On Monday, December 18, James Patterson announced the names of more than 300 independent booksellers receiving grants totaling $350,000 (up $100,000 over previous years) as part of his Holiday Bookstore Bonus Program. Patterson partnered with the American Booksellers Association to distribute the funds, which were awarded to individual booksellers in amounts ranging from $750 to $1,250. The full list of the recipients is below and at BookWeb.org/bonus [4].

The grant application asked one question: “Why does this bookseller deserve a holiday bonus?” Patterson personally selected winners from bookstores all across the country, and many of the recipients come from areas hard hit by natural disasters, including Blue Willow Bookshop in Houston, Copperfield’s in Napa, and various stores in Florida. Nominated booksellers were praised for their perseverance in the face of these hardships, as well as for their contagious enthusiasm, skilled hand-selling, innovation, and, most importantly, dedication to books and reading.

“I was thrilled to increase the donation amount of this year’s bonuses given the overwhelming response we’ve had to past campaigns,” said Patterson. “This holiday season, in particular, underscored how deserving these booksellers are — many of the recipients came from stores that dealt with major damage from hurricanes and wildfires, in addition to the challenges they faced in an ever-changing retail environment. These bonuses are my humble acknowledgment of their commitment to putting books into the hands of readers, and I hope these grants make a positive difference in their lives.”

American Booksellers Association CEO Oren Teicher said, “With this expansion of his Holiday Bookstore Bonus Program, James Patterson continues to demonstrate his extraordinary commitment to literacy and independent booksellers. In a year that has proved so challenging to many booksellers because of natural disasters, we are even more grateful. Thanks to his ongoing generosity, over twice as many independent booksellers who are working so hard to serve their communities by connecting authors and readers of all ages will receive well-earned bonuses.”

In 2016, Patterson donated $250,000 in holiday bonuses to 149 independent bookstore employees [5] across the country; in 2015, he donated $250,000 in holiday bonuses to 87 bookstore employees [6]. In 2014, he awarded $1 million in grants to 178 independent bookstores [7] that were recognized for doing an outstanding job of fostering a love of reading in young children. Over the past decade, Patterson has given away over a million books to students and visited hundreds of schools to advocate for youth literacy.

The 2017 James Patterson Holiday Bonus recipients are:

• Abby Fennewald, BookPeople (Austin, TX)
• Adrien Sdao, Book Soup (Hollywood, CA)
• Alan Hurley, Harvard Book Store (Cambridge, MA)
• Alex Brubaker, Midtown Scholar Bookstore (Harrisburg, PA)
• Alexandra Reddick, Book Rack (Denver, CO)
• Alexis Akre, Greenlight Bookstore (Brooklyn, NY)
• Alexis Jason-Mathews, Politics and Prose Bookstore (Washington, DC)
• Alicia Michielli, Talking Leaves...Books (Buffalo, NY)
