Barnes and Noble still does one thing that Amazon doesn't--can't.
B&N makes you feel like an author.
Signings, author events, walking into stores and seeing your book on the shelf ("Joseph Malik" goes right next to "George RR Martin" in the SF/F section, come on, how cool is that?), and if you work with a distributor, you not only have to do very little actual work, you also receive physical checks in the mail. It's all that writer sh*t; those visions of sugarplums you had while nodding off during third-year theory.
It's not all handjobs and champagne; you have to put up with a lot of irritation, and the ends are both superficial and vainglorious. The only way to stay sane is to not delude yourself about what you're putting into the relationship versus what you're getting out of it. Have you ever dated a stripper? That's this.
Uploading a file to Amazon, while less work and a far better bottom line, is infinitely less satisfying and doesn't look nearly as cool on your arm.