writer
Let an agent handle writers by genre, works, rights and attribution, and keep a writer separate from their works and pen names.
Research draft, second pass
A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.
written by Claude from model knowledge without web access - no source was read, every claim is a lead to verify
Researched by: Claude
Purpose and description
Let an agent handle writers by genre, works, rights and attribution, and keep a writer separate from their works and pen names.
A person who writes texts professionally or creatively, such as books, articles, scripts, poems, technical documents or web content.
What it is for: Producing texts for readers, audiences and organisations.
It can be commission and publish their work; attribute works to them, including under pen names; license rights in their works; cite them.
Distinguishing features
A person who writes; the work is a separate entry
May write under several names
Holds copyright unless transferred or work-for-hire
Includes creative, journalistic, technical and content writing
What it looks like
No particular appearance; writers are known through their works, bylines and author pages.
How it is recognised
Bylines, author names on covers and credits
Pen names and ghostwriting hide the writer
Author identifiers in library catalogues
Related models
is a kind of - a role
creates - books and texts are separate entries
holds - rights in their works
is confused with - a name, not a person
In practice
Families and kinds
novelist, poet, playwright, screenwriter
journalist and travel writer
technical writer and content writer
ghostwriter and head writer
Identifiers
ISNI 16 digits international name identifier
ORCID 16 digits for academic writers
VIAF numeric library authority file
Standards and regulation
Berne Convention on copyright
National copyright law and moral rights
Press regulation for journalists
Failure modes and hazards
Misattribution of works
Revealing a pen name without consent
Using their work without licence
Also called
+75
Where this came from
wikidata · CC0 1.0
Also registered as vr.tr.writer-person
Drafted structure
Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions.
Identity Who the writer is.
Writers use names that are not always their own.
Names
Legal and pen names.
Names
Names used.
- Which names does the writer publish under? provenance
- Is any pen name confidential? boundary
Identifiers
ISNI, VIAF, ORCID.
Identifiers
Authority identifiers.
- Which authority identifiers identify this writer? provenance
- Are other writers with the same name disambiguated? boundary
Works What they wrote.
Works and their attribution are the core record.
Bibliography
List of works.
Works list
The works and editions.
- What has this writer written? provenance
- Which attributions are disputed? boundary
Genre and field
Kinds of writing.
Genre
Genres and fields.
- What genres or fields does the writer work in? definition
- For which publishers or outlets? provenance
Rights Copyright and licensing.
Rights decide who may use the work.
Copyright
Ownership and term.
Copyright
Who owns the rights.
- Who holds the rights to this work? provenance
- When do they expire? measurement
Licensing
Permissions.
Licensing
How to obtain permission.
- How can permission to use the work be obtained? action
- Is any licence already granted, such as Creative Commons? provenance
Professional Working as a writer.
Commissions and credit matter to writers.
Commissions
Contracts and fees.
Commission terms
Terms of commissions.
- On what terms is the writer commissioned? definition
- Who owns work made for hire? boundary
Credit
Attribution.
Credit
How credit is given.
- How should the writer be credited? action
- Do moral rights require attribution? boundary
What the second pass must settle
- How should pen names be linked to writers without exposing identities?
- Should writing occupations be separate entries?
- How should AI-assisted writing be attributed?