• Alie Hess, Brookline Booksmith (Brookline, MA)
• Allie Gilliland, Bookworm of Edwards (Edwards, CO)
• Allison Chesbro, Schuler Books & Music (Okemos, MI)
• Amanda Broward, Book Passage Ferry Building (San Francisco, CA)
• Amanda Hiatt, Changing Hands Bookstore (Tempe and Phoenix, AZ)
• Amanda Menard, Bear Pond Books (Montpelier, VT)
• Amanda Strong, Schuler Books & Music (Okemos, MI)
• Amy Robles, Elliott Bay Book Company (Seattle, WA)
• Amy Trogdon, The Book Stall (Winnetka, IL)
• Andrea Edwards, Magic Tree Bookstore (Oak Park, IL)
• Andrea Jones, The Galaxy Bookshop (Hardwick, VT)
• Andrea Thorsen, Schuler Books & Music (Grand Rapids, MI)
• Andrew Garcia, Barbara’s Bookstore (Chicago, IL)
• Andrew Yuen, Books of Wonder (New York, NY)
• Annie Childress, E. Shaver, Bookseller (Savannah, GA)
• Ashanti White-Wallace, WORD Bookstores (Brooklyn, NY, and Jersey City, NJ)
• Aubrey Dolinski, Schuler Books & Music (Lansing, MI)
• Audrey Bullar, Joseph Beth Bookstore (Cincinnati, OH)
• Autumn Siders, The Country Bookseller (Wolfeboro, NH)
• Barbara Bruno, Vroman’s Bookstore (Pasadena, CA)
• Barbara Utman, Chaucer’s Bookstore (Santa Barbara, CA)
• Becky Gilmer, Bloomsbury Books (Ashland, OR)
• Benjamin Rosensweig, The Book House (St. Louis, MO)
• Beth Rusk, Magers & Quinn Booksellers (Minneapolis, MN)
• Betsy Balyeat, The Book Stall (Winnetka, IL)
• Bill Leggett, Politics and Prose Bookstore (Washington, DC)
• Billie Bloebaum, Third Street Books (McMinnville, OR)
• Bonnie McArthur, Fenton’s Open Book (Fenton, MI)
• Brandi Stewart, Changing Hands Bookstore (Tempe, AZ)
• Brein Lopez, Children’s Book World (Los Angeles, CA)
• Brent Cunningham, Small Press Distribution (Berkeley, CA)
• Brian Lampkin, Scuppernong Books (Greensboro, NC)
• Broche Fabian, Quail Ridge Books (Raleigh, NC)
• Buffy Cummins, Second Star to the Right Children’s Books (Denver, CO)
• Bunnie Presswood, Union Avenue Books (Knoxville, TN)
• Carl Kranz, Fountain Bookstore, Inc. (Richmond, VA)
• Carol Hoenig, Turn of the Corkscrew Books & Wine (Rockville Center, NY)
• Carol Moyer, Quail Ridge Books (Raleigh, NC)
• Carol Thompson, New & Olde Pages (Englewood, OH)
• Cary Wheeler, Quail Ridge Books (Raleigh, NC)
• Cathy Berner, Blue Willow Bookshop (Houston, TX)
• Celia Mattison, Milkweed Books (Minneapolis, MN)
• Charles Hauther, Skylight Books (Los Angeles, CA)
• Cheryl Kroger, Chapters Books & Gifts (Seward, NE)
• Cheryl Mesler, Burke’s Book Store (Memphis, TN)
• Chris Lochmann, LaDeDa Books & Beans (Manitowoc, WI)
• Chris Schoppa, Politics and Prose Bookstore (Washington, DC)
• Christine Jeffcoat-Furem, Humpus Bumpus (Cumming, GA)
• Claire Pittman, Chop Suey Books (Richmond, VA)
• Clarissa Hadge, Trident Booksellers & Café (Boston, MA)
• Cody Madsen, Book Culture (New York, NY)
• Consuelo Hacker, BookPeople (Austin, TX)
• Curtis Gilbert, Book Revue (Huntington, NY)
• Cynthia Duprey, Next Chapter Bookstore (Barre, VT)
• Daley Farr, Milkweed Books (Minneapolis, MN)
• Dave Simmons, The Book House (St. Louis, MO)
• David Joslin, Mysterious Galaxy (San Diego, CA)
• David Shuman, Book People (Richmond, VA)
