* No official registry: There isn't a central database or official registry that tracks every author in the country.
* Defining "author": What constitutes an "author" is subjective. Does it include self-published authors, ghostwriters, academic researchers, or those who haven't published commercially?
* Constant change: The number of authors is constantly fluctuating as people start writing, publish works, or stop writing.
However, we can look at some statistics:
* The Authors Guild: An organization representing authors, estimates that there are over 1 million published authors in the US.
* Self-published authors: With the rise of self-publishing, the actual number of authors is likely much higher, potentially reaching millions.
Ultimately, the number of authors in the US is a very large and constantly evolving figure.