The Book Industry Charitable Foundation has announced the Susan Kamil Scholarship for Emerging Writers, a new $10,000 scholarship, to be given to five booksellers or comic retailers, that will provide aspiring writer-booksellers the financial support to focus on a full-length manuscript. The scholarship was established by Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter and author Charles Duhigg and his wife, Liz Alter, a professor of biology at California State University Monterey Bay. Binc is administering the 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 application period began March 25 and runs through April 7. To learn more about eligibility and apply, click here.
Kamil was executive v-p 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. Over those years she was known for recognizing new literary voices and introducing them to the public.
"She so loved writers," said Duhigg. "It was never about what was best for Susan, but about how she could help an author find their voice and their story--and then share that story with readers. She devoted her life to this business, and I hope she would be happy to know that she continues to inspire emerging writers and support their careers."
He added: "I've been lucky to meet many booksellers over the years and have always been struck by their passion and enthusiasm for getting books in the hands of readers. I wanted to give back to this great community of book lovers, and know from friends of booksellers and store owners that many are writers themselves. I hope this helps someone who loves to write and is working on a draft; that it gives them a boost and helps to push them over the finish line."
The panel of judges deciding the first five scholarships are Chriscynethia Floyd, v-p and publisher of Our Daily Bread Publishing; Lillian Li, author of Number One Chinese Restaurant and Bad Asians (2025); Lindsay Lynch, author of Do Tell and a book buyer for Parnassus Books, Nashville, Tenn.; and Jonathan Putnam, author of the Lincoln & Speed Mystery series.
"We are so grateful for Charles' and Liz's support," said Binc executive director Pam French. "Their generosity has the power to change the lives of booksellers and comic retailers who also have a passion to write and create. I look forward to reading more stories from book people."