Dozens of authors and creators from across genres have joined the Book Industry Charitable (Binc) Foundation to declare their commitment to book and comic people. Their support is launching the Now More Than Ever, I Stand with Bookstores campaign to engage book and comic lovers in standing with their community stores amidst challenging times. Stores across the country will have displays May 19-June 2, 2025, encouraging in-store purchase and/or donating to Binc. 

Thanks to the generosity of Binc ambassador and best-selling author Amor Towles and other authors/creators the first $50,000 in donations received will be matched dollar for dollar. Donate today.

With the growing uncertainty of federal funding that supports local community resources, the challenges against First Amendment rights, and overall financial insecurity, store employees are at greater risk of harassment and not being able to withstand and navigate a personal crisis. Requests to Binc for help have increased 8% over last year and the average amount to resolve a crisis is also rising.

Thanks to the Susan Kamil Emerging Writers Prize administered by the Book Industry Charitable (Binc) Foundation, two aspiring writer-booksellers or creator-comic retailers will receive $12,500 to focus on a full-length manuscript. The application period will start March 25 and run through April 22, 2025. To learn more about eligibility and apply visit https://bincfoundation.org/susankamil-scholarship/.

Any writer working on a full-length manuscript, graphic novel, or comic who is currently employed at a physical book or comic store in the U.S. and has been for a minimum of three months is eligible.

The prize was established by Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter and bestselling author Charles Duhigg and his wife, Liz Alter, a professor of biology at California State University Monterey Bay. Kamil was executive vice president and publisher of Random House when she died in 2019. Her publishing career, spanning more than 40 years, began in the 1970s working in the children’s book division of Macmillan Publishers. Over those years she was known for recognizing new literary voices and introducing them to the public.

Duhigg is a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter and the author of three bestselling books, including “The Power of Habit,” which spent over three years on bestseller lists. Duhigg currently writes for The New Yorker magazine and his latest book, “Supercommunicators,” was published in early 2024.

The following panel of judges will award the writing prizes:

• Emma Aprile works as a copyeditor of literary fiction, nonfiction, and poetry for independent presses, and as a part-time bookseller at her local independent bookstore, Carmichael’s Bookstore, in Louisville, Kentucky.  
• Chriscynethia Floyd is vice president and publisher of Our Daily Bread Publishing. Her 25+ year career spans both secular and Christian publishing, where she has served as a vice president in sales, marketing and editorial. She joined Binc’s board of directors in 2024.
• Jonathan Hawpe has worked as a bookseller at Carmichael’s Bookstore in Louisville, KY for over 20 years. As a freelance writer and artist, he’s published work in LEO weekly, Bejeezus magazine, and Louisville Cartoonist Society anthologies. Hawpe has also served as a panelist for the ABA’s Indies Introduce program.
• James Killen joined the Barnes and Noble buying group in 1987 after nearly a decade in the stores as a buyer for SF/fantasy, graphic novels, and manga for 21 years. James is now director of retail operations for the Manga Spot stores for Kadokawa World Entertainment and serves on Binc’s board of directors.
• Susan Hans O’Connor is the owner of the Penguin Bookshop in Sewickley, PA. She began her publishing career at Viking Penguin, where she was an associate editor. Since becoming the Penguin’s owner in 2014, she has been an active member of the American Booksellers Association.
• Jonathan Putnam is the author of historical fiction, including the Lincoln & Speed Mystery series. He is a past board member of the Historical Novels Society of North America and serves as the treasurer on Binc’s board of directors.
• Christie Roehl is a former member of Binc’s board of directors and current member of the Binc Program Committee. She was formerly a Borders Bookstore store manager and Borders Group Foundation volunteer, and volunteers in the Walsh College mentor program.

Jessilen Henderson, a bookseller and floor manager at Maria’s Bookshop in Durango, Colorado, has received the Book Industry Charitable (Binc) Foundation’s scholarship to attend the Denver Publishing Institute’s (DPI) four-week summer program to learn about the publishing arm of the book industry. The scholarship is offered in collaboration with Sourcebooks and the DPI.

In the announcement, Henderson said:

I am both thrilled and astonished to be the recipient of this incredible honor. I’m unendingly grateful for everything Binc does to support booksellers. It is such a joy to feel that I can set financial worries aside and focus entirely on learning everything that the Denver Publishing Institute has to offer. I can’t wait to immerse myself in this incredible educational opportunity. Thank you, Binc!

Worth up to $7,000, the scholarship includes tuition, room and board, and up to $2,000 to cover travel and lost wages.