149 Booksellers Receive Holiday Bonuses From James Patterson

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james pattersonOn Thursday, December 15, James Patterson announced the names of 149 independent booksellers receiving grants totaling $250,000 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 $1,000 to $5,000. The full list of the recipients is below and at BookWeb.org/bonus.

Patterson personally selected the winners from booksellers who were nominated by store owners, managers, fellow booksellers, publishing professionals, and shoppers. This year’s bonus recipients come from stores, both large and small, across the country. Nominated booksellers were praised for their contagious enthusiasm, knowledge across all genres, innovation, and, most importantly, dedication to books and reading.

“I loved hearing about the passion these grant recipients have for the work they’re doing — each is committed to handselling and carefully curating book recommendations for each person that walks through their doors,” said Patterson. “The attention these employees give to their customers is intrinsic to keeping them interested in reading. Booksellers can really make a difference in people’s lives, and I’m glad to be able to acknowledge their contributions in some way.”

American Booksellers Association CEO Oren Teicher said, “With his 2016 bonus program, James Patterson has again demonstrated his unwavering support for literacy and the independent booksellers who are dedicated to spreading the joy of reading. We are immensely grateful for his generosity, which provides extra financial support for 149 deserving booksellers during this holiday season.”

Earlier this year, Patterson pledged $1.75 million in grants to school libraries in partnership with Scholastic Reading Club, bringing his total annual contribution to $2 million.

The 2016 James Patterson Holiday Bonus recipients are:

