Author

An author is a kind of writer who creates a whole book, from the very first idea to the last page. Other writers might write a news article, a sign, or the words on a cereal box, but an author builds one big piece that people can hold in their hands. On a regular day, an author sits with a laptop or a notebook, invents characters, and decides what happens next. For example, they might spend the morning working out how a lost puppy finds its way home, then talk with an editor, a helper who reads the pages and suggests ideas.

A book from an author can keep a child company on a rainy afternoon, or explain how volcanoes work. When you laugh at a funny character or feel understood by a sad one, an author's words did that. Books also help people learn new words and picture places they have never been. Each time someone turns a page and wants to know what comes next, an author's careful work is doing its job.