Romance Trading Cards for Authors

A chat on Twitter has turned into a fun promotion idea for RT 2011 and RWA 2011, says author Jeannie Lin. "Authors can create and print their own cards featuring a character from their books: hero, heroine, villain, or the couple. Bring the cards to signings and conferences for readers to collect and trade."

Jeannie Lin is spearheading this idea. Here are some more details on the cards:

—Actual print size is 2.5 x 3.5
—There is a back and front template. You are free to do whatever you wish with either side, but this is the intention:
—a. Front: Full image of your cover. Border is optional
—b. Back: Romance trading card border with your character info in the middle. The character profile may include an image (original art, stock images, icons, or part of cover), stats, biography or book info, favorite lines, your website. The back design is COMPLETELY open.
—Create the images in your imaging program and save them as .jpg files. Notice how they need to be flipped on their side horizontally before sending to the printer
—Go to GotPrint.com and select Collector Cards (2.5 x 3.5). Put in your order. The standard is 14-point, gloss cover, color on both sides, no rounded edges
—Upload your images and complete your order

Here are two samples by Jeannie Lin and Moira Rogers:

For more information, read the FAQ.

Jeannie has created a basic TEMPLATE to create your own cards.

Join the Web Tutorial on Romance Trading Card Templates and GIMP on March 5, 7-9pm EST. E-mail Jeannie for the link and the password. For now, follow the conversation via the Twitter hashtag #romancetradingcards.