• Debbi Wraga, Northshire Bookstore (Manchester Center, VT)
• Debbie Buck, Vintage Books (Vancouver, WA)
• Debbie Torbett, Another Chapter Bookstore (Owasso, OK)
• Denise Evans, Pyramid Books (Salem, MA)
• Denise Phillips, Gathering Volumes (Perrysburg, OH)
• Derek Holland, Tattered Cover Book Store (Denver, CO)
• Derek Sullivan, Midtown Scholar Bookstore (Harrisburg, PA)
• Destenie Fafard, Cellar Door Bookstore (Riverside, CA)
• Dianah Hughley, Powell’s City of Books (Portland, OR)
• Diane Demko, Library Express (Scranton, PA)
• Dianne Clifford DuPont, Round Lake Books (Charlevoix, MI)
• Drew Williams, Little Professor Book Center (Birmingham, AL)
• Duane Wilkins, University Book Store (Seattle, WA)
• Elaine Koziatek, The Book Stop (Smyrna, GA)
• Elena Mesthos, Books of Wonder (New York, NY)
• Elisa Saphier, Another Read Through (Portland, OR)
• Elizabeth Rice, The Book Cellar (Chicago, IL)
• Ellen Mager, Booktenders’ Secret Garden Children’s Bookstore & Gallery (Doylestown, PA)
• Ellyn Gaich, BookSmart (Morgan Hill, CA)
• Emilie Sommer, East City Bookshop (Washington, DC)
• Emily Bergslien, Magers & Quinn Booksellers (Minneapolis, MN)
• Emily Perper, Curious Iguana (Frederick, MD)
• Eon Alden, City Lights Books (Sylva, NC)
• Erin Prestler, Vroman’s Bookstore (Pasadena, CA)
• Evan Schwartz, Open Book Bookstore (Elkins Park, PA)
• Evan Silverman, Tattered Cover Book Store (Denver, CO)
• Fernando A. Flores, Malvern Books (Austin, TX)
• Frank Sanchez, Green Apple Books (San Francisco, CA)
• Franny Billingsley, 57th Street Books (Chicago, IL)
• Gary Cowan, Porter Square Books (Cambridge, MA)
• Gene Massey, Gene’s Books (Sanibel, FL)
• Geneva Strauss-Wise, Roundabout Books (Bend, OR)
• Hannah Hyde, Little Shop of Stories (Decatur, GA)
• Hannah Sheldon-Dean, Greenlight Bookstore (Brooklyn, NY)
• Harold Midyette, Books by the Bay (North Bend, OR)
• Heather Goss, Porter Square Books (Cambridge, MA)
• Helen Stever, Fairview Books (Hudson, NY)
• Hillary Nelson, Gibson’s Bookstore (Concord, NH)
• Holly Myers, Elliott Bay Book Company (Seattle, WA)
• Holly Weinkauf, Red Balloon Bookshop (St. Paul, MN)
• Ingrid Nystrom, Books Inc. (San Francisco, CA)
• Isaac Stone, Politics and Prose Bookstore (Washington, DC)
• Iscah Warner, Malaprop’s Bookstore/Café (Asheville, NC)
• Ivy Anderson, City Lights Books (San Francisco, CA)
• Jacob Klein, Laurel Book Store (Oakland, CA)
• Jan Sparrow, Words! Bookstore (Asbury Park, NJ)
• Jane Stroh, The Bookstore (Glen Ellyn, IL)
• Janet Bibeau, Storybook Cove (Hanover, MA)
• Jarrod Annis, Greenlight Bookstore (Brooklyn, NY)
• Jason Frost, Russo’s Books (Bakersfield, CA)
• Jeanne Costello, Maria’s Bookshop (Durango, CO)
• Jenna Schenk, BookTowne (Manasquan, NJ)
• Jennifer Green, Green Bean Books (Portland, OR)
• Jennifer Woodfin, Big Blue Marble Bookstore (Philadelphia, PA)
• Jenny Clines, Politics and Prose Bookstore (Washington, DC)
• Jenny Cornutt, Roundabout Books (Bend, OR)
• Jes Lukes, A Room of One’s Own (Madison, WI)
• Jessica Jones, Browseabout Books (Rehoboth Beach, DE)
• Jessica Palacios, Once Upon a Time (Montrose, CA)
• Jessica Wick, Savoy Bookshop & Cafe (Westerly, RI)
