For the third year in a row, bestselling author James Patterson has made the holidays a bit brighter for independent booksellers through his Holiday Bookstore Bonus Program. This year Patterson upped the total dollar amount of the bonuses by $100,00 over previous years for a total pool of $350,000. At the same time, Patterson more than doubled the number of booksellers affected, up from 179 in 2016 to 320 this year. Individual bonuses ranged from $750 to $1,250.
Booksellers and bookstore owners at stores in areas particularly hard hit by hurricanes and wildfires were among the recipients, including Blue Willow Bookshop in Houston and Copperfield’s Books in Napa, Calif. Those at new stores like East City Bookshop in Washington, D.C., as well as established bookstores like Powell’s Books in Portland, Ore., along with booksellers at children’s specialty bookstores like Booktenders’ Secret Garden Children’s Bookstore and Gallery in Doylestown, Pa., received holiday bonuses.
“I was thrilled to increase the donation amount of this year’s bonuses given the overwhelming response we’ve had to past campaigns,” Patterson said. “These bonuses are my humble acknowledgment of [booksellers’] commitment to putting books into the hands of readers, and I hope these grants make that possible.”
As it has for the two previous rounds of holiday bonuses, the American Booksellers Association facilitated the donations. The complete list of recipients is available on the ABA website.
“With this expansion of his Holiday Bookstore Bonus Program, James Patterson continues to demonstrate his extraordinary commitment to literacy and independent booksellers,” ABA CEO Oren Teicher said. “In a year that has proved so challenging to many booksellers because of natural disasters, we are even more grateful.”
