writer; author; literary person
Refers to someone who makes a living through writing, especially literary or professional writing. Slightly formal and often used in professional or descriptive contexts.
He makes a living as a writer.
That literary person published many essays.
文筆家 is a broader, more formal term for someone who earns a living by writing, while 小説家 narrows this to writers of novels.
文筆家 is a slightly formal term emphasizing someone who makes a living by writing (essays, articles, etc.), while 作家 more strongly suggests creative or literary works like novels.
Compound of 文筆 (writing, literary activity) and 家 (person, specialist). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term has been used since at least the Meiji period to denote professional writers.