  • Maryann Allison, Hicklebee’s, San Jose, CA
  • Carolyn Anbar, Watchung Booksellers, Montclair, NJ
  • Judith Andrews, RiverRun Bookstore, Portsmouth, NH
  • Stephanie Appell, Parnassus Books, Nashville, TN
  • Valerie Arroyo, The Brewster Book Store, Brewster, MA
  • Caitlin Luce Baker, University Book Store, Seattle, WA
  • Erin Ball, Third Place Books, Lake Forest Park, WA
  • Emily Ballaine, Green Apple Books, San Francisco, CA
  • Virginia Ballentyne, Bank Square Books, Mystic, CT
  • Erin Barker, Hooray for Books!, Alexandria, VA
  • Barb Bassett, Red Balloon Bookshop, St. Paul, MN
  • Christina Batten, Schuler Books & Music, Okemos, MI
  • Elliott baTzedek, Big Blue Marble Bookstore, Philadelphia, PA
  • Stefani Beddingfield, Inkwood Books, Tampa, FL
  • Cathy Berner, Blue Willow Bookshop, Houston, TX
  • Robert Bieselin, Book Soup, Los Angeles, CA
  • Britney Blake, The Book Seller, Grass Valley, CA
  • Grace Bogart, Copperfield’s Books, Sebastopol, CA
  • Danielle Borsch, Vroman’s Bookstore–Hastings Ranch, Pasadena, CA
  • Vicki Breeden, Quail Ridge Books, Raleigh, NC
  • Jennifer Brenninger, The Doylestown Bookshop, Doylestown, PA
  • Rachel Brewer, Carmichael’s Bookstore, Louisville, KY
  • Jason Brown, Carmichael’s Bookstore, Louisville, KY
  • Amber Brown, Quail Ridge Books, Raleigh, NC
  • Penny Bryan, Vero Beach Book Center, Vero Beach, FL
  • Katherine Bryk, The Learned Owl Book Shop, Hudson, OH
  • Sarah Bumstead, Vroman’s Bookstore, Pasadena, CA
  • Katie Burns, Fundamentals, Delaware, OH
  • Nick Buzanski, Book Culture, New York, NY
  • William Carl, Wellesley Books, Wellesley, MA
  • Patty Carstensen, Bear Pond Books, Montpelier, VT
  • Raul Chapa, BookPeople, Austin, TX
  • Alex Chappell, RJ Julia Booksellers, Madison, CT
  • Georgette Coan, Barbara’s Bookstore, Chicago, IL
  • Kenny Coble, King’s Books, Tacoma, WA
  • Alexandra Colevas, Browseabout Books, Rehoboth Beach, DE
  • Amelia Cone, Book Soup, Los Angeles, CA
  • Amanda Connor, Joseph-Beth Booksellers, Cincinnati, OH
  • Emily Crowe, Odyssey Bookshop, South Hadley, MA
  • Christie Olson Day, Gallery Bookshop & Bookwinkle’s Children’s Books, Mendocino, CA
  • Mark DeCarteret, Water Street Bookstore, Exeter, NH
  • Hannah Depp, WORD, Jersey City, NJ
  • Ashley Despain, Green Apple Books, San Francisco, CA
  • Rob Dougherty, Clinton Book Shop, Clinton, NJ
  • Madison Duckworth, Liberty Bay Books, Poulsbo, WA
  • Bari Dulberg, Astoria Bookshop, Queens, NY
  • Laura Edgington, Rainy Day Books, Fairway, KS
  • Katelyn Eelman, Papercuts J.P., Boston, MA
  • Kevin Elliott, 57th Street Books, Chicago, IL
  • Holly Frakes, Schuler Books and Music, Okemos, MI
  • John Francisconi, Bank Square Books, Mystic, CT
  • Emily Fuggetta, Powell’s Books, Portland, OR
  • Jane Funni, Book Vault, Oskaloosa, IA
  • James Garbeff, Alexander Book Co., San Francisco, CA
  • Mary Alice Garber, Politics & Prose, Washington, DC
  • Bob Garza, Children’s Book World, Los Angeles, CA
  • Rob Gibbs, Flintridge Bookstore & Coffeehouse, La Cañada Flintridge, CA
  • Jack Gillard, Nicola’s Books, Ann Arbor, MI
  • Krista Gilliam, Little Shop of Stories, Decatur, GA
  • Linda Goodman, Nicola’s Books, Ann Arbor, MI
  • Tyler Goodson, Avid Bookshop, Athens, GA
  • Erin Goss, Left Bank Books, St. Louis, MO
  • Ianni Grammatis, Unabridged Bookstore, Chicago, IL
  • Christopher Green, Bookworm of Edwards, Edwards, CO
  • Jill Gregory, A Likely Story Bookstore, Sykesville, MD
  • Connie Griffin, Bookworks, Albuquerque, NM
  • Sara Grochowski, Brilliant Books, Traverse City, MI
  • Deb Handy, Newtonville Books, Newton, MA
  • Rob Herrema, Little Shop of Stories, Decatur, GA
  • Ann Hess, Hearthside Books, Bluefield, WV
  • Kaylen Higgins, Strand Bookstore, New York, NY
  • Anna Hjortsberg, Country Bookshelf, Bozeman, MT
  • Ill Hoereth, Pegasus Books, Oakland, CA
  • Kim Hooyboer, The Elliott Bay Book Company, Seattle, WA
  • Chris Hsiang, Compass Books (Books Inc.), San Francisco, CA
  • Sarah Hutton, Village Books, Bellingham, WA
  • Victoria Irwin, Eagle Harbor Book Co., Bainbridge Island, WA
