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What is an author How do you become one? And why do we continue to produce physical books when ebooks are cheaper and more environment friendly??
What is an author? How do you become one? And why do we continue to produce physical books when ebooks are cheaper and more environment friendly?
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Larry Siegel
Government Liaison, Non-profit fundraising, Non-profit operation
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Larry’s Answer
Diego -- an author is someone who can convey life truths in writing. Regardless of the form of that writing, whether it be a novel, a biography, a humorous piece, a good writer connects with the reader through the validity and authenticity of his or her words.
Readers have different preferences. Some find the physical contact with a book and its pages part of the reading experience. Holding and touching the words they are reading adds to their reading experience.
Others, like myself, prefer ebooks with their ability to instantly bring up a word definition, to remind who a particular character is, and in some books, to translate phrases that occur from other languages.
Regardless of the reading format, the reader will always seek a personal connection with the book she or he is reading.
Readers have different preferences. Some find the physical contact with a book and its pages part of the reading experience. Holding and touching the words they are reading adds to their reading experience.
Others, like myself, prefer ebooks with their ability to instantly bring up a word definition, to remind who a particular character is, and in some books, to translate phrases that occur from other languages.
Regardless of the reading format, the reader will always seek a personal connection with the book she or he is reading.
Updated
Ann-Marie’s Answer
Hi Diego,
An author is a writer who writes book-length works. They can be fiction or non-fiction.
A writer generally writes everything else: articles, essays, ad copy, white papers (for business), website copy, etc.
Becoming an author requires an idea you want to passionately explore and then the time it takes to produce the 100,000 words you need to write in order to edit it down to 75-80,000 good ones.
Writing is a learnable skill. You can take classes, listen to podcasts, join writing groups, take a degree at university. You are in SF—the Bay Area is swimming with writers & artists. Do a Google search for writing groups. Also, every November, Nanowrimo (National writing month) takes place. It’s an online community challenge to write a book in the month of November. In SF, some participants meet up. It’s a good exercise in developing a writing muscle. Check out their website.
Previous answers have all raised germane and important things you will be exploring.
(We produce ebooks and paper books because here is a market for both.)
Best wishes for your success!
An author is a writer who writes book-length works. They can be fiction or non-fiction.
A writer generally writes everything else: articles, essays, ad copy, white papers (for business), website copy, etc.
Becoming an author requires an idea you want to passionately explore and then the time it takes to produce the 100,000 words you need to write in order to edit it down to 75-80,000 good ones.
Writing is a learnable skill. You can take classes, listen to podcasts, join writing groups, take a degree at university. You are in SF—the Bay Area is swimming with writers & artists. Do a Google search for writing groups. Also, every November, Nanowrimo (National writing month) takes place. It’s an online community challenge to write a book in the month of November. In SF, some participants meet up. It’s a good exercise in developing a writing muscle. Check out their website.
Previous answers have all raised germane and important things you will be exploring.
(We produce ebooks and paper books because here is a market for both.)
Best wishes for your success!
I appreciate you taking the time to answer this.
Diego
Updated
Jose’s Answer
Hello Diego!
What is an author?
An author is a writer who uses his writing skills to create fiction or nonfiction stories. Those stories are a pile of drafts that after careful editing and reviewing become a manuscript and after a publishing house editor reviews it again, it has the opportunity to become a published book. An author uses his skills to relay his message to his target audience, using his philosophies, and personal life experiences, to explain his points of view through characters and situations, or just to have out-right fun!
How do you become one?
If you want to become an author/writer, the first thing you have to do is READ. A writer that does not read, can never be a full-fledged writer. You have to create that discipline of reading, so your mental strength can be strong enough to write when you don't want to. Stephen King said "When consumed by your thoughts, write. When you are uninspired to write, read"
Reading will provide you with more vocabulary as well. I believe in highlighting all the words and good parts of a book you are reading with a pencil. Then transcribe the words you don't know into a doc, and start creating a glossary term of your own for your future writings.
After creating, reviewing, and editing your manuscript you can publish your book independently through Amazon or look for a literary agent that can help you with a publishing house. I can also recommend you create a YouTube channel for your stories, bring them to life through video editing and animation, and start creating your community. Once you have a community you can let them know that you are dropping a book, that is been sold through Amazon.
And why do we continue to produce physical books when ebooks are cheaper and more environmentally friendly??
We continue to produce physical books because some readers prefer to have the texture of their books in their hands, as well as collecting them. Some consumers, are not tech-savvy or don't have the money for an ebook reader and some consumers consider the ebook breaks their concentration.
Please keep in mind that even though the world is moving to the digital space, some things will never be replaced.
Hope that helps!
What is an author?
An author is a writer who uses his writing skills to create fiction or nonfiction stories. Those stories are a pile of drafts that after careful editing and reviewing become a manuscript and after a publishing house editor reviews it again, it has the opportunity to become a published book. An author uses his skills to relay his message to his target audience, using his philosophies, and personal life experiences, to explain his points of view through characters and situations, or just to have out-right fun!
How do you become one?
If you want to become an author/writer, the first thing you have to do is READ. A writer that does not read, can never be a full-fledged writer. You have to create that discipline of reading, so your mental strength can be strong enough to write when you don't want to. Stephen King said "When consumed by your thoughts, write. When you are uninspired to write, read"
Reading will provide you with more vocabulary as well. I believe in highlighting all the words and good parts of a book you are reading with a pencil. Then transcribe the words you don't know into a doc, and start creating a glossary term of your own for your future writings.
After creating, reviewing, and editing your manuscript you can publish your book independently through Amazon or look for a literary agent that can help you with a publishing house. I can also recommend you create a YouTube channel for your stories, bring them to life through video editing and animation, and start creating your community. Once you have a community you can let them know that you are dropping a book, that is been sold through Amazon.
And why do we continue to produce physical books when ebooks are cheaper and more environmentally friendly??
We continue to produce physical books because some readers prefer to have the texture of their books in their hands, as well as collecting them. Some consumers, are not tech-savvy or don't have the money for an ebook reader and some consumers consider the ebook breaks their concentration.
Please keep in mind that even though the world is moving to the digital space, some things will never be replaced.
Hope that helps!
Updated
Nik’s Answer
Diego! I'm excited to learn that you are interested in becoming an author, because I believe it is an important role in our culture. Authors are storytellers. They see what happens in the world, in the lives of people, in our minds and in our hearts, and they find ways to capture all of that in a story -- or narrative -- that helps us to understand who we are and what we are doing here. Even those who write non-fiction carry out that mission.
Becoming an author ideally involves developing two skills. First, learn to truly see what is going on around you. Second, learn how to use language in a way that communicates in a clear and engaging way.
And regarding paper books, yes, e-books are better for the environment. Perhaps we keep paper books around strictly from a sense of nostalgia. Or perhaps they give some weight to our stories. They make them more real. We see the story sitting on the nightstand or bookshelf and we are reminded of what we have read and learned and accepted. E-books, to me at least, seem to appear and disappear without establishing themselves in the landscape of our lives.
Becoming an author ideally involves developing two skills. First, learn to truly see what is going on around you. Second, learn how to use language in a way that communicates in a clear and engaging way.
And regarding paper books, yes, e-books are better for the environment. Perhaps we keep paper books around strictly from a sense of nostalgia. Or perhaps they give some weight to our stories. They make them more real. We see the story sitting on the nightstand or bookshelf and we are reminded of what we have read and learned and accepted. E-books, to me at least, seem to appear and disappear without establishing themselves in the landscape of our lives.