Patterson gives grants to 73 UK indie bookstores

26 September 2014 Books+Publishing

More than £130,000 (A$241,280) has been allocated to 73 independent bookshops in the UK and Ireland in the first round of UK grants funded by author James Patterson, reports the Bookseller. Over 180 bookshops applied for the grants of between £250 (A$464) and £5000 (A$9280), which were open to bookshops with a dedicated children’s book section. Among the successful applications, Book-ish in Wales will use its grant to purchase a camper van to visit rural communities; Far From the Madding Crowd in Scotland will create a ‘Hagrid’s Hut’ children’s room; and Newham Bookshop in London will create a reading and writing room for families. Patterson said: ‘I have worked to identify independent bookshops for whom this money may make a difference. I’m excited to follow their progress and see the proposed ideas in action.’ The second round of funding will be awarded in 2015. As previously reported by Books+Publishing, Patterson has pledged £250k (A$451,363) to UK independent booksellers to encourage children to read. The author also pledged US$1 million (A$1.06 million) to US independent bookstores in September last year, and began distributing the funds in February this year.

Category: International news