James Patterson announced the winner of his first-ever James Patterson and Bookshop.org Prize, presenting the award to Virginia Evans for The Correspondent.

“Congratulations to Virginia Evans on winning our James Patterson + Bookshop.org prize for 2025 debut novelists,” the Judge Stone author, 79, wrote via Instagram on Monday, April 6. “I may have broke the news, but you have the support of the indie booksellers to thank!”

Patterson relayed the news to Evans in a video call, which he posted alongside the announcement.

“We got together with Bookshop.org and went out to a lot of indies, which we always try to do to keep indies involved and get people more aware of books and all that good stuff, and they [looked at] a couple hundred books in terms of people saying what they loved, what the booksellers loved, and then came down to five or so … really, really, really good books,” Patterson told Evans. “So, you’re the winner. Yay!”

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Evans—whose debut novel has been on the New York Times bestsellers list for 22 weeks following its April 2025 release—expressed her gratitude to Patterson for the honor, responding, “Well, thank you! That’s so exciting.”

Patterson and Bookshop.org teamed up to offer a new literary prize celebrating debut authors who were hand-selected by booksellers at independent bookstores. The award honors outstanding full-length debut books published in the United States within the past 12 months, with all nominations and selections made by indie booksellers who represent readers in local communities. The grand prize winner receives $15,000, while the runner-up gets $10,000.

“I’ve been a longtime supporter of indie bookstores—and emerging authors. Creating this award that recognizes both the booksellers that are getting books into the hands of readers and of course, the books themselves, was a no-brainer to me,” Patterson said on Bookshop.org’s website, calling independent booksellers “the real experts.”

In addition to The Correspondent, the longlist for the prize included The Hollow Half by Sarah Aziza, When the Tides Held the Moon by Venessa Vida Kelley, Aftertaste by Daria Lavelle, It’s Different This Time by Joss Richard, The Nature of Pain by Mandi Fugate Sheffel, My Oceans by Christina Rivera, The Slip by Lucas Schaefer, My Mother’s Boyfriends by Samantha Schoech and The Lilac People by Milo Todd.

“Filled with knowledge that only comes from a life fully lived, The Correspondent is a gem of a novel about the power of finding solace in literature and connection with people we might never meet in person,” a blurb on the Bookshop.org website reads. “It is about the hubris of youth and the wisdom of old age, and the mistakes and acts of kindness that occur during a lifetime.”

Todd’s The Lilac People was named the runner-up in the competition. The novel is described as “a moving and deeply humane story about a trans man who must relinquish the freedoms of prewar Berlin to survive first the Nazis then the Allies, all while protecting the ones he loves.”

This story was originally published by Parade on Apr 7, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.