It’s so pretty! Or, the post where I get overly excited about business cards.

When I was working as a materials scientist, I had business cards. They were company-issued and looked exactly like everyone else’s. Plain white card stock, basic, sterile design and the company logo. I would get so jealous when exchanging cards with people who had unique or interesting cards.

But now I have my own and I can do whatever I want with them. XD

I’m so excited that my new business cards came in today! My originals had information specifically for book 1, but now that book 2 is out it was time for an update. I ordered these from Vistaprint. Not only did their interface make it super easy to put the design together, the price was also very reasonable. I had a 50% off coupon (conveniently listed on the front page of their site), which meant I was able to get raised print and printing on the backside for almost the same price as basic cards. Maybe its just me, but I think the raised print makes the card seem just a little nicer and more professional. I could sit and run my finger over the raised letters for hours. (I know I’m weird, but I prefer to think of it as “quirky.”)

If you’re a fellow author, I’d definitely recommend having a business card for your work. I keep a handful of them with me at all times in case my books come up in conversation–and they’ve come in handy many times. I also leave a few here and there on community boards around town. I’m not sure how much that has helped me in spreading the word, but it definitely doesn’t hurt! I also included the blurb for book 1 on the backside of the card. Inevitably, when someone hears that I’m an author, they ask what my books are about. After sharing a short verbal summary, I find it helps to be able to say, “Here’s the full description too.”

I’ve also been known to drop cards into the “enter to win a free lunch” jar at the cash registers of local restaurants. Maybe someone will see the card and check out the book. Maybe I’ll win a free lunch. Win-win? ^_-

Authors, do you have business cards? How do you spread the word about your books offline?