What is in a Name?

While I was under contract with a traditional publisher I was comfortable with calling myself an author (or soon to be author when the book was actually published).  Several years ago I attended a presentation at the UW Madison Writer’s Institute by a publication attorney.  He explained that the term “author” has a specific legal definition.  A writer becomes an” author” when there is a contract between a person and a publisher to create a specific work.  Based on this understanding, at the time, I was adamant that anyone who self-published was not an author.

Well, the days of having a contract with a traditional publisher are fading in my rear view mirror.  In a few weeks I will release Murphy’s Troubles on Amazon print- on- demand and used their proprietary Create Space publishing service.  So, by my understanding of the term, I can’t honestly refer to myself as an author.

So, do I call myself a writer?  That term is very broad and doesn’t satisfy me as being descriptive of what I do.  Several years ago when I was developing my LinkedIn profile I used the term:  Novelist and Freelance Writer.  I don’t any longer remember why I chose those words, but I’ve decided it fits.  My first love is the novel and my second freelance non-fiction for my blog, Extra Innings, book reviews and an occasional print magazine.

After Murphy’s Troubles is available on Amazon I’ve settled on calling myself a published novelist.  I think that is accurate and it avoids any legal misunderstanding that may occur by calling myself an author.  This is important to me.  It may seem like I’m splitting hairs.  For me, the distinction is significant.  It’s also a way to answer the question – what do you write – in a simple, elegant way.