Learn English – “Writer” or “Author” when talking about somebody who “creates” book stories/novels as a professional

word-choice

This question has been split from a previous double-question here.


Which of the following is preferable?

Jack London and Charles Dickens were both great writers.

Jack London and Charles Dickens were both great authors.

Could somebody explain that to me the difference?

Is there any difference in usage between British English and American English in this case?

Best Answer

I think both can be used interchangeably. However in my view, authors write books while writer is a more generic term. The are other words for other media too, playwrights write plays, bloggers write blogs, reviews write reviews, poets write poems, but all are writers.

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