Writing Tip for Today: I had this weird dream the other night, that authors should be able to walk up to a prospective reader and instead of urging a paper copy or even a bookmark upon this reader, instead talks said reader into scanning the QR code (the funny little squares on magazine and product ads) at the bottom of  an author’s bookmark, postcard or  giveaway. Wouldn’t it be cool, I dreamed, to tell someone about your book, get them to scan the code, get online and download your book and be reading, all while you watch? Talk about instant gratification.
You can read about this concept here and just as I figured when I woke up, I’m not the first to think of this idea.
So while I probably won’t get rich, I did pose a question about QR codes at a workshop I attended on Saturday at the 2012 Willamette Writers Conference in Portland, OR with my fab writing student Jennifer Hare, pictured above.
We attended Traditional vs. Self-publishing (and everything in-between) led by literary agent April Eberhardt.
April didn’t seem to have thought of of even heard of this QR code for authors stuff, but one person in the back row said she had a writer friend who’d already thought of it. I think it’s the next logical step to close the gap between the in-person customer who gets a real book in her hot little reading hands and the same online reader who wants to connect with the author. We’ll see what the future holds–but something tells me it may be a smart and easy way to snag a reader if you run out of books, if you get a reader who only wants e-books or if you just want to appear very cool and leading edge.