Author Business Cards

Simple, personal business cards are cheap. You will find other uses for them besides using them in your writing career; any time you need to give someone your address, phone numbers, or e-mail address, you can just hand them a card. You can get 100 cards on heavy stock card paper for $20 online.

Well, let me put it this way … the authors who I end up interviewing on my radio show are somehow those who readily provide their contact info. I dare say business cards can come in handy.

Get them.

Get fairly plain business cards, non-glossy and pay extra for good stock.

Have an email address and a Website address, even if it's just about.me page.

Don't say "author" as job title. Say Writer, unless you have a more appropriate and interesting title. Not cute; interesting.

Don't. Put. Your. Phone. Number. On. The. Card.

It's a PITA to find out that card you handed to someone at a Book Expo means you're getting cold called by a sticker company. And that's not even a little rare.

If you want someone to have your phone, write it on the card, after you've written a note reminding them who you are on the back.

Which is why you want non-glossy light colored stock. People who actually keep and use cards put notes on them.

HELL YES they're a good idea.

I just got back from the writer's conference in Surrey, BC this past weekend, and I only have half a container left.

You're so busy gabbing with everyone, and determined to add them to friends list, twitter feeds, etc, but you can't possibly remember everyone. So trade cards, and if you forget them, they can add you.

I went with zazzle.com and designed a really eye-catching portrait-oriented rather than landscape one, with a silent actress in sepia-tone (same as my twitter pic below), and sort of a 1920s font in deep burgundy, and EVERYONE who saw it commented how gorgeous it turned out. I had one paper-clipped to my notes for my pitch (in case I zoned for a second), and the agent I pitched to saw it and wanted it before I even got a chance to hand it to her.

They work. I give them to everyone who asks what my book's about. I tell them this one is not out yet (still shopping for an agent), but I hand them to everyone who's interested, and they have all my important data, which will be updated when new books are released.

The people who DIDN'T have biz cards at the conference were kicking themselves for not having them.

How much did the Zazzle cards cost? I have cheapo Vistaprint ones and they're embarrassing next to other people's, especially on the graphic novel front.

at a convention there was a guy giving out business cards with his book cover on one side and on the other was a barcode for the smart phone readers to scan and automatically be taken to his website. i loved the idea.

I use them mainly at conventions, but you never know when you will meet someone who you want to remember you.

NinjaFingers said:

How much did the Zazzle cards cost? I have cheapo Vistaprint ones and they're embarrassing next to other people's, especially on the graphic novel front.

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I got two different sets. One for the flapper book, and one for the first one I'm releasing in late March (even though i don't have a book cover yet).

For two sets of 100, it was about $40. I even screwed up and ordered from the U.S Zazzle. I didn't know we had a Canadian one too (with a .ca ending). They might have charged me more to ship. I'm not sure.

The more you order, the less they are per set. I think it's per 100.

The code on back is a great idea! I heard that you should put a pic on it somewhere (for those whom you meet at conferences-- that way people remember you better). So I have my author photo on the back of the flapper one.

NinjaFingers said:

How much did the Zazzle cards cost? I have cheapo Vistaprint ones and they're embarrassing next to other people's, especially on the graphic novel front.

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I've used Zazzle. They have good cards. I think the cost is around $20-25 for the first one-hundred cards, assuming you are getting simple business cards (no logos or fancy graphics). The hardest thing about Zazzle is choosing which format to go with; they have hundreds.

"Never leave home without them..."

Business cards, specifically cards for each of your books, glossy on both sides, leaves a terrific impression upon the recipient.

Besides, they make great book markers as well.

And then there are those instances when a business card just makes sense, and then, the conversation that occurs when the recipient suddenly realizes: "Golly, you're an author too!"

Shameless know I, but effective they are (per Yoda)."

Okay. I'll have to look at what my finances are when I run out of the cheapos. Thanks!

Medievalist said:

Get them.

Get fairly plain business cards, non-glossy and pay extra for good stock.

Have an email address and a Website address, even if it's just about.me page.

Don't say "author" as job title. Say Writer, unless you have a more appropriate and interesting title. Not cute; interesting.

Don't. Put. Your. Phone. Number. On. The. Card.

It's a PITA to find out that card you handed to someone at a Book Expo means you're getting cold called by a sticker company. And that's not even a little rare.

If you want someone to have your phone, write it on the card, after you've written a note reminding them who you are on the back.

Which is why you want non-glossy light colored stock. People who actually keep and use cards put notes on them.

