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Questions & Answers about Kitabın yazarı kim?
Why do both kitap and yazar have suffixes here?
This sentence uses a definite noun compound to show possession, which is how you say "the book's author". The first word gets the genitive (owner) suffix -ın to become kitabın (of the book). The second word gets the possessive suffix -ı to become yazarı (its author). Together, they literally mean "the book's its-author".
Why is it spelled kitabın instead of kitapın?
This happens because of consonant mutation. When you add a suffix starting with a vowel (like -ın) to a word ending in a hard consonant like p, the consonant softens. Here, the p in kitap changes to a b to make the word flow better.
Why is the question word kim at the end of the sentence?
In Turkish, question words usually sit exactly where the answer will go. Since the answer would be a name placed at the end of the sentence (for example, Kitabın yazarı Orhan meaning "The book's author is Orhan"), the question word kim takes that exact spot.
Where is the word for "is" in this sentence?
In simple Turkish sentences, the "to be" verb (am/is/are) is often just understood from context rather than written as a separate word. The phrase Kitabın yazarı kim? is completely correct on its own.