Borders Books and Music in Austin, Tex., held an "Audiobook Social" in its cafe on the afternoon of December 13. As customers ate their pastries and sipped coffee or tea, they were treated to the recorded first chapters of John Irving's A Widow for One Year, Helen Fielding's Bridget Jones' Diary, Cormac McCarthy's All the Pretty Horses, John Berendt's Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, David Guterson's Snow Falling on Cedars and Fannie Flagg's Welcome to the World, Baby Girl! (all from Random House Audio).
The idea was proposed by Random House rep Rose Pena, said Anne Wick, community relations coordinator for Borders. "Rose said that a Borders in California had some success with a one-time audiobook social," said Wick. "We've never had any event just for audiobooks, so we thought maybe we've left an audience untapped. It seemed like a great way to create some awareness of the category. And during the holidays, I thought it was a nice way to kick back and take a break during shopping, and hear some nice stories."
Wick estimates that about 30 people were in the cafe when the recordings started, and more dropped in over the course of the event. Afterward, several people came up to ask what the stories were and who the readers were. "I found that if you already have people who are comfortable in that atmosphere, the regular cafe crowd, and you play audiobooks in the background, people cock their ear and come over and are interested," Wick said, adding that she is considering starting an discussion group for Borders' audiobook customers.
