Writing is a business. It’s an investment of time, care, and love. (Love definitely makes it easier, anyway.) And all of this means that a writer must have a business plan, a plan that includes goals and direction and the ability to change at a moment’s notice if need be. That being said, every writer is different, which means every plan is different. I, myself, have an outline that varies from one writer friend to the next, but having a goal helps fine-tune my focus. That being said, I cannot do it on my own, so I’m often asking my fellow writer friends (and trusted friends outside of publishing) for their opinion on a change I’m contemplating.
Recently, for instance, I’ve been studying a major part of my marketing plan, particularly my author bio. For a long time, practically my entire career, I began it with my age. Literal quote? “Shannon A. Thompson is a 24-year-old author, avid reader, and habitual chatterbox…” Why did I do this? Well, it all goes back to the beginning. I was sixteen when my first novel released, and my age often worked against me. (Don’t get me wrong. I completely understand. In fact, my first novel was so poorly edited, I wouldn’t want someone picking that up first and judging me today based off of it…which is exactly why it’s unavailable.) That being said, I continued to share my age when I returned to publishing at the age of 21. Why? I could blame my baby face. Quite a few readers—when I didn’t state my age up front—would message me and ask, probably for the same reasons stated above, so I began my bio for clarification. This happened both out of necessity and a bit out of my own insecurity. Now that I’m older, and I have a few more works out to stand upon, I have changed it. I no longer feel like I have to say I started at 16 and I’m currently 24. I feel like my work is enough, that I’m enough without a number defining who I am, and it’s a good feeling to have, one I’ve never truly experienced before. But it does change my marketing. It affects everything, really, and I look forward to seeing how this curve in my path directs me to new areas. We shall see.
It helps to have friends encouraging me along the way.
Keep them in mind when considering changes in your marketing and publishing plans. They might help you in more ways than you think.
~SAT
Since Death Before Daylight releases on September 15, I released the first book teaser yesterday during #TeaserTuesday! You can pre-order the last book of The Timely Death Trilogy on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, and basically everywhere where books are sold. You can also sign up for a release day blast by clicking here!
If you haven’t started the trilogy, don’t worry. The first book, Minutes Before Sunset, is free! (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks.) The sequel is out too. In fact, we’ll be celebrating the sequel, Seconds Before Sunrise, September 7-18 during the blog tour.
In other news, I’m stopping guest posts in October/November, so if you want to be a guest blogger, now is the time to submit. I’ll try to get everyone I can out before I change the posting dates again. I accept all original posts about writing and reading. You do not have to be publishing to qualify. Email me at shannonathompson@aol.com if you’re interested.
Shannon A. Thompson 
Reblogged this on Crazy Beautiful Reads.
Thank you for sharing!
~SAT
Anytime ! 🙂
Shannon, thank you for raising the bar. I still think of writing as a passion, now I see that it can be much more. Thanks for sharing.
I’m glad you enjoyed the article! Thank you for reading and commenting.
~SAT
Hi Shannon, in my opinion, I think when people see your age, they will judge you, some consciously and others subconsciously. It think it can work for you or against you, depending on the audience you are targeting. So I guess you really need to know your audience before deciding whether to include your age or not.
I agree that people will always be there to judge, but I think I’ve come to a point where I am ready to accept judgement if it comes rather than try to fight it by posting by age. Thank you for reading!
~SAT
I’ve been wondering if updating the bio every year or two is something an author should get into the habit of doing. Our lives change, especially if we keep producing works and evolving in the trade. Curious how removing your age declaration will change things. Good luck.
I change mine every time I have a release (just so it doesn’t say my book will release in August when it’s November and already released), but I’ve had the same information up until now. We will see if it changes anything. 🙂
~SAT
I did wonder why you put your age in your bio considering the book is in print, therefore remaining static text while you continued to age. I think Charles Y. might be on to something. It is probably time for me to update my bio as well.
Yeah! The printed copies become outdated really fast when you mention your age. The trilogy is going to have that, but from now on, no age. 🙂
~SAT
Or you can be like me and just stop aging between 32 and 40. Why 40? Because I like big parties. Then I’ll stop aging again until I feel like admitting to 60 for the same reason. After that, I’ll just own my age because, why not.
Exactly! I’m owning my age. 😀 Love it! Thank you for reading and commenting. I love your bio btw. “When you are just over five foot tall you learn quickly how to appreciate the little things in life.” That is perfection.
~SAT