate them as an author? No, it does not, it asks if I have a chance of reading them.
We all know the jokes/stories of people being actors, but never having gotten a part in anything. If at a party and asked what they do, they answer that they are an actor. Then they are asked if they have been in anything or what they have been in.
If someone considered theirself an author it is not up to me to argue with their perception.

Now, I have had a problem with the use of "random". Random means one item has as much chance being chosen as another in a given sample. If you walk into a bookstore and always turn right, your choice is no longer random, you have deliberately taken out some of the colored marbles from the bag because you don't e want that color (genre). You turned right because the books you like are that direction. If you want random then flip a coin to determine which direction to go, or spin a spinner, then just reach out and grab a book and buy it. But to be truly random a blindfold would need to be worn, or use the spinner again, because the way the cover looks could influence the grab.

[Lady Stardust]

I have read various books, but I have never checked if they have been published in hardback or paperback. If I like the book, I usually check if I could find more books of the same author and what are they about. Without checking if he/she published in hardback or paperback. I only recently, maybe two years back, thanks to ebooks, tried out science fiction books. I discovered Philip K. Dick, Ursula K. Le Guin and some others (I am sure this must be funny for many who read them ages back), and I bought all of their books available as ebooks. I never really checked if they ever published in hardback.

I met various people on various occasions who told me they are writers, or authors, or musicians. But my next question was never - have you been published or have you released CD. My usual question was - what do you write, which music/instrument do you play, that sort of thing. And I might also ask - where can I read your stories or where can I get your book.

I also bought a painting from a family friend who considers himself a preacher (and he preaches at a church), a painter (he organizes his own exhibitions in small private galleries and a lot of paintings are reserved in advance since he uploads photos of some of them on FB), a musician (he plays drums in a band when there is an occasion to play), a biker (he organizes bikers in his city for weekly rides, meets with bikers, organizes and participates in biker festival). And when I talk about him I say - I have a friend who is a painter, musician, preacher and a biker, and I feel proud I have such a friend.
So no, I don't consider only hardback author an author and I frankly don't understand the concept.

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

I go by blurb, reviews, Goodreads and Amazon ratings, and recommendations on this forum. I don't really care if the book was ever a hardcover or not, or if it's published traditionally or not, or if the author is a professional or not. I really don't care.

See book -> Read blurb -> If interesting, read reviews/ratings -> If many good reviews/ratings -> Buy book.

That's it.

But this is how you choose a book. I'm asking how you define an author. Are you really saying that the word is basically meaningless? That when you hear someone claim to be an author, it means nothing?