Three Iowa City booksellers awarded James Patterson holiday bonus

Three Iowa City booksellers are the recipients of a $500 holiday bonus from prolific author James Patterson, who recently sold his 100 millionth book this past April. The author of “Along Came a Spider” and “The President is Missing” pledged a personal contribution of $300,000 to be distributed in amounts of $500, to 600 booksellers from American Booksellers Association member bookstores. In recent months, books have been undergoing intense scrutiny and removal from schools across the country. Mr. Patterson said he started the Holiday Bookstore Bonus Program as a reminder that books – and the purveyors thereof – play an important role in American culture.

“I’ve said this before, but I can’t say it enough—booksellers save lives,” he wrote on X – formerly known as Twitter – on Dec. 13. “What they do is crucial, especially right now. I’m happy to be able to acknowledge them and their hard work this holiday season.” It’s only fitting that half of the recognized booksellers in Iowa reside in Iowa City, a UNESCO City of Literature.

Booksellers Suzanne Gleeson, with Prairie Lights Books, Katy Herbold, with Sidekick Coffee & Books, and Joshua Langseth, with The Haunted Bookshop, found out about their award last week, when The American Book Sellers Association emailed them the good news. Jan Weissmiller, owner of Prairie Lights Books, located at 15 S. Dubuque St., nominated Ms. Gleeson for the award in October. “The store would not run without what she does,” said Ms. Weismiller. Ms. Gleeson has worked for Prairie Lights Books for 30 years, and Ms. Weissmiller uses a variety of adjectives to describe her: careful, reliable, great troubleshooter, smart and funny. Every day, the 11,000 square foot bookstore receives a large number of books, which Ms. Gleeson diligently processes and uploads into the computer system. “It’s very labor-intensive,” said Ms. Weissmiller. Speaking of her employees in general, she said they are “always deserving of any extra they can get.” “I was happy and surprised,” said Ms. Gleeson, on discovering her reward, and said she would most likely use the prize money to buy new lenses for her glasses. The success of the bookstore, she added, is a “group effort – it’s a lot of communication between a lot of people.” Local children’s author and illustrator, Jennifer Black Reinhardt, nominated Sidekick Coffee & Books owner Ms. Herbold for the award.

“I cried – I’m a big sap like that,” said Ms. Herbold, on finding out she was an award recipient. “Sidekick…used all funds to purchase books for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Johnson County, with the book choices made by Jennifer and Program Specialist and Outreach Coordinator at BBBS, Dina Bishara. Thank you Jennifer, Dina, and James Patterson for your teamwork for such a great cause!” Ms. Herbold wrote in a Facebook post Dec. 14. Sidekick Coffee & Books, located at 1310 1/2 Melrose Ave., has a Christmas tree dedicated to Big Brothers Big Sisters in its cafe, and customers can pick a tag off the tree to buy a book for a child. Tags are brought to the register, where an employee finds the book on a shelf and puts it in a book bin near the tree. Donations will be accepted through the first week of January. “Books are great gifts,” said Ms. Herbold. “It was a no brainer to use (the money) for books.”

Other Iowa winners include:

• Aimee Moore, The Curiosity Shop, Pella
• Rachel Ramirez, Storyhouse Bookpub, Des Moines
• Rachel Trainum, Dog-Eared Books, Ames