Being a writer versus being an author
One of my professors in graduate school, author and editor David Levithan, used to say that being a writer and being an author were two different hats.
Back then, circa 2008-2010 (several years before I would sell my first book), I was desperate to become an author. I saw my writing life as a clear before and after, with publication as the turning point that would, since we’re using this metaphor, finally give me that new hat I’d been coveting. But David’s point wasn’t that before publication you are a writer, whereas after, you are an author. His point was that they are actually two different jobs.
A writer’s job is to write. To dream. To create.
An author’s job is, well...everything else. The author shows up to book events. The author does social media. The author writes email newsletters. (Hi! *waves*) The author creates marketing graphics. The author orders bookmarks and stickers, and hands them out to anyone who seems even a tiny bit interested. The author visits bookstores and signs books. The author emails teachers and librarians to set up school visits. Unless you’re in the context of a creative writing class or workshop, it’s almost always the author who’s out there speaking to readers.
So far this year, I have been wearing my author hat a whole lot more than my writer hat. That’s partially been by design: I have been going full-out on promotion for The Thirteenth Circle. I really, really want that book to succeed! (Have you ordered your copy yet?)
Authors these days have much more marketing work on their plate than in years past. Publishers highlight a few titles a season—generally books by big names, with proven track records, or else books with undeniable mass appeal—and the rest of the authors are given a much lighter promotional push. It can feel like sink or swim. That author hat I longed to wear, all those years ago...it’s heavier than I’d imagined.
That doesn’t mean it’s all bad! Connecting with readers is the absolute best. I’m enjoying writing this weekly Substack. I absolutely love doing school visits, both for Class Critters and now for The Thirteenth Circle. Visiting stores and signing books and talking to booksellers—it’s so rewarding. But the work of an author is work.
And it’s a different kind of work than the work of a writer.
Since turning in a revision of a standalone middle-grade novel to my agent toward the end of last year, I’ve been focused almost entirely on Thirteenth Circle promotion (give or take a few Class Critters school visits). Up until a few weeks ago, I’d produced almost no new creative writing in 2024!
But on March 4th (according to my Scrivener document history), I wrote 505 words that represented the start of something completely new.
I’d had the idea a week or two prior. It had been bouncing around in my brain.
And that Monday, March 4th, I said to myself, I’m just going to start writing it.
I put on my writer hat.
Usually, I let ideas gestate a lot longer than a couple weeks before actually putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard, in my case). What was different this time around?
One, I honestly thought it was a really good idea, and it felt like it would be fun to write, so why not dive in?
Two, a quick Google search revealed that no one seems to have published a book exactly like this one yet, and so my brain was like, better get to work before another author beats you to it!
And three, I’d hit a point where I was really missing my writer hat. I wanted to work on something, and I’m still waiting to hear back on whether certain other projects will move forward (such as Thirteenth Circle sequels). This new idea doesn’t require me to wait around. It’s not connected to any of my existing books or series. It’s a fresh start.
I do want to take a moment here to stress that there is nothing wrong with taking a break from writing. The promotional work I was doing was important. Plus, time away can be refreshing—a creative reset.
But I was very obviously ready to get back to it.
Since March 4th, I’ve completed a very, very rough zero-draft. I didn’t outline anything beforehand. I just kind of felt my way through to the end, making notes to myself when I thought of something that could be better than what I’d already written. This book is short—even shorter than my three Class Critters titles—but a book being short doesn’t necessarily mean it’s easier to navigate the drafting process. It can be quite hard to say a lot in a minimal amount of words!
I’ve set a goal for myself: to send my agent a polished draft of this new manuscript by the summer. I’m going to keep my writer hat on for the rest of the spring, even if I also have various author duties to attend to.
There has to be a place for multiple hats on my hatrack. I’m a writer and an author—and I wouldn’t be an author if I weren’t first a writer. The job of author doesn’t exist without the work itself.
And I can’t wait to tell you more about what I’ve been working on. Stay tuned!
~Kathryn