NEW YORK

By HILLEL ITALIEAP National Writer

Author James Patterson has surprised hundreds of booksellers with $500 checks for the holidays. Melanie Moore, who runs the Ohio-based Cincy Book Bus, says this is her first paycheck, as all profits from her bookstore go to buying books for kids in need. Patterson’s publisher, Little, Brown & Company, announced the bonuses on Wednesday. Over the past 20 years, Patterson has donated millions to schools, libraries, and literacy programs. He has made it a tradition to send checks to 600 independent booksellers recommended by peers or patrons. Patterson emphasizes that booksellers save lives and acknowledges their crucial work.

NEW YORK (AP) — Melanie Moore, who runs the Ohio-based Cincy Book Bus, is one of hundreds of booksellers who received a pleasant surprise for the holidays: a check for $500 from author James Patterson.

“I’ve never taken a salary. All profits from the bookstore go to buy books for kids in need,” Moore said in a statement released through Patterson's publisher, Little, Brown & Company, which announced the bonuses Wednesday. “This gift from James Patterson will be my very first paycheck!”

Over the past 20 years, Patterson has donated millions of dollars to schools, libraries, literacy programs and others in the book community. For the past several years, he has made a tradition out of sending $500 checks to 600 independent booksellers who have been recommended by peers or patrons. The list for 2025 ranges from Katie Gabriello, social media coordinator for Whitelam Books in Reading, Massachusetts, to store manager Kate Czyzewski of Thunder Road Books in Spring Lake, New Jersey.

“I’ve said this before, but I can’t say it enough — booksellers save lives,” Patterson said in a statement. “What they do is crucial, especially right now. I’m happy to be able to acknowledge them and their hard work this holiday season.”

One of the world's most popular and prolific authors, Patterson received an honorary National Book Award medal in 2015 for his “Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community.”