As an indie author who actually likes bookstores, I was thrilled to see that a new Barnes & Noble has opened up in my area—Columbia, Maryland!!!! (Have I used enough exclamation marks? 🙂 ) It’s great news for all bookstore lovers.
If I had a dime for every report I’ve read about the demise of B&N, I’d be a freaking millionaire. Maybe even a billionaire, like Old Baldy. 🙂
But let’s keep names out of this, shall we?
When I visited the store just this past weekend, I was greeted by this sight!
Then, I went inside and saw two (count ‘em) authors I know from my own writers group. Awesome!
- Mary Ellen Hughes!
- Penny Peterson and Mary Downing Hahn (not in my writers group, but that’s cool! 🙂 )
And here’s their signage!
It took a bit of hunting to find the Mystery section, because it was way in the back of the freakin’ store in a corner. Maybe that was intentional, because it’s for mystery lovers. Get it? 🙂
- Well played, Barnes & Noble …
- … Well, played! 🙂
And, contrary to rumor, Barnes & Noble still sells the Nook!

A shelf of Nooks at B&N in Columbia!
In fact, here’s the whole freaking Nook-case! 🙂
It was right next to the turntables! 🙂 Yeah, another outmoded technology, right? 😉

Vinyl lives! 🙂
Unfortunately, I didn’t have a signing here this time around. However, I did once have my own signing at a Barnes & Noble in Ellicott City, Maryland ages and ages eons several years ago.
- Me, signing ‘Identity Crisis’ for a happy reader!
- Another happy reader buys the book! 🙂
The cover has changed a bit since then, but it’s the same story!
This photo was taken at the Annapolis Barnes & Noble. A pretty picture, don’t you think? 🙂
PS: They don’t really carry the book on their shelves. But you can order it from BN.com. You can buy it from a whole bunch of online retailers. Just click here to find the buy links!