Each holiday season for the past decade, bestselling author and Newburgh native James Patterson has quietly stepped in where most publishing economics fall short: bookstore payroll. Since 2015, Patterson has personally funded the Holiday Bookstore Bonus Program, an annual initiative that awards cash bonuses to employees of independent bookstores across the United States. The program recognizes booksellers whose behind-the-scenes labor sustains local literary culture year-round.
In 2025, Patterson distributed $300,000 in $500 bonuses to 600 booksellers working at American Booksellers Association-member stores. The recipients were nominated by customers, colleagues, managers, and community members, with selections made to reflect geographic diversity and the wide range of roles booksellers play—from front-of-house staff to event coordinators and inventory specialists.
Local Bookseller Winners
The Hudson Valley was among the regions represented this year. Three local booksellers received bonuses: Emma Tyrell of Inquiring Minds Bookstore in Saugerties; Therese Stanford of Oblong Books in Millerton; and Gianna-Marie Torres of The Book Cove in Pawling. Each works at an independently owned bookstore that functions not just as a retail space, but as a cultural hub—hosting author talks, fostering young readers, and anchoring downtown life.
The program carries particular resonance in this region because Patterson himself is a Hudson Valley native. Born in Newburgh, he has often spoken about the formative role libraries, schools, and bookstores played in his early life. Though he is now one of the world’s most commercially successful authors, Patterson has consistently directed his philanthropic efforts toward literacy, education, and the infrastructure that supports reading. In addition to the holiday bonus program, he has donated millions of dollars to independent bookstores, school libraries, and reading initiatives nationwide.
Unlike grants or institutional funding, the Holiday Bookstore Bonus Program money goes directly to individual booksellers, many of whom work in a profession known for modest wages despite its cultural impact. Patterson has described the program as a way of acknowledging the day-to-day work of booksellers who recommend titles, organize events, connect readers with ideas, and keep literary communities alive.
