Last Call: July 1 Deadline for Professional Development Scholarship
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Applications must be completed by July 1 for the Macmillan Booksellers Professional Development Scholarship, which is returning for a second year to award nine professional development scholarships to diverse booksellers in 2018, one for each regional independent bookseller association.
The program, sponsored by the Book Industry Charitable (Binc) Foundation and Macmillan Publishers, offers a maximum of $500 for a bookseller from a traditionally underrepresented group in the industry to attend their regional show. Introduced as a pilot program in 2017, the scholarship was intended to encourage a greater number of individuals from diverse groups to choose and/or continue careers in bookselling.
Each scholarship package — one for each regional trade show — will cover the cost of travel, lodging, and meals for one bookseller to attend their regional show.
To be eligible, applicants must fall into at least one of the following categories: People of color, defined as people of African/African American, Asian/Pacific Islander, Latin American, Middle Eastern, or Native American/Indigenous descent; people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer; or people with disabilities (includes but is not limited to physical, sensory, cognitive, intellectual, or developmental disabilities, chronic conditions, and mental illnesses).
In addition, the applicant’s store must be a member in good standing with one of the nine regional independent bookseller associations. The applicant must also be currently employed as a regular part-time or full-time employee of the bookstore with 90 days of continuous employment.
The applicant will answer three brief essay questions, and winners will be selected by a panel composed of Binc board members, booksellers, bookstore owners, and publishers. Booksellers can find out more details and apply on the Binc website.