• Jim Tremlett, Schuler Books & Music (Lansing, MI)
• Jodie Brandt, Brilliant Books (Traverse City, MI)
• Jody Chwatun, Saturn Booksellers (Gaylord, MI)
• Joe Polydoros, Peregrine Book Company (Prescott, AZ)
• John Ganiard, Literati Bookstore (Ann Arbor, MI)
• John Gibbs, Green Apple Books on the Park (San Francisco, CA)
• John Paul Bakshoian, Letterpress Books (Portland, ME)
• John Willson, Eagle Harbor Book Company (Bainbridge Island, WA)
• Jonathan Woollen, Politics and Prose Bookstore (Washington, DC)
• Jordan Standridge, Powell’s Books on Hawthorne (Portland, OR)
• Josh Aponte, Paradise Found AMI (Anna Maria, FL)
• Josh Cook, Porter Square Books (Cambridge, MA)
• Josh Niesse, Underground Books (Carrollton, GA)
• Julia Green, Full Circle Bookstore (Oklahoma City, OK)
• Julie Beddingfield, Inkwood Books (Haddonfield, NJ)
• Julie Kubitz, King City Books (Mount Vernon, IL)
• June Wilcox, M. Judson (Greenville, SC)
• Justin Colussy-Estes, Little Shop of Stories (Decatur, GA)
• Karen Brodsky, Roundabout Books (Bend, OR)
• Karen Rumage, River Road Books (Fair Haven, NJ)
• Kasey Coolidge, From My Shelf Books & Gifts (Wellsboro, PA)
• Kate Daniels, Liberty Bay Books Bremerton (Bremerton, WA)
• Kate Larson, Liberty Bay Books (Poulsbo, WA)
• Kate Layte, Papercuts J.P. (Boston, MA)
• Kate Mikell, Porter Square Books (Cambridge, MA)
• Kate Reid, Battenkill Books (Cambridge, NY)
• Kate Towery, Fountain Bookstore, Inc. (Richmond, VA)
• Katherine Ralph, Book Passage (San Francisco, CA)
• Kathy Coble, Tattered Cover Book Store (Denver, CO)
• Kathy Harig, Mystery Loves Company (Oxford, MD)
• Kathy Rodgers, Browseabout Books (Rehoboth Beach, DE)
• Kaveh Aval, Book Soup (West Hollywood, CA)
• Kelly Pickerill, Lemuria Books (Jackson, MS)
• Kelly Stacy, Greenlight Bookstore (Brooklyn, NY)
• Kelsey Furlong, Fundamentals (Delaware, OH)
• Kelsey O’Rourke, Literati Bookstore (Ann Arbor, MI)
• Kelsy April, Savoy Bookshop & Cafe (Westerly, RI)
• Ken Favell, Books & Company (Oconomowoc, WI)
• Kerry Shannon, Kicks Mix Bookstore (Newark, OH)
• Kim Brock, Joseph Beth Bookstore (Cincinnati, OH)
• Kim Burg, Monkey See, Monkey Do (Clarence, NY)
• Kim Fox, Schuler Books & Music (Grand Rapids, MI)
• Kristin Penny Bates, McLean & Eakin Booksellers (Petoskey, MI)
• Kristina Dickinson, From My Shelf Books & Gifts (Wellsboro, PA)
• Krystal Gotz, Paperbacks and Pieces (Winona, MN)
• Lacy Simons, hello hello books (Rockland, ME)
• Landon Gray Mitchell, McNally Jackson (New York, NY)
• Laura Garcia, Katy Budget Books (Houston, TX)
• Laura Hill, Reading Rock Books (Dickson, TN)
• Lauren O'Niell, The Booksmith (San Francisco, CA)
• Lauren Patrick, Winchester Book Gallery (Winchester, VA)
• Lauren Sommer, Village Books (Bellingham, WA)
• Laurie Greer, Politics and Prose Bookstore (Washington, DC)
• Leah Moore, Northshire Bookstore (Saratoga Springs, NY)
• LeAnne Rollins, Writer’s Block Bookstore (Winter Park, FL)
• Libertie Valance, Firestorm Books & Coffee (Asheville, NC)
• Linda Schurmann, Sparta Books (Sparta Township, NJ)
• Lisa Baudoin, Books & Company (Oconomowoc, WI)
• Lisa Doron, Point Reyes Books (Point Reyes Station, CA)
