Best-selling author Amor Towles first to sign on to create a pool of matching funds for campaign benefiting independent bookstores and comic shops
Garth Stein, author of The Art of Racing in the Rain and chair of Binc’s annual Author Leadership Circle Campaign, is inviting authors and comics creators to join him in donating to a pool of matching funds to drive the next stage of fundraising for the Survive to Thrive grant program. Authors and creators who donate by 5pm on April 23 will be recognized as part of the matching gift that will propel Survive to Thrive towards its goal of $2 million.
Authors and creators can join the matching pool by donating at: https://secure.donationpay.org/bincfoundation/survive2thrive.php?source=authorcreator and being sure to click on the author/creator checkbox.
Susan Doupé Photography
“Every successful author I know can list a dozen or more bookstores that have played a significant role in their success – through hand-selling, word-of-mouth, shelf-talkers, bookseller gatherings and association shows, and good old-fashioned grit. Indeed, going on the road with a new book often feels like a family reunion, as authors are reunited with familiar bookstores and familiar faces,” said Garth Stein, whose novel The Art of Racing in the Rain (Harper) has sold more than 6 million copies, been translated into 35 languages, and spent more than three years on the New York Times bestseller list. His newest project is a graphic novel with Matthew Southworth, The Cloven (Fantagraphics), which came out in July 2020.
“Survive to Thrive is another amazing Binc Foundation program that will provide local bookstores and comic shops with significant funding as we look toward the reopening of our world. I hope that my fellow authors will join Amor and me in contributing to the Survive to Thrive pool fund to support and champion the bookstores and comic book shops that have been so wonderful in supporting and championing us and our works for many, many years,” Stein said.
The first author to join in contributing to the matching pool is Amor Towles, the author of the New York Times best sellers A Gentleman in Moscow and Rules of Civility. His new novel, The Lincoln Highway, will be out October 5.
“Thank you to Garth, for his ongoing work with the Author Leadership Circle and for encouraging authors and creators to come together to launch this next phase of the Survive to Thrive fundraising campaign,” said Pamela French, Binc’s Executive Director. “We are also incredibly thankful for Amor Towles jump-starting the matching pool that will encourage readers and fans to join with their favorite authors and creators in supporting Survive to Thrive.”
“We are grateful for the critical corporate support that initiated Survive to Thrive, and now hope the cause will be championed by authors, creators, readers and fans, who last year represented 64% of total contributions to the Foundation.” French said. “Grassroots support is key to continuing to move this campaign forward.”
On March 30, Binc launched the Survive to Thrive campaign with generous corporate support from the publishing and bookselling communities, announcing the initiative had raised $1 million, half of its $2 million goal.
The Survive to Thrive grant program is open to independent bookstores and comic shops throughout the United States. Grants of up to $10,000 will be made via a juried review process designed to provide grants to stabilize stores and help them thrive. Depending on fundraising, the program will provide grants to as many as 200 brick-and-mortar bookstores and comic shops that have been able to adapt throughout the pandemic and have community-minded innovation plans going forward.
Binc plans to announce the Survive to Thrive expert review panel and the opening of applications shortly. Application reviews will take place in May, while the fundraising campaign continues, and grants will be announced and awarded in early June.