The Book Industry Charitable Foundation (Binc) is offering five $10,000 scholarships for writers who work in brick-and-mortar bookstores and comic shops, to help support them while they focus on a full-length work. The money can be used for classes, coaching, editing, technology, or other costs that will help them complete their manuscript.

The scholarship program was established by journalist and author Charles Duhigg and his wife, Liz Alter, a professor of biology at California State University Monterey Bay, in memory of Susan Kamil, a 40-year publishing veteran who was Executive Vice President and Publisher of Penguin Random House when she died unexpectedly in 2019. Kamil was known for discovering and nurturing