Queue up for story snippets

Consumers regularly complain about the queues associated with banks, supermarkets, government departments and doctors’ surgeries.

Even more annoying than waiting is having no real idea as to how long you’ll be waiting for. But a book publisher in Asia sees waiting as the perfect opportunity for self-promotion.

When people have to wait, they almost certainly become bored, but Thailand publisher ‘The Book’ has found a way to entertain people during the wait and promote its books simultaneously.

‘The Book’ prints story snippets and distributes them in places where people are likely to have time to read them. In addition to queues, this could include receipts, placemats in restaurants or even bus stops.

If people like what they read, they can then get in touch with the company in order to purchase the book that caught their attention.

A similar service in Australia would be well received, particularly among parents trying to encourage their children to read. Book snippets could be distributed on school buses, trains and aeroplanes in addition to the many queues consumers are subjected to.