An author is a person who writes books, articles, stories, poems, or other written works. The word comes from a Latin word meaning “creator” or “originator.” When you see a novel in a library, the author's name usually appears on the cover because they created that story.

Authors do more than put words on paper. They imagine characters, build worlds, craft arguments, or share knowledge. J.R.R. Tolkien authored The Lord of the Rings, creating Middle-earth and all its languages. Beverly Cleary authored the Ramona books, bringing to life a character who felt real to millions of readers. Scientists author research papers to share their discoveries with other scientists.

The word can describe anyone who creates written work, whether it's a famous novelist, a journalist writing news stories, or even a student writing an essay. However, we typically use author for substantial or published writing rather than everyday notes or text messages.

Related words include authorship (the fact of having written something) and authoritative (which mainly means reliable or commanding). When you write something original, you're the author of that work, which means you created it and are recognized as the person who wrote it.