Publicity & PR

May 2003 HODRW Newsletter Article

by Teri Sprackland

It's May, when a romance writer's fancy turns to thoughts of....Yikes! National is just around the corner!

"What should I bring? What should I wear? Can I get my manuscript ready just in case Someone Important expresses an interest?"

How about: Do I have my business cards ready? Yeah, I know. Not at the top of your Getting-Ready-For-New York To-Do List.

But perhaps it should be. There will be several thousand people at that meeting, and that amounts to at least a couple hundred opportunities to handout your business card. You don't have one? If not, why not? You're a professional writer writing with the aim of publication, even if you aren't there yet. A business card is an essential element in any professional writer's toolkit. You can't expect people to treat you as a serious professional if you don't act like one. Put yourself in the shoes of that editor or agent: The National is over, you're back at your office, emptying out your suit pockets, your briefcase or purse, dumping all the materials you've accumulated onto a big pile on your desk. You start filing business cards, putting stuff away, making a list of Action Items. There was that personable writer you met from Denver with the great story idea-what did she say her name was? You search the pile...Nothing. Oh yes, now you remember. You gave her your card, but she didn't have one to give to you. Oh well, maybe she'll follow up. If not, plenty of other fish in the sea. Now that's a horror story, not a romance writer's dream-come-true.

Some hints on creating The Perfect Business Card:

  1. Don't be cutesy. No little logos of inkwells are necessary. The word "writer" under your name is enough. Or, historical writer, romance writer, whatever your niche.
  2. Make sure your phone number and email are in type big enough to actually be seen.
  3. No bizarre typefaces. Although desktop publishing has been a boon to many endeavors, the proliferation of weird typefaces is horrific. And please, use only one typeface.
  4. If you are competent with a desktop publishing program, then by all means try out some ideas on the business card paper available at office supply stores. But make sure it's not the kind that leaves a fuzzy edge when separated. And if you're not sure of your design capabilities, ante up the twenty to fifty bucks to have the cards done professionally.
  5. Always have cards ready to hand out. And don't be shy - hand them out!
  6. Scribble a quick note on the back about your conversation if you want to jog someone's memory about your conversation.
  7. I use a business card holder to keep my cards clean and crisp. Think of it as a descendent of the habit known in past centuries of leaving a calling card. The Polite World knew the importance of calling cards then.

Today's Business World really differs little in this respect. If you want to belong, have your card ready.

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