Barnes & Noble Is Still Playing Catch-Up

When I saw the recent NY Times headline: “Barnes & Noble Is to Sell Its E-Reader in Britain,” I could not believe that it had not been selling it there already. What was this company thinking?

The UK has intelligent book-reading consumers of tens of millions. It seems to me like it is another state, just like Canada is seems like an extension of the US. England should sell American products, such as the Nook, especially if Amazon is selling Kindles there.

I just don’t understand why the leading bookstore chain in the U.S. did not see England as a ripe expansion opportunity sooner.

What is next? Will Apple sell iPads in the UK or Toyota sell cars there too? Oh, wait, they already do. Duh! B&N needs to sell books and Nooks everywhere. If that Mars spaceship indicates life is on that planet, B&N better start packing. It needs to be everywhere. Otherwise, it will be nowhere.

Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer, the nation’s largest book promoter. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person.