Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Readers Wait (or Sittin' in the Waiting Room*)

*With apologies to Fugazi

Tip of the Day: Step away from the bags of Halloween candy. Step away!

All writers seeking publication are familiar with waiting. Once you are Recently Repped, it doesn't get any easier -- especially when you know you're waiting for EDITORS to get back to your agent about your book. (Can you tell I'm feeling this just a little bit right now? ;))

But guess who else waits? Readers! And those are the best kind of waiters for us writers! How many of you take a book in your bag when you head off to the doctor's office, knowing you'll be a the mercy of the old selection of magazines otherwise? When the appointments get backed up before you, aren't you almost glad when you're immersed in a good novel?

I also take to spying on what other waiters are reading -- it's excellent market research! Personally, I tend to bring whatever book in my TBR pile is a paperback. Better yet if there's a mass market size book in there. Perfect travel size! What books do you see others reading while waiting?

Here's a challenge for all you published writers out there: Bring copies of your book with you everywhere and casually drop them in waiting rooms. Do those waiting for their oil change/dentist appointment/doctor visit/DMV attendant pick it up? Or are they too engrossed in the book they brought with them? Or do they go for the magazines on the coffee table?

How bored will someone have to be to pick up my first published novel off the waiting room table? :)

Waiting's not ALL bad....

Deena, Miss Recently Repped

2 comments:

Lisa Schroeder said...

I hardly ever see people reading books in the waiting room. I think women especially love that little guilty pleasure of reading People magazine. :)

Kristina Springer said...

I read in the car all the time. This started with the long drive/wait for dropping the kiddos off at school. I'd read while we're waiting in the pick-up line or whatever. But, and this is bad, I sometimes will read at red lights too. But hey, half the time I'm reading a book to the kids at the red lights. They've come to look forward to red lights.