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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