James Patterson is an author who has made a lot of money selling books, and he’s grateful. This past year Patterson, one of the world’s most popular and prolific authors, has donated $ 2 million to school libraries and independent bookstore employees – $1.75 million to the libraries, $250,000 in “holiday bonuses” to bookstore workers.
Out of 2,848 nominations received by the American Booksellers Association, Patterson personally selected 87 grant recipients. Winners will receive bonuses ranging from $1,000 to $5,000. Several are from Seattle and Washington state:
- Karen Maeda Allman of Seattle’s Elliott Bay Book Co.
- Rich and Patti Harriman of Third Place Books.
- sweet pea Flaherty of King’s Books in Tacoma.
- Joan Terselich of Village Books in Bellingham.
Independent booksellers use their extensive knowledge of books to take the time to match a book to a customer. They have launched the careers of thousands of authors through their recommendations.
In the library category, Blue Heron School of Port Townsend and Camas Elementary School in Wapato won grants.
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The full list of the recipients is available at bookweb.org/bonus.