Author's Business Cards...Get Them...Use them

If you don't have business cards for yourself you really should. You can get free cards from VistaPrint (they charge you just for the shipping and put their promotional text on the back), but I recommend Gotprint.com some example pricing from them:

• $9.55 - 1,000 cards - 4 color front no back
  
• $11.00 - 1,000 cards - 4 color front and back
• $33.50 - 5,000 cards - 4 color front no back
• $38.70 - 5,000 cards - 4 color front and back

As you can see there is virtually no difference between doing two sided so splurge. Here are some of my business card recommendations:

• Have a picture of your book(s) - This is as high of a priority as your name
  
• Use a QR code - if you don't know what that is see my blog post about them
  
• Use your publishers logo - even if you've made your own publishing company putting a logo on the card will give you some added credibility (people won't know it's your own company)
  
• Don't give out your phone number - as a writer you need to control when/how you are interrupted
  
• Make it easy for them to identify your genre. Your book's graphic should do this for you but if someone (your or your publisher) dropped the ball on this then make sure they know your genre
• Have a tagline that differentiates your book from others
• Include your twitter, blog, and email - these are all acceptable ways to reach you.

To illustrate good business card design, let's look at Michael's cards:

BACK

Let's analyze what we have here starting with the back:

• Michael has three books so putting all of them on the back makes the most sense. If he had two, I'd still use the back but put the QR code next to them. With one, I might be inclined to put the cover on the front and the QR code alone on the back
  
  
• From the covers there is no mistaking these books from being in the fantasy genre. But we can augment this with a simple tagline which we did. I'll explain this particular tagline in my next post on branding.
  
  
• I included the URL and the twitter just to round out the back so that it looks like a little standalone ad.

Now the front

• Notice both the QR code and his current publisher's logo
• The three pieces of information to reach him
• A good, well balanced design (feel free to copy it for your own cards)

Once you have the cards here's the important point...get them out there. Here's some tips:

• Every time you pay a bill at a restaurant include your card - and tip well!!
  
• Drop them in every "free lunch" drawing you find - someone goes through those cards and just might go - hey this looks interesting. (After all how many times do they meet an author)
  
• See someone on a computer train or bus reading a novel in your genre talk to them for a few seconds and leave your card with them
  
• If you have any casual conversation where you happen to mention that you write don't leave without passing out a card
• Are you a speaker at a panel of a conference, tell people to come up afterward and get your card
• Going out to dinner with a friend and a bunch of their friends you don't know - given them a card when they ask you "what do you do"

For such a small expense, you really need to get yourself business cards. Make them attractive, and use them often. Besides, on those days when you're feeling kinda blue take out a card and remind yourself what you are in this for.