What’s the difference between Author and Original Author?

When adding a contributor during your book registration, you’ll notice that you can choose different functions, including Author and Original Author.

They may sound similar, but there’s an important difference. These roles help clarify whether someone created the current version of the book, or if the book is based on someone else’s original work.

Author

Select Author if the contributor created the current version of the book being registered.

Examples:

• You wrote a novel from scratch → You’re the Author.
• You translated another person’s book → You’re the Author of the translation.
• You adapted a public domain story → You’re the Author of the adaptation.

Original Author

Select Original Author only if the book is based on, adapted from, or translated from someone else’s original work.

Examples:

• You translated The Little Prince → You’re the Author; the Original Author is Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.
• You modernized a Jane Austen novel → You’re the Author; Jane Austen is the Original Author.

If your book is entirely original and not based on someone else’s work, you don't need to assign the Original Author role to anyone.

Why it matters

Accurately labeling contributors helps ensure proper credit is given and that your metadata is correctly formatted for distribution.

Need help deciding which role fits best? Reach out through the help widget in the bottom right. We're happy to help.