Who Needs Barnes and Noble Anyway? - Team Amazon!

I've seen and read articles all over the place about Barnes and Noble's recent decision to no longer stock Amazon produced titles (or something like that). Some are saying that B&N is making a huge mistake, cutting of their nose to spite their face and/or committing business suicide. Personally, my feelings wouldn't be hurt if Team Amazon takes over and snuffs them out.

Clay and I at Borders

Sure, as an author and reader - thus lover of books, how can I resist a bookstore full of . . . well books! Then add on a cafe charging ridiculous prices for a cup of coffee and an over-sized cookie or cup of soup and ahhhh a book lover's heaven-on-earth for sure, right? I mean, after all - I actually got married at a bookstore!



Well as an author - my local Barnes and Noble has never shown much regard for me:

• Despite me living right here in the area. 
• Despite me selling books hand over fist less than a block away at Borders 
• Despite me trying to book signings (while they did let me sign there ONE time . . . right beside another author)
• Despite me providing bag stuffers for their customers to promote my signing (they sat on the Community Relations manager's desk until the day of my signing, then she handed them back to me.)

I could go on, but you get the picture. They just haven't really been key in my writing/publishing career. As a matter of fact - I can go in there right now and not find a single copy of anything I've been blessed to have in print (both self-published and traditionally published.)

Sooo . . . uh . . . if they want to jump off a proverbial bridge and meet their demise, my thoughts are "just say your prayers first."

With that said - I think Jeff Bezo and Team Amazon should open up (drum please) Kindle Cafes!  (loud cheering from the crowd!)  Now I will admit that I haven't thought this venture through -  it just popped into my head earlier today, and I'm sure Mr. Jeff has a whole team of experts that could figure out the logistics.

In my mind - a Kindle Cafe would be like a bookstore with no books (well maybe just a few), but only super cushy chairs, and a coffee bar with pastries and snacks, discussion tables, and rooms for Book Club meetings, and auxiliary rooms where authors could hold book release parties and special author events. There would be a retail portion of the Kindle Cafe where patrons could get booky and writery stuff like journals, coffee mugs, pencils, and of course Kindles and wearables with Team Amazon printed on the front. And don't forget free wi-fi and a giant sized Kindle Fire for the Kid's Corner, where a Kindle Cafe staff member could touch-and-read books to kids.

Oh gosh!  If there were a Kindle Cafe near me instead of  a (rolling my eyes) Barnes and Noble, I'd surely camp out there in my Team Amazon hooded sweatshirt and a pair of jeans. And I might not ever go home.

I liked the idea so much, I found Jeff Bezo's email and pitched the idea. Of course I let him know that if he wanted to reward me with cash (or feature me on Amazon's home page - or put all of my books in the first 12 best seller slots - just in case he needed some reward options) for coming up with such a fantastic idea that I would not be offended. I left him my phone number so he could call at his leisure. I'm going to keep my cell phone near by just in case!

I'm Team Amazon Baby!

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~

The Best Place to Write!

Working at Barnes and Noble

You've seen my random pictures - Have Laptop Will Work,  so you know that I am all about being able to work from anywhere at any given moment.  When I first began packing up the laptop for a day of writing at the Barnes and Noble, the park or other "authory" location of choice, I thought it would be cool and...well..."authory." I imagined myself sitting at a secluded table with a paper cup filled with some kind of gourmet coffee, dressed in a pair of jeans and a cozy turtleneck with super-long sleeves, black framed glasses adorning my face, looking quite creative and busy as I tapped next novel onto my keyboard and screen . . . ahhhhh!

Well! That's not exactly what my experience has been . . . not quite.

First of all, there's almost no such thing as seclusion in my local Barnes and Noble. Don't even mention available outlets to plug in my laptop. The seats near the outlets are almost always taken by other computer users, and sometimes by this ONE lady who ONLY reads books - taking up valuable outlet seating space (insert twisted face here). If you're gonna sit there, at least have the decency to have something to plug into the wall!

Working at Panera Bread

Secondly - I'm not a big coffee drinker, but again, trying to be like the "me" I saw in my imagination, a grande  Caramel Machiatto, stirred with whipped cream soon became a daily must have. I mean why sit in the cafe as a writer if you're not going to look the part, right? HOWEVER... that mess is expensive!!!  $4.37 for eight ounces of coffee???  Was I crazy?? Let's not even talk about if I was a bit hungry (or just undisciplined) and wanted one of their scrumptious sugar cookies, or spinach quiche thingies.  We're talking ten bucks a day! (Yes, there were lots of cookie and quiche days). That's a whopping $300 a month!  Geez Loo-weeze!

And finally - I've concluded that Barnes and Noble has a gas heating system, but they refuse to pay the bill (back before summer arrived). They only pay the electric bill for the lights and to keep the cafe going, but as for heat (when it was colder) no such thing. It would be FREEZING in the cafe - cozy sweater or not. And with the limited amount of hair on my head, I just couldn't take it.

Working at Chick Fil-A

So . . . I packed up my laptop and tried another location - Panera Bread. Just as expensive (I LOVE their quiches and Cobblestone pastry and if it's lunch time, that Turkey Artichoke Panini  is sooooo good!) and they will make you get off their wi-fi if you've been on it too long.

Alright how about Chick-Fil-a?  We have a great CFA here - it's always clean, the staff is super-friendly and they have free wi-fi. Now you know what my downfall is there . . . the food.  Ain't no way I can walk in there and not get a Chick Fil-a Biscuit with American cheese and a large sweet tea, or their signature sandwich with provolone if it's afternoon.  Money and calories (fried chicken first thing in the morning? Tsk-tsk!) Plus y'all know Chick Fil-a STAYS packed. People everywhere! The lobby, the drive-thru, the kiddie park - people all over the place.

Working at Newport News Park

Next location - the park, which doesn't have Wi-Fi by the way, or expensive food to purchase. Sounds good right? That's until you factor in the dirt from just being outside, the sun making my screen harder to see, the ants crawling up on the laptop to try to read what I'm typing, and the wasps who feel like you are invading their space - and they ain't having that. And oh yeah . . . the bathrooms...or lack thereof. Enough said.

Working in my vehicle

Okay well how about the freaking car??? Strangely this has been one of my most productive work locations. No distractions, no coffee, no chicken, cheese, quiches or calories, as a matter of fact, I get to bring my own food.  I have a constant internet connection (via my own aircard) even if I decide to go somewhere, I have a portable outlet so I always have power, and it's perfectly climate controlled. I get to choose and adjust the music, no one asks me to put on headphones if I need to "run audio" or watch a video tutorial, and I don't have to go find a quiet or discreet corner to take a phone call. It's almost perfect! Space is a challenge of course, and there are definitely no bathroom facilities, but I can always run into somewhere like Barnes and Noble, Panera or Chick-Fil-a for that right?  :-)

Where is your favorite place to write?  Leave your comments, maybe you can help me find another place that works well for me!