Business cards?

christinaschim

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I was wondering what people did for their business cards. Just a good quality one with "freelance writer"? Are the business cards from examiner.com worth it? Or do people look at you like you are an idiot? I was thinking of having both to carry with me? What do you do?
 

GameMasterNick

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I know I'm an oddity, but I have mine made by a Japanese company and shipped to me by a business associate there.

http://en.designmeishi.net/

The reason being that I do a lot of Japanese translation work and having a poor quality (by Japanese standards) card is a major insult to your potential client.

That said, I also keep a stack of inexpensive Office Max cards on hand for my American clients! I'd stay away from anything "free" like the Vista Print, Examiner.com or S101 FW cards. Especially with Examiner and S101 getting the bad press that's currently coming down on them.

The regular Vista Print ones (without the VP logo) are said to be good quality and they sometimes give them away to promote the business (pay shipping costs). I've had good luck with that company for sign design and invitations / flyers in the past.

(No, K-1 / DesignMeishi won't hire me to fix the Engrish on their site... I've tried)
 

GregS

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Great question, Christina. I've been struggling with this myself.

Simply writing "Author" or "Freelance Writer" or whatever feels underwhelming. I've always been a believer that business cards are, at least in part, a chance to sell yourself.

My old cards from previous lines of work listed three specializations (i.e. Actor - Stuntman - Fight Coordinator) and I really like that format, but it's harder to do with writing.

Author - Journalist - Part-time Panhandler

I don't know.

Relatedly, how do people feel about Author vs. Writer?
 

plaidearthworm

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I use VistaPrint, and get the cards without logos. Always satisfied with them, although I'm loving the designs on Designmeishi! And I list my occupation as freelance writer, since that's how I make my living. :)
 

GameMasterNick

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I actually do have the Three-For on my cards.

"Writer - Editor - Translator"

Along with my name, email and business phone numbers.
 

BySharonNelson

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I haven't decided about getting cards as a writer as it is not my main profession and I have never come up with a reason to justify the cost. But I would like to add that I own a company and always use VistaPrint. Their cards are always prefessional looking and inexpensive. You can choose one of their templates and then move the words and stuff around and change fonts and colors in the custom design area. Ive always been happy with the product.
 

Carlene

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Title on my cards while I was still in business was, Supreme Commander.
More people remember me for that silly title than anything! I would actually have people call and ask for the Supreme Commander - they didn't remember me, but they still had my card. It made a good first impressions and got me into doors.

Carlene
 

WildScribe

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I have business cards (my title is Freelance Writer, although I really should print some that add Editor) from VistaPrint, and have never had a complaint about them, but just the same I'm not sure I've ever gotten business from handing out cards.
 

Skyraven

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I have business cards from Vistaprint as well. They rock! and I'm listed as a Freelance Writer/Editor. I also have my email, website address and cell phone number. I haven't had much of a chance to use them because I use email more than anything, but I have a card holder with some of my cards handy.
Keep it simple and do what works best for you. :)
 

fov

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I also do PR consulting, so my card says "Writer & Public Relations Consultant" for the title. I have my mailing address / phone / email on the front, and my website URL and branding on the back. I got them printed at PSPrint during one of their (frequent) 60% sales and was very happy with the end result.

I don't need to use them very often, but they're good for handing out at the occasional trade show (whether I'm there doing PR or as press) and I stick them in any physical mailing I do to clients, like when I send out Christmas cards at the end of the year.
 

RobinF

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I use Vistaprint. I have Freelance Writer under my name. I'm an agriculture and natural history writer. My card says "Covering Agriculture & Nature in Maine" and has the url for my natural history publication. Any time I'm out and about I have my cards with me. They've been very helpful in making connections for articles.
 

IconReline

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My card says "Covering Agriculture & Nature in Maine" and has the url for my natural history publication.

I love that idea, that's smart.

Mine are from MooCards and I love them. They were a little pricey, but I'm really happy with them. And yes, it is VERY nerve wracking figuring out wtf to put on the card itself:). I ended up with a graphic I mocked up in Photoshop on one side, then the other side lists my specialties, email, and website. The "three-for's" seem effective as well.

I've heard VistaPrint's premium cards are okay (the premium ones won't have Vista's logo, I'm told), too, if you want something decent and cheap. Local custom print shops are worth a try, if you have one nearby.
 

spacekadet

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I'm also a huge fan of Moo.

Mine are simple - photos on one side, then on the back:

Monica Shaw
Freelance Writer
email address
website
 

wyntermoon

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Mine are from VistaPrint though I used one of the $ templates. My only complaint is the printed font is too small for my old eyes but looked fine during the template process.

They read:

Stacey Graham
author
websites
email
twitter
 
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christinaschim

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I oordered from Vista Print and used alot of your great suggestions. I made the font bigger than suggested so hopefully it is clearly visible
 

Sunnyside

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I get mine from American Stationery, where they're about 35 bucks for a hundred cards, I think it is. You can design the card right on their website, and choose from tons of fonts and font sizes and layout options. Color me happy on that count.

As for what people put down as their occupation, mine simply says "I write stuff." It usually gets a good reaction.
 

misha_mcg

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I did Freelance Writer/Editor as well. I also included, aside from the standard contact info, a list of professional publishing credits, such as newspapers.
 

dankrubis

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Thanks to the peeps that mentioned Moo Cards. I just got them in the mail yesterday, and they rock. The material, the look, all of it rocks.
 

christinaschim

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Yes the Vista print cards rock. I made the font larger and the templates are great, one of the magazine editors I gave my card to at fashion week thought I should get into graphic design. Ha! I didn't tell him it was a template. I also got the thickest card stock they had which made them professional enough for the fashion/entertainment world. A heads up for those of you in business writing my fiance (who is in high finance) said they should be a better card stock.
 

fourlittlebees

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I'll be honest... I freelanced for 10 years and never once used cards. They're good to have at conferences, but 9 times out of 10, if I was at a conference, I was there on behalf of a client, and I had them do cards with their company info.

It's possible that it's because I tend to stay in tech fields, but I get more use out of Bump than I ever did business cards. I don't even use them at my current job. ;)

That said, however, Moo cards rock.
 

Ali B

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I love that idea, that's smart.

Mine are from MooCards and I love them. They were a little pricey, but I'm really happy with them. And yes, it is VERY nerve wracking figuring out wtf to put on the card itself:).

I love Moo cards. They are thick and the colors are bright and clear. They look very professional. This is the back of one of my cards:
inexpensive+business+card.png

On the other side there is an example of my art and my contact info.
 

Whatsherface

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I'm a graphic designer, as well as fledgling author, if anyone needs cheap, fast, awesome designs!

(don't judge by my terrible avatar and signature!)