  • Lane Jacobson, Flyleaf Books, Chapel Hill, NC
  • Jeanne Joesten, Literati Bookstore, Ann Arbor, MI
  • Kathleen Johnson, Prairie Lights Books, Iowa City, IA
  • Andrew Keelean, Books Inc., San Francisco, CA
  • George Henry Keen, Books & Books, Coral Gables, FL
  • Kari Metzger Kelly, Curious Iguana, Frederick, MD
  • Ellen Klein, Hooray for Books!, Alexandria, VA
  • Rebecca Knab, Loganberry Books, Shaker Heights, OH
  • John Kwiatkowski, Murder By the Book, Houston, TX
  • Amy Lacy, Petunia’s Place, Fresno, CA
  • Debra Larsson, Excelsior Bay Books, Excelsior, MN
  • Brad Lennon, Harvard Book Store, Cambridge, MA
  • Michael Link, Joseph-Beth Booksellers, Cincinnati, OH
  • Ga Lombard, Bookshop Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA
  • Emily London, Politics & Prose, Washington, DC
  • Serena Longo, Harvard Book Store, Cambridge, MA
  • Annalia Luna, Brazos Bookstore, Houston, TX
  • Eve Macneill, Battenkill Books, Cambridge, NY
  • Kathleen March, Anderson’s Bookshop, Naperville, IL
  • Kim McCathern, Books on Broad, Camden, SC
  • Heather McDill, The Reading Bug, San Carlos, CA
  • Cheryl McKeon, Book Passage, San Francisco, CA
  • Terra Elan McVoy, Little Shop of Stories, Decatur, GA
  • Ruby Meyers, Annie Bloom’s Books, Portland, OR
  • Kathleen Millard, Elm Street Books, New Canaan, CT
  • Peter Mock, McIntyre’s Book Store, Pittsboro, NC
  • Scott Montgomery, BookPeople, Austin, TX
  • Margaret Brennan Neville, The King’s English Bookshop, Salt Lake City, UT
  • Benjamin E. Newcomer, Harvard Book Store, Cambridge, MA
  • Beverly Newton, Innisfree Bookshop, Meredith, NH
  • Emma Nichols, The Elliott Bay Book Company, Seattle, WA
  • Margaret Noteman, Tattered Cover Book Store, Denver, CO
  • Geo Ong, Greenlight Bookstore, Brooklyn, NY
  • Warren Onken, Boulder Book Store, Boulder, CO
  • Katherine Osborne, Letterpress Books, Portland, ME
  • Joanna Parzakonis, Bookbug, Kalamazoo, MI
  • Julia Pascone, Head House Books, Philadelphia, PA
  • Chris Phipps, DIESEL, A Bookstore, Oakland, CA
  • Heidi Powell, Politics & Prose, Washington, DC
  • Kathryn Price, Norwich Bookstore, Norwich, VT
  • Amanda Qassar, UC San Diego Bookstore, La Jolla, CA
  • Aubrey Restifo, Northshire Bookstore, Manchester, VT
  • Sarah Rettger, Porter Square Books, Cambridge, MA
  • Aaron Rosenberg, Common Good Books, St. Paul, MN
  • Steven Ross, Vroman’s Bookstore, Pasadena, CA
  • Jayne Rowsam, Mystery to Me, Madison, WI
  • Darlene Russell, Kenyon College Bookstore, Gambier, OH
  • Frank Sanchez, Green Apple Books, San Francisco, CA
  • Kate Schlademan, The Learned Owl Book Shop, Hudson, OH
  • Julie Slavinsky, Warwick’s Books, La Jolla, CA
  • Dana Snitzky, Community Bookstore, Brooklyn, NY
  • Justin Souther, Malaprop’s Bookstore/Café, Asheville, NC
  • Erica Thomas, Indigo Bridge Books and Cafe, Lincoln, NE
  • Jamie Thomas, Women & Children First, Chicago, IL
  • Susan Tunis, Bookshop West Portal, San Francisco, CA
  • Carissa Unite, Oblong Books & Music, Rhinebeck, NY
  • Carol Schneck Varner, Schuler Books, Okemos, MI
  • Lauren Vasallo, Book Revue, Huntington, NY
  • Gerard Villegas, Warwick’s Books, La Jolla, CA
  • Kris Vreeland, Once Upon a Time, Montrose, CA
  • Beth Wagner, Phoenix Books, Essex, VT
  • Ely Watson, A Room of One’s Own, Madison, WI
  • Linda Watson, Powell’s Books, Portland, OR
  • Heather Weldon, Changing Hands Bookstore, Tempe, AZ
  • Karen West, Book Passage, Corte Madera, CA
  • Jessica Peterson White, Content Bookstore, Northfield, MN
  • Shawn Wickersheim, Read Between the Lynes, Woodstock, IL
  • Mia Wigmore, DIESEL, A Bookstore, Santa Monica, CA
  • Susan Wilmer, Old Firehouse Books, Fort Collins, CO
  • Scott Wong, Books of Wonder, New York, NY
  • Jessica Wood, Northshire Bookstore, Manchester, VT
  • Nicole Yasinsky, The Booksellers at Laurelwood, Memphis, TN

In 2015, Patterson donated $250,000 in holiday bonuses to 87 independent bookstore employees across the country, along with $1.75 million to school libraries. In 2014, he awarded $1 million in grants to 178 independent bookstores 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.