To those of you who have been with me for seven years, I apologize. But the other day, a friend ask me to reprise this blog. So here it is. It still has merit today.
On a recent road trip, we passed through Wall, South Dakota, and visited Wall Drugs. That’s almost all there is in the small town. But, it is something to see. It now fills a square block, and claims to be the largest drug store in the country. I have no doubt it is. It has many, many rooms for various items that might tempt a tourist to part with some dollars, play areas for kids, some excellent art, and a restaurant that can handle 500 people at a time. Oh yes, there is a pharmacy, but it is almost lost among the opportunities to buy just about anything.
You have no trouble finding Wall Drugs. For a hundred miles east and west you will see signs along the highway for Wall Drug Store. Many of them simply say, “Free Ice Water. Wall Drug Store.”
Today, with our air-conditioned cars and fast food places every ten minutes, free ice water doesn’t seem to be much of a draw. But back in 1931, things were different.
In 1931, the owners of Wall Drugs, a young pharmacist and his wife, were about to give up that hot summer. They had agreed they would give it five years and if they couldn’t make it in that period, they’d pull up stakes and move to a big city. Their five years were almost up.
One hot day, the pharmacist’s wife came in and said she had an idea that might get some of the people driving down the highway to stop and come into the store. What did people really want on a hot summer day driving in a hot car through a dusty area? Ice water. She suggested putting up signs on the highway that said, “Free Ice Water.”
The pharmacist and a high school boy drove out and put up the signs. Before they got back, cars were stopping and people were asking for free ice water. Some of them decided to get ice cream. And some bought other things. Business began to grow. By the next summer, they had to hire eight girls to handle the sales.
In 2012, a good day will see 20,000 people come through the Wall Drug Store. The highway signs advertise many items sold at Wall Drugs. But many of the signs still read, “Free Ice Water. Wall Drug Store.” And “5 Ȼ Coffee, Wall Drug Store.” Yes, when you get there, you can get free ice water and you can still get a cup of coffee for 5 Ȼ. But the customers spend much more than a nickel. The same family still owns the store, although it has passed on to the children and grandchildren of the original couple who found a way to bring business into their store.
How did they do it? They found what people really wanted and provided it. But, it was the simple signs that brought the people in. As writers, we need to decide what it is that people really want in a book. We must then provide it. But the big step is to advertise it. Let people know that what they want is available. The difference is that today, we will put our signs on the Internet highway. People cruise down it every day, twenty-four hours a day. We must get our signs out there. Simple, to the point signs, that offer the public what they want. Maybe we give something away. It might be a first chapter. It might be a drawing for a free book. (You can’t afford to give a book to everybody.) Maybe it only needs to be a very short blurb that entices the passerby to stop for a moment, read a bit more, maybe decide to buy.
The key is to provide what the public wants, and tell them about it so they can pass the word around.
One last thing. You’ll notice I didn’t say “readers.” We might as well aim for a larger group. Write a book that will bring more people into the reading community. Expand our fan base. Find today’s “Free Ice Water” and put out those signs on the highway.
And today, I’d appreciate a comment as much as a glass of ice water. Thanks.
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she pens a series of cozy cat mysteries and a series of humorous WWII mystery/adventures. She has published seven novels and an anthology of short stories highlighting the lives of cats. Fourteen additional anthologies include her humorous tales
Carol McClain, who is also secretary of the Author’s Guild of Tennessee. She’s a transplant from New York, but more on that later. She has published five books and currently does a little blogging. Welcome Carol McClain and read a little sage wisdom gained from her time in New York and her time in Tennessee.
Liberalism mimics conservativism. It, too, excludes things it doesn’t believe in. Blacks/whites, Russians (my heritage)/Anglo Saxons, Baptists/Evangelicals, gay/straight, we all vary outwardly like the icing on the pastry, but as Mandissa sings, “We all bleed the same.”
That was just the start. Apparently there had been an incredible amount of rain. And then strong, erratic winds. Many live trees were toppled, simply uprooted. These ranged from 100-foot tall pines to old oak trees.
the glamorous life of a writer. It’s a fun read and maybe we can see ourselves in the title role. Jennifer has published six contemporary novels, maintains a devotional blog, and works on several fronts to help women realize their true worth. But now, here is that glamorous life.
Jennifer ‘ latest book is Restoring Her Faith. Here’s a brief blurb on it.
who began her writing career in an RV roaming around the USA with her husband, Joe. She brags about visiting a location before it becomes the setting in her next contemporary romance or romantic suspense. To date, June has 17 novels published.
My aunt and mother always told the story of how one Sunday while saying mass, he spotted a young teen, much younger than my Mary Louise. He waited several years for her to grow up then stepped down from the priesthood to marry her. I wish I knew some of those rich details of their courtship, but since I don’t, I fictionalized their romance.
My mother and I were doing some Christmas shopping one day before Christmas (of course). Here, I do not mean “one day” as the day before Christmas, but “one day” as in “a single day.” We had bought an item at the Harris store in Oak Cliff. While we waited for the sale to be processed, I let slip a complaint about the wart on my finger. Perhaps I had served a double-fault the day before, or some other wart-induced calamity. But I did complain about my wart.