Everyone's an Author

By Beverly J. Moss, Michal Brody, Andrea A. Lunsford

This book's authors know student writers gain confidence--and feel a sense of belonging--when they see that they already use rhetorical thinking skills in their everyday lives. In Everyone's an Author, a positive and media-rich emphasis on real-world rhetoric engages and motivates students to practice academic writing skills in meaningful ways. In the Fifth Edition, they are guided to read, reflect, and write directly within the new assignable Norton Illumine Ebook. And new chapters help students make the most of human connections between writers through collaborative peer review and group work--even as they learn to navigate generative AI.

Highlights of this edition's new content:

A new, interactive Norton Illumine Ebook motivates students to briefly reflect and write as they read, building their confidence through low-stakes practice. Embedded brief writing activities and comprehension check questions make every chapter, reading, and video in the book assignable--and make student engagement visible. A new chapter, "Navigating AI as an Author," provides advice for weighing the benefits and drawbacks of using AI tools for academic writing, authored with writing and technology scholar/teacher Annette Vee. A new chapter, "Collaborating with Others," offers practical guidance on peer review and small group work, with a model of peer review comments on a student essay. Annotations have been added to every model genre essay in the book, highlighting the authors' rhetorical choices and supporting students' critical reading skills. A wealth of fresh new examples and readings from across media connect rhetoric to what students today are passionate about, from a visual analysis of TikTok's user experience to a review of an Olivia Rodrigo album, and much more. In the version with readings, half of the selections are new to this edition, and 25% are documented in MLA or APA style. Students will want to read a report on Taylor Swift's carbon footprint, an argument for more multilingual TV, a student's story of quitting social media, a comic about the labor behind AI, and so much more. The expanded video collection, now cross-referenced throughout the print book and the ebook, includes 30 topics--16 new to this edition--such as understanding academic argument, strategies for revision including peer review, critical reading strategies, using AI as a resource in the writing process, and more. The writing, research, and editing activities in InQuizitive for Writers have been revised with new examples and advice, supported by the fully revised Fifth Edition of The Little Seagull Handbook ebook. One year of access to both InQuizitive and the handbook are included with all new copies from Norton.

• Format: Misc.
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1324114371
• ISBN13: 9781324114376
• Release Date: July 2026
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Length: 928 Pages