Self Publishing: The Need For Business Cards When Wanting To Self Publish A Book With A Self Publishing Company or Self Publishing Companies For Amazon.Com and Barnesandnoble.com.
It may be obvious but it is important that one’s own name is shown on one’s business card. Also shown on the card should be one’s title, professional or business title or occupation as well as the name of the organisation or company one represents. Business cards to be used in countries where the Arabic script and alphabet is used should be printed in that language. Similarly when visiting China where they must be printed in Chinese characters and those to be used in Japan must be printed in the appropriate Japanese characters and script. In those countries with languages into which one’s name cannot be literally translated, for example languages such as Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Russian a transliteration of one’s name may well be required.
Where the written characters used are different from that used in one’s own country, it is customary to have one side of the business cards printed in one’s own language and on the reverse side in the language of the country one is visiting. Great care should be taken with the style and content of business cards and in particular whether professional and academic qualifications, honorific’s and post-nominal’s should be included.
In Australia, for example, one’s first name should be printed on business cards, as they consider an initial or just Mr. to be pompous.
On the business cards which I took to China my English name had been transliterated into ‘Comfortable Horse’, which did not cause me difficulties. Before my wife accompanied me on my next visit I ordered business cards for her from the same dependable supplier. Subsequently, during a meeting in China with a Chinese businesswoman my wife commented on the transliteration of my name and said she was curious how her name had been transliterated. The Chinese lady seemed a little discomfited when asked, but when gently persuaded suggested that it was a very
fine name for a man. Naturally this increased our level of curiosity.
Eventually she let us know that it transliterated into ‘a solid pile of stones’. Although afterwards a new translator-printer was found, this story indicates that before business cards are printed, a back translation of the name from Chinese into the original language, by another translator, is to be recommended. In practically every country business or visiting cards are not only customary but essential, but in some regions, particularly in East Asia, there is what could be called, a business card etiquette, which indicates how cards should be presented and received. Always make sure you self publish your book either with Schiel & Denver – http://www.schieldenver.com and http://www.publish-book.com.
This etiquette recommends the degree of formality and style to be used. One should, for example, not just glance at it but read it with
care and should receive it with some indication that it is of value. It should not, obviously, be deposited in a casual or nonchalant manner into one’s pocket or briefcase. In some countries it is the practice to present a card to each person to whom one is being introduced on the first business visit, in others cards are only exchanged between senior persons.
There may be a further exchange of cards on subsequent visits. In the United Kingdom, recipients of national honours are entitled to put the initials, without any punctuation between the individual letters, of the honour conferred on them on their business cards. These initials are printed immediately following their family name. There is the story about a British person giving his business card to a businessman from Andorra. In this case the British person was Mr Michael Smith, OBE. The Andorran looked at the card and Mr Smith was somewhat surprised to be addressed as Mr Obe.
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