Business Card Psycho.

I’ve been searching around the interwebs for the last few days, looking for some Patrick Bateman quotes re business cards and have drawn a complete blank.  I even dug out my copy of American Psycho and had no luck with the quick flick through.  But I was able to find this clip on youtube:

 

When I think of business cards, I think of Patrick Bateman and his obsession with them (…he has a few other obsessions as well, but for the sake of keeping this reference relevant, I only wish to dwell on business cards).  Maybe I’m the only person who remembers this thing about fonts, paper stock, raised lettering etc... although, whilst searching the interwebs, I did find this.  It’s good to know that I’m not the only person who references business cards with fictional crazed serial killers.      

Recently I was in a situation where I needed to pass my bookselling details on to someone.  This was quite important as the someone concerned was another bookseller with whom I was conducting business with for the first and hopefully not the last time.  Without a business card I felt a little inadequate and to be honest, a little unprofessional, but I managed to not dwell on my inadequacy for too long which is what I have done ever since I began this crazy book selling business.  A week later and another bookseller shows me his brand new card.  I was a little envious… a bit like Patrick Bateman, but with less killing.  And still I didn’t think too much about my own card needs until a few days after that, when I was talking to another bookseller* about branding and signage and of course business cards became part of the conversation.  It then dawned on me that realistically if I want to be taken seriously as a bookseller, I need a business card.  I went home remembered the nice paper stock, the overall professional look and the cheap cheap price that my friends card had and finally took the plunge.  Yep, Vista Print.  So, after way too many years of scribbling my details on scraps of paper, I finally have a card.  No longer will I be the scrap of paper guy scribbling away in my difficult scrawl, now it’s serious…                                                                         

     

*Yes. I talk to a lot of booksellers.