James Patterson to Give Away Holiday Bonuses to Booksellers
Patterson has partnered with the American Booksellers Association (ABA) on this undertaking. All employees who work at an ABA member bookshop will be considered eligible for a bonus. The organization has designed and launched a new web page with an application that people can fill out to nominate booksellers.
Booksellers, publishers, and readers are encouraged to nominate a favorite bookseller by describing, in 250 words or less, why the person deserves a bonus. The deadline for applications is November 1. Patterson will personally review and select the bonus recipients. Checks will be mailed the first two weeks of December; a complete list of recipients will be announced the week of December 14. The money for the bonuses comes from the ‘pro bono’ Jimmy Patterson children’s book imprint the author launched at BEA, in May. Patterson is donating the profits generated by the imprint’s books toward funding various programs: scholarships for teachers, support efforts for bookstores and school libraries, and his ReadKiddoRead website (which promotes reading). (Publishers Weekly)
