Have postcards and/or business cards with you at all times. You never know when an opportunity may arrive.
A friend of mine was standing in line at the movie theatre. She noticed that the person at the ticket window was reading a fiction book in her genre. They struck up a conversation and my friend passed along a business card. With Barnes & Noble a short distance away in the mall, my friend scored a sale.
I had a similar experience at Barnes & Noble. I was settled in with my laptop, researching for my new book. A man saw my stack and started to ask me questions about publishing. I pulled out a postcard for my published book. He took it and walked away. A few minutes later, he came back to tell me that it was out (unfortunate reality for a mid-level book that's been out more than a year), but that he ordered it. I'm sure that if he didn't have that card, he would have forgotten the title...and to purchase!
When creating postcards or business cards, be sure to include:
* cover image
* book title (it may not be easy to read, depending on the size)
* ISBN
* retail price
* publisher
* release date (especially important for pre-pub promotion)
* clear, concise & compellilng copy (25 words or less)
* website and/blog
