Did you know there’s a difference between being a writer and being an author?

Okay, okay, in truth, the dictionary defines the two words very similarly. But when we approach the two terms from an industry perspective, we begin to see some differences.

A writer is someone who writes. Period. Maybe they write stories or poems or articles. Maybe these texts are for their own pleasure or maybe they’re for others. Maybe they make the writer money and maybe they don’t. But regardless, writers write.

To do this, writers have all sorts of tools at their disposal. Pens and pencils, computers and tablets, story boards and craft books.

A writer might be messy or organized. A writer might be highly motivated or not. Writers may write because they want to, and they may write because they have to.

Sometimes writers don’t write at all–they simply watch the world turn around this moment and that, allowing story to percolate deep in their soul. This, too, is part of the writing life.

Authors are different.

Oh, they’re most certainly writers, but one of the definitions of the word author, as found in the Oxford Dictionary, is this:

author: someone who writes books as a profession

It’s that word profession I want to talk to you about today.

See, authors spend much of their time wearing their writing hats, but through it all they have a persistent awareness that though writing might be the most important thing they do, if they want their books on the shelf, they have other responsibilities as well.

Keeping it simple: The writer’s focus is craft and creativity, whereas the author understands that publishing is an industry.

New writers often confuse these two roles and falsely assume that being good at one means you will naturally excel at the other. In truth, mastering these two roles and finding a healthy balance for each in your day-to-day life, takes practice.

Writing always precedes authoring, so the writer in us tends to be more dominant. We practice writing, fill our free time with words, and willingly surrender our resources for tools that will make us better.

Today, I want to remind you that, if your goal includes writing as a profession, learning to be an author is just as important as learning to be a writer.

Here are seven skills you, as an author, must hone:

Respect others’ time. This is the earmark of a true professional. Each interaction you have should begin with the understanding that everyone’s time is valuable and no one has enough of it.

From the readers who will one day purchase your stories to the agents and editors, sales reps and marketing gurus who will help make your book a reality–everyone is busy. Any time these individuals devote to you and your stories is time they could be filling with any number of other things. Gratitude is never, ever amiss. Be sure to show it.

Take personal responsibility for your career. One of the biggest misconceptions is that once you sign with an agent or publisher, you are free to focus solely on writing. If that was ever the case, it’s certainly not how the industry works now. Authors are active participants in their marketing efforts and are often called upon to initiate business relationships and connections that can further sales.

As I mentioned in the point above, everyone is overworked. If you expect to be constantly at the forefront of your agent’s or publisher’s minds, you’re mistaken. They have many clients and many projects. There is a delicate balance between respecting their time and assuming personal responsibility for you and yours. It’s not necessary to be a constant bug in their ear, but it’s important that you ask questions when necessary and follow up if you need an update.

My suggestion is to use your calendar to help. When my agent and I discuss something she’s going to look into on my behalf, I open my calendar and drop a note to myself to follow up with her. The timing depends on what we’ve discussed, but often I follow up on these conversations a month to six weeks later. That way, I’m freeing her up to work as she sees fit, but I’m being a professional, following up on financial matters that impact my business. That’s not nagging. That’s responsible.

I’m not my agent’s boss, but we do work together. And while she has graciously offered to represent me and my books, my career will never be as important to her as it is to me. That’s just the nature of the business. It’s good to know that going in.

Take pride in your work. When you send off a story to an agent or editor, you are saying “I believe this belongs on a shelf somewhere.” If you don’t truly believe your work belongs on a shelf, you have some soul searching to do–or perhaps some rewriting. We never want to submit anything less than our best to industry professionals. Work hard, write well, and then rest in the pride that comes with a job well done.

I know–I KNOW–this is hard for those of us who struggle with issues relating to our confidence, and I don’t mean to imply that if you struggle here, you’re not fit to be an author. We all struggle with our own worthiness to some extent, but if we do not think we’ve created publishable work, it’s dishonest to convince the gatekeepers that we have.

So work hard, and then be proud of what you’ve accomplished.

Do your own research. In the course of any given day, I receive emails asking me for information the sender could have easily acquired by doing a simple internet search. Don’t be this person. I know it’s easier to drop someone an email or a text to gather information, but it’s also lazy. Asking your agent or editor to do something you can do on your own is unprofessional and clutters their inbox with minutiae that screams, “MY TIME IS MORE VALUABLE THAN YOURS!”

Build your platform. As an author you’ll be expected to cultivate an audience. Ideally, your stories will gather readers to your stage, but in the current climate, publishers are looking for authors who already have people gathering around to hear whatever it is they’re saying.

While your stories should absolutely take priority, you must give consideration to how you plan to interact with potential readers as you build your platform. More and more of this responsibility is falling onto authors and while social media has opened many doors, it is imperative that you learn to use it thoughtfully and intentionally.

Establish a support system. Your friends and family will play a role here, I’m sure. As will any editors and agents you team up with along the way. But what I want to stress here is that your agent cannot be your entire support system. Neither can your editor. You will drain the life out of those who believe in your writing the most if you do not take the time to extend your reach beyond the obvious.

Go to library talks, book signings, conferences–anywhere other writers are likely to congregate. Join critique groups. Make friends in the industry, friends who will understand the unique calling and responsibility of being a storyteller. You’ll need these friends along the way. They’ll keep you sane. They’ll keep you writing. And they’ll keep you from taxing your agent and editor with expectations that are wholly unfair.

Meet your deadlines. This sounds simple at the outset, but as writing turns to authoring and your career begins to grow, so grows the quantity of your deadlines.

We talked about your calendar earlier, but you’re going to have to get very friendly with it. Mark deadlines in permanent marker and do everything in your power to finish your tasks on time.

As an author, your deadlines usually start the clock ticking for others, and if you do not get your work turned in on time, you’re eating up workdays that do not belong to you.

Oh, look at that! We’re talking about valuing others’ time again. I cannot stress enough how important this is. And that brings us full circle, I think.

That whole respect thing. It’s at the very core of being professional and is a foundational skill you must master if you’re to be an author others want to work with.

I wonder, do you have a hard time balancing the writer in you with the author you’re working to be? I do. At times, I struggle violently against it. The writer in me is selfish and wants to write only when she is inspired and hates waiting for others to do their job.

It can be a challenge to maintain professionalism when writing requires such emotion of us. And yet, I so value these traits in others. It shows maturity and a commitment to excellence. The authors I admire most, work hard to hone these skills.

How about you? Which persona is hardest for you to wrangle: the author or the writer?

Shannon Dittemore is an author and speaker. Her books include the Angel Eyes trilogy, a supernatural foray into the realm of angels and demons, as well as the fantastical adventure novel Winter, White and Wicked. Its sequel, Rebel, Brave and Brutal is due out January 10, 2023.

Shannon’s stories feature strong female leads grappling with fear and faith as they venture into the wilds of the unknown. She’s often wondered if she’s writing her own quest for bravery again and again.

It’s a choice she values highly. Bravery. And she’s never more inspired than when young people ball up their fist and punch fear in the face.

To that end, Shannon takes great joy in working with young writers, both in person and online at Go Teen Writers, an instructional blog recognized by Writer’s Digest four years running as a “101 Best Websites for Writers” selection.

For more about Shannon and her books, please visit her website, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.