Author James Patterson’s Holiday Bookseller Bonuses for 2018 include eight Texas recipients

NEW YORK — James Patterson has renewed a most welcome holiday publishing tradition — bonuses for independent bookstore employees.

The best-selling author announced Tuesday that 333 workers each will receive $750. The winners, nominated by customers and colleagues among others, are listed on the web site of the American Booksellers Association. Patterson has given more than $1 million to individual book sellers over the past five years and has donated millions to libraries and literacy programs.

In a statement Tuesday, Patterson said book sellers have used the money for everything from fixing a car to paying a dental bill. He said he was happy to make “a small difference” in the lives of people who had helped so many in their communities.

Congratulations are in order for:

Shannon Brewer, BookPeople, (Austin)

Anna Brown, Katy Budget Books (Houston)

Thu Doan, Brazos Bookstore (Houston)

Fernando A. Flores, Malvern Books (Austin)

Chelsea Green, MyBookBox (Murphy)

Stefani Kelley, The Book Nook (Brenham)

John Kwiatkowski, Murder By the Book (Houston)

Susan Post, BookWoman (Austin)

For the entire list of bookseller awards, visit

www.bookweb.org/james-patterson-holiday-bonus-recipients-2018

(From organization’s press release)

Submissions open for Writers’ League of Texas 2019 Manuscript Contest

AUSTIN — Have you been working hard on an unpublished manuscript that’s finally ready to see the light of day? Are you looking for some constructive feedback on your work-in-progress? Would you like the chance to sit down with a literary agent in person to discuss your project?

If so, you’re invited to submit a short synopsis and the opening pages of your unpublished work to the Writers’ League of Texas’s (WLT) nineteenth annual manuscript contest. It’s not necessary to live in Texas in order to enter this contest.

Winners of the 2019 manuscript contest will:

Win a free registration to the WLT’s 2019 Agents & Editors Conference (June 27-30, 2019, in Austin)
Meet one-on-one with a literary agent in your category or genre (in person at our annual conference or via phone call) if you’re one of our ten winners
Be recognized during the opening session of the 2019 Agents & Editors Conference and in the printed program (if you’re a winner or a finalist)
Receive valuable, specific written feedback on your work.

To Enter:

Review the complete list of contest rules and formatting instructions.
Fill out the online entry form and submit your payment online via credit card or PayPal.
The entry form will prompt you to upload your file. Please upload only one file. It should include both your synopsis and the opening of your manuscript. Acceptable formats are .doc, .docx, and .pdf.
Once you upload your documents and submit your payment, you will receive an automated confirmation email. There is nothing further you need to do at this time.

Submission Categories

Fiction: General Fiction (including Literary Fiction), Thriller/Action-Adventure, Mystery, Romance, Science-Fiction/Fantasy, and Historical Fiction
Nonfiction: General Nonfiction (excluding Memoir) and Memoir
Children’s: Middle Grade (chapter books and novels only—no picture books) and Young Adult

Entrance Fees

To receive the optional written critique, the entrance fees are $55 for WLT members and $65 for nonmembers.
The entrance fees are $25 for WLT members and $35 nonmembers if you opt out of a written critique.

Your WLT membership must be current in order to receive the member discount. As proof of current membership, you will be asked to provide your member number. If you’re not sure where to find your member number, log into www.writersleague.org and click on “my account.” If you can’t locate your member number or if you’re not sure whether your membership is still current, you may contact the WLT office at (512) 499-8914.

You may submit up to four entries in each category of this contest. Each entry requires separate payment. Submit a separate entry form and payment for each entry.

The deadline to enter is midnight CST on January 31, 2019. WLT expects to notify winners and finalists and have critiques to all entrants by mid-May.

For further questions, please read the FAQs or email sara@writersleague.org