Best-selling author gives gift to Prairie Lights' Ingram

Longtime Prairie Lights employee Paul Ingram received an honorary holiday bonus from best-selling author James Patterson this week.

The monetary award Ingram received was given to 87 independent booksellers across the country, and is a part of $250,000 total that Patterson gave to "thank booksellers for their dedication to spreading the joy of reading," according to a Monday news release from the American Booksellers Association website.

"It's a great honor," Ingram said Friday of the award. "Of course I'm delighted."

Ingram called Patterson "probably the most fortunate, money-wise, of any author going" and said that he's "not really a fan of Amazon.com," so the monetary award Ingram will receive serves as recognition of what independent book stores like Prairie Lights, and booksellers like himself, represent in the literary community.

Ingram said he did not know exactly how much money he will receive, but the news release stated it will be somewhere between $1,000 and $5,000.

Patterson penned the multimillion-selling Alex Cross book series, so the generous monetary gift to booksellers across the country is obviously not too rich for his blood. According to USA TODAY, Patterson has sold more than 300 million books worldwide. 

Jan Weissmiller, co-owner of Prairie Lights, said she and others at the bookstore were "obviously really pleased that he's received this accolade."

"(Ingram) is one of the best booksellers in the country," Weissmiller said. "It's his breadth of knowledge, exuberance and love for reading that really sets him apart from anyone else."

Ingram has been working at Prairie Lights since 1989, he said Friday. An in-store book buyer, and a writer himself, Ingram has established himself as one of the go-to literary trendsetters in Iowa, and the country as a whole. A father and son duo fly from opposite ends of the country and meet at Prairie Lights just to get his recommendations.

"I adore my customers. That's what I love about working here the most," Ingram said. "The joy when I got a job here, I can't describe it. I wanted to sell to the type of customers (Prairie Lights founder) Jim Harris had, and I think I have."

Since Ingram doesn't know how much money he will receive, no plans have been set in stone for what will become of the award. "Maybe a nice trip to Galena," Ingram said.

"It's an appreciation that simply makes me feel good."

Reach Zach Berg at 319-887-5412, zberg@press-citizen.com or follow him on Twitter at @ZacharyBerg.