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Whew! Holy cow I'm glad my printer said "too late." They asked for any last minute corrections and I told them. Later in the day I asked them to add my phone # and they told me it had already been sent to the printer and it was too late.....

So what is the consensus on what to have on your business card?

Name/pseudonym
Email address
Website
Book(s) name(s)?

Non-glossy, I understand that. I do like the idea of a photo (not that I'm a photogenic person, but I understand later on a person might have trouble putting a name to a face and that can certainly help). A QRC code or something would be a fantastic idea. Know of a place to generate one that takes you to your book on Amazon or B&N?

TroyJackson said:

Non-glossy, I understand that. I do like the idea of a photo (not that I'm a photogenic person, but I understand later on a person might have trouble putting a name to a face and that can certainly help). A QRC code or something would be a fantastic idea. Know of a place to generate one that takes you to your book on Amazon or B&N?

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Not your book name. You want to be known as an author of many books, not just the one.

If you want to promo your book, consider bookmarks, or postcards for that particular book, but I admit I worry a bit about authors spending too much on swag.

I have seen some people use those small moo cards with cover image or a slice of a cover image as sort of a business card for their book.

That depends in part on the effectiveness of the design.

Medievalist said:

Not your book name. You want to be known as an author of many books, not just the one.

If you want to promo your book, consider bookmarks, or postcards for that particular book, but I admit I worry a bit about authors spending too much on swag.

I have seen some people use those small moo cards with cover image or a slice of a cover image as sort of a business card for their book.

That depends in part on the effectiveness of the design.

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Gotcha. Thanks.

So is Zazzle the best place to go for what we're considering...?

TroyJackson said:

So is Zazzle the best place to go for what we're considering...?

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Got mine at Vistaprint. Used my own design, but theirs are fine.

Jeff

I handed out 500 business cards at the last reader/author convention I went to. I'm not sure about other genres, but romance conventions draw tons and tons of readers eager to meet you and they'll take any kind of swag they can get. Also handy for giving out to other 'industry' peeps. But for book promo, stick to bookmarks/postcards/etc

-- Business Card Link -- I just put my website address because I'd rather have them go there than anything else. In the next batch I'll probably add my email addy.

TroyJackson said:

Gotcha. Thanks.

So is Zazzle the best place to go for what we're considering...?

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Honestly, I usually try to find a local place first, but I've used Staples, Vista Print and . . . I can't remember the other place.

Get better quality stock. It makes a difference.

I'd start thinking now about keeping your work, you-as-author, separate from your personal, you-with-an-actual-life and maybe a family online identities.

And part of that is a work specific author email address.

It doesn't have to be too different.

[email protected]

vs

troyjackson@ example.com, even.

One address is on your business cards and your Website; one is for your family and personal friends.

I agree with Medi there. I also have a business mail box because some people still like to receive and send physical documents.

I found the post office one town over got me a 6x6 mailbox for a year that the same price would get me a 3x6 in my home town. Plus, it helps maintain a bit of a distance between me and my business. I base this on a friend of mine's experience. He gave his business card to Jim Hanley's Comics up in NY, but a couple of kids stole it and decided to try and break into his house. "Hey, he writes comics/books, he must have a valuable collection". Luckily he was home and caught them, but his next set of business cards had his P.O. Box, not his home address.

I just self-pubbed my first novel a week and a half ago, and I use a 3-1/2" x 5-1/2" postcard instead of a business card. In my opinion, it has a bit more presence. It has the full color cover of the novel on the front with a blurb about the novel. It is UV protected, so has a beautiful sheen to it.

The back is flat black and white - no sheen. It has ordering information on it (I too, have a dedicated PO Box), and a blank area I can write on as needed. When the next novel is finished, I will do a postcard of that one with the cover shot, and still list the present novel on the back.

I found a company that does beautiful work at a low cost. I paid around $40. for 500 cards and that included shipping. It works out to about .9 each. For anyone interested, the name is GotPrint. Very quick turnaround on delivery too. At that price, I can hand them out anywhere I strike up a conversation with someone that seems interested. I hope this is helpful.

I forgot to mention, they require a separate PDF file for the front and another for the back.

I want to make some after i release my second book. I guess it makes me look more like a writer with more than one book out and not just a wannabe (I am...)

Anyways, you can usually get 100-500 free from websites.

I plan on doing it and placing them at the bookstore coffee shops and stuff.

I also want to print out cheap fliers with tear off on the bottom to put on message boards.