writers

Writer

Writers are authors or authors of literary texts, which means that they count as authors. The public generally considers anyone who has published a book to be a writer.

In the 17th century, the term writer was formed from "to put into writing" in the sense of "to compose". Since then, it has replaced the foreign words scribe and author as a job title. An author is anyone who publishes a text of any kind and in any medium and who can claim copyright for it. The legally also unprotected designation writer would like to distinguish itself here.

Authors who want to be called writers often combine this with a proof of achievement. This is based on the number of books that you have not published yourself or with subsidies, as well as the number of copies sold and any critical reception by the reviewers. This is further underlined by the desire to earn one's living only through book publications, which is sometimes made clear by the self-designation "freelance writer". According to the narrowest definition of the term writer, a maximum of one hundred of the several thousand authors organized in writers' associations in Germany can call themselves writers.

Many writers are organized in professional organizations and interest groups. The largest federal association in Germany, with around 4,000 members, is the Union of German Writers, which also offers legal protection and advice on copyright issues. Furthermore, most writers are also members of "VG Wort" to secure secondary rights to their works.