• Lish McBride, Third Place Books (Lake Forest Park, WA)
• Liza Minno Bloom, Words! Bookstore (Asbury Park, NJ)
• Lois Hanson, Paragraphs Book Store (Mount Vernon, OH)
• Lori Jo Scott, Island Bookstore (Kitty Hawk, NC)
• Louise Hendry, Down in Denver Books (Stephentown Center, NY)
• Luan Stauss, Laurel Book Store (Oakland, CA)
• LuAnn Locke, Afterwords Books (Edwardsville, IL)
• Lucy Kogler, Talking Leaves...Books (Buffalo, NY)
• Luke Damrosch, Newtonville Books (Newton, MA)
• Mackenzie Koffenberger, The Bookworm of Edwards (Edwards, CO)
• Maggie Henriksen, Saturn Booksellers (Gaylord, MI)
• Mandy Hiban, Joseph Fox Bookshop (Philadelphia, PA)
• Mara Panich-Crouch, Fact & Fiction Books (Missoula, MT)
• Marcy Taylor Rizzi, Booked on 25th (Ogden, UT)
• Margaret Durney, Explore Booksellers (Aspen, CO)
• Maria Brundage, Schuler Books & Music (Okemos, MI)
• Marika McCoola, Porter Square Books (Cambridge, MA)
• Mark Bonney, Third Place Books (Ravenna, WA)
• Mark Gould, The Book House (St. Louis, MO)
• Mark Lamphier, Harvard Book Store (Cambridge, MA)
• Mary O’Malley, Anderson’s Bookshop (La Grange, IL)
• Mary Ruthless, Foggy Pine Books (Boone, NC)
• Maryelizabeth Yturralde, Mysterious Galaxy (San Diego, CA)
• Matt Riedl, Quail Ridge Books (Raleigh, NC)
• Max Clark, Trident Booksellers & Café (Boston, MA)
• Maya Jensen, Arcadia Books (Spring Green, WI)
• Megan Bell, Underground Books (Carrollton, GA)
• Melanie Locke, Old Firehouse Books (Fort Collins, CO)
• Melanie McNair, Malaprop’s Bookstore/Café (Asheville, NC)
• Melissa Oates, Fiction Addiction (Greenville, SC)
• Melissa Taylor, E. Shaver, Bookseller (Savannah, GA)
• Merrilee Wilkerson, BookPeople (Austin, TX)
• Michael Fredson, Manticore Books (Orillia, ONT)
• Michael Herrmann, Gibson’s Bookstore (Concord, NH)
• Michael Stuart, BookPeople (Austin, TX)
• Michele King, Russo’s Books (Bakersfield, CA)
• Michelle Barron, The Book House (St. Louis, MO)
• Michelle Gersh, Books and Greetings (Northvale, NJ)
• Michelle Shaver, Carmichael’s Kids (Louisville, KY)
• Mike Hare, Northshire Bookstore (Saratoga Springs, NY)
• Mindy Ostrow, the river’s end bookstore (Oswego, NY)
• Nicole Brinkley, Oblong Books and Music (Rhinebeck, NY)
• Nona Camuel, CoffeeTree Books (Morehead, KY)
• Orin Shepherd, The Red Door Books (Mebane, NC)
• Pam Fisher, Von’s Book Shop (West Lafayette, IN)
• Pat Cull, Laurel Book Store (Oakland, CA)
• Patricia Moody, The Hickory Stick Bookshop (Washington Depot, CT)
• Patrick Battle, The Book Table (Oak Park, IL)
• Patrick Weck, The Book House (St. Louis, MO)
• Patti Best, Winchester Book Gallery (Winchester, VA)
• Paula Parker, Page 1 Books (Albuquerque, NM)
• Peggy Ziernan, Turn of the Corkscrew Books & Wine (Rockville Center, NY)
• Pepper Parker, Vintage Books (Vancouver, WA)
• Peter Albertelli, BookTowne (Manasquan, NJ)
• Priscilla Williams, Magic Tree Bookstore (Oak Park, IL)
• Rachael Conrad, Wellesley Books (Wellesley, MA)
• Rachel Betz Cass, Harvard Book Store (Cambridge, MA)
• Rachel Kaplan, Avid Bookshop (Athens, GA)
• Rachel Strolle, Anderson’s Bookshop (Naperville, IL)
• Rachel Watkins, Avid Bookshop (Athens, GA)
• Rebecca Speas, One More Page Books (Arlington, VA)
• Rebecca Stimpson, Wellesley Books (Wellesley, MA)
• Rebekah Rine, Watermark Books & Café (Wichita, KS)
• Rene Holderman, Third Place Books (Lake Forest Park, WA)
• Rob Eckman, The King’s English Bookshop (Salt Lake City, UT)
• Robert Busk, Riverwalk Books (Chelan, WA)
• Robert Sutton, Ferguson Books & More! (Grand Forks, ND)
• Robin Levine, [words] (Maplewood, NJ)
• Sally Mistretta, Petunia’s Place (Fresno, CA)
• Sara Grochowski, McLean & Eakin Booksellers (Petoskey, MI)
• Sara Hines, Eight Cousins (Falmouth, MA)
• Sarah Donner, Northshire Bookstore (Manchester Center, VT)
• Sarah Goddin, Quail Ridge Books (Raleigh, NC)
• Sarah Hopkins, Bookworm of Edwards (Edwards, CO)
• Schandra Madha, Malvern Books (Austin, TX)
• Seamus Gourley, [words] (Maplewood, NJ)
• Shane Khosropour, Unabridged Bookstore (Chicago, NY)
• Shannon Leedy, jaZams (Princeton, NJ)
• Sharon Decastro, Readmore Bookstore (Taunton, MA)
• Sharon Gambin, Literati Bookstore (Ann Arbor, MI)
• Shauna Sinyard, Park Road Books (Charlotte, NC)
• Shelbee King, Best of Books (Edmond, OK)
• Shelley Olsen, Paperbacks and Pieces (Winona, MN)
• Sherri Smith, Park Road Books (Charlotte, NC)
• Sophie Bell, Harvard Book Store (Cambridge, MA)
• Stacey Ward, Katy Budget Books (Houston, TX)
• Staci Gray, BookPeople (Austin, TX)
• Star Lowe, Star Line Books (Chattanooga, TN)
• Stephanie Bader, Tattered Cover Book Store (Denver, CO)
• Stephanie Douglas, Village Books (Bellingham, WA)
• Stephanie Goehring, Malvern Books (Austin, TX)
• Stephen Hutchinson, Byrd’s Books (Bethel, CT)
• Stephen Sparks, Point Reyes Books (Point Reyes Station, CA)
• Sue Howison, Dark Delicacies (Burbank, CA)
• Sue Lucey, Page 158 Books (Wake Forest, NC)
• Susan Post, BookWoman (Austin, TX)
• Susan Reckers, Orinda Books (Orinda, CA)
• Susan Ryan, Copperfield’s Books (Sebastopol, CA)
• Susan Taylor, Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza (Albany, NY)
• Susanna Nawrocki, The Twig Book Shop (San Antonio, TX)
• Suzi Hough, Hicklebee’s (San Jose, CA)
• Tamara Tomac, Island Bookstore (Mackinac Island, MI)
• Tamzin Malone, Main Street Books (Lafayette, IN)
• Tan Khanh Cao, City Lights Books (San Francisco, CA)
• Ted O’Brien, Garden District Book Shop (New Orleans, LA)
• Terry Cain, Prairie Lights Books (Iowa City, IA)
• Thomas Wilkerson, BookPeople (Austin, TX)
• Tina Pomroy, Once Upon a Storybook (Tustin, CA)
• Tina Vaughn, Chapters Bookshop (Galax, VA)
• Tom Lowry, Lowry’s Books & More (Three Rivers, MI)
• Tony Peltier, Quail Ridge Books (Raleigh, NC)
• Valerie Koehler, Blue Willow Bookshop (Houston, TX)
• Vanessa Martini, City Lights Books (San Francisco, CA)
• Victoria Robers, The Andover Bookstore (Andover, MA)
• Victoria Robertson, Mystery to Me (Madison, WI)
• Virginia Donahue, Battle Creek Books (Battle Creek, MI)
• Wendy Bronson, Scout & Morgan Books (Cambridge, MN)
• Wendy Higgins, Chapters Bookshop (Galax, VA)
• Wendy Stephenson Jones, Iowa Book (Iowa City, IA)
• Wesley Minter, Third Place Books (Lake Forest Park, WA)
• Whitney Kaaz, Northshire Bookstore (Manchester Center, VT)