A gift from James Patterson, and more

last updated 8 January 2015

A gift from James Patterson

Best-selling thriller writer James Patterson has pledged to give $1 million to struggling independent bookstores. The novelist, whose Alex Cross detective series and other books have sold 280 million copies worldwide, says he will hand out money to “viable” bookstores, with the proviso that they contain a children’s section. The rise of e-books has led to closures of independent bookstores where many children learn the joy of reading, he said, adding, “This is not a good thing.” Patterson said he would pay some of the money directly to worthy booksellers “who haven’t had a bonus in seven years.”

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