(Chelsea Update would like to thank Michelle Tuplin for the information in this story.)
Serendipity Books’ owner, Michelle Tuplin, was selected to be among 600 employees at independent bookstores across the nation to receive a $500 holiday bonus from author James Patterson.
Employees were able to nominate themselves or be recommended by store owners, managers, peers, community members, and others.
“I’ve said this before, but I can’t say it enough — booksellers save lives,” Patterson said in a press release. “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 writers, Patterson has given millions of dollars to booksellers, librarians, and teachers. In 2015, the same year he began awarding employee bonuses, he was presented an honorary National Book Award for “Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community.”
Patterson has even co-authored a tribute book, “The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians,” which Little, Brown and Company will release in April.
“We all continue to be awed by, and grateful for, Mr. Patterson’s continuing support of independent booksellers,” Allison Hill, CEO of the American Booksellers Association, said in a press release. “It means so much to have him recognize the valuable role booksellers play in the industry and we appreciate his financial generosity as well as his generosity of spirit.”
