Why Hospitality Toward Our Readers Should be on Our List of New Year’s Resolutions

by Donna Wichelman @DonnaWichelman

Several years ago, while listening to a webinar hosted by Thomas Umstattd, Jr., he made a statement that impressed me and motivated me to write two questions on a Post-It note that still hangs on my computer monitor today. How do you throw a banquet for your readers? How do
you serve them if you don’t know who they are?

Sadly, in the last few years, I was too distracted by my personal publishing goals to fully pursue the answers to the questions. But a study of David Gibson’s book, The Lord of Psalm 23, has led me to consider King David’s profound relationship with his Lord. It also forced me to take a second look at Thomas’s questions and dig deep to discover how I view my relationship with my readers as an author of a recently published historical romance, A Song of Deliverance.

In Psalm 23, David’s words inspire a truth transcending time and place.

“You prepare a table before me
In the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup overflows.”
–Psalm 23:5

As Gibson points out, the three verbs in the text show God’s active care and benevolence toward us while we receive all the good gifts He’s prepared for us. It’s a picture of a host who desires to serve, and it reminds us of Jesus washing the disciples’ feet at the Passover feast before His crucifixion. Gibson says, “It’s in God’s nature to serve us as much as it is to save us.”

According to one commentator, George Lamsa, “In the East, a man’s fame is spread by means of his table and lavish hospitality rather than his possessions.” The idea contradicts the concept of American consumerism, which boasts about the things we’ve accumulated over serving others. Instead, God prepares an extravagant feast for all who will sit at His table to enjoy His abundant blessings.

But while it’s God’s good pleasure to provide a bounteous table, His greater desire is for us to know Him intimately, personally. In John 10, we read, “But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him, the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his
own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice … I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and my own know me, just as the Father knows me, and I know the Father …” (John 10:2 –
4, 14 – 15, ESV).

A fundamental principle seems clear. Just like the man whose reputation for lavish hospitality brings honor to his name, authors can develop an abiding relationship with their readers by showing care and concern for them. But how do we provide a banquet for our readers? How do
we serve them? It may look a little different for every author, but there are several general ways to serve our readers.

First and foremost, we must be authentic in our desire to serve. Readers will catch on and move on if we operate out of self-centered motives. We can respect our readers by offering consistent excellence in our work. We also need to do our groundwork if we’re known for our detailed
research. As Christian authors, we also need to maintain a standard of godly moral values that befits our calling in our projects as well as our personal lives.

It’s also essential to communicate with our readers at least once or twice a month and conduct periodic surveys to understand what they like to see in our newsletters. We honor them when we provide what they want to read. I surveyed my newsletter audience in December and discovered almost everyone was happy with the content. In addition, we can offer occasional giveaways readers will enjoy from their favorite authors. I know one author who created a cookbook their readers could download with the recipes the protagonist made throughout the novel. Most importantly, if readers respond to our newsletter, answer them immediately to keep the relationship fresh and personal.

“Finally, brothers (and sisters), whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Philippians 4:8, ESV). And serve
up an abundant banquet at every opportunity so your readers will feel appreciated and cared for at all times. Make it an item on your list of Resolutions this year.

Weaving history and faith into stories of intrigue and redemption grew out of Donna Wichelman’s love of travel, history, and literature as a young adult while attending the United World College of the Atlantic–an international college in Wales, U.K. She enjoys developing plots that show how God’s love abounds even in the profoundly difficult circumstances of our lives. Her stories reflect the hunger in all of us for love, belonging, and forgiveness. Donna was a communications professional before writing full-time.  She has two indie-published romantic suspense novels, Light Out of Darkness and Undaunted Valor, in her Waldensian Series. Her Gilded Age historical romance, A Song of Deliverance, released in December. Donna and her husband of forty years participate in ministry at their local church in Colorado. They love spending time with their grandchildren and bike, kayak, and travel whenever possible. Visit Donna at https://donnawichelman.com/