Author James Patterson announced some time ago that he was going to give away $1million to independent bookshops. It was his intention to help bolster the health of the shops and to ensure they continue to help readers find new authors and to help new readers find books. Mr. Patterson is most concerned about getting children reading and into a life of books, and we applaud him for his efforts and for putting his money where his mouth is.
We applied for one of his grants, and were delighted to be included in his second round of recipients. Stores were invited to submit a proposal of no more than 500 words explaining how a grant would be used. Shop owner JB Dickey sent a plan to use half of whatever money was granted for targeted advertising in social media, and the other half to reward his staff who have voluntarily curtailed their work hours to save the shop payroll expenses.
We’d like to formally thank Mr. Patterson for all that he is doing for independent booksellers across the country and, by extension, for readers. We hope other bestselling authors pay attention and follow his lead.
Endless thanks, too, to all of our loyal fans who wrote to him on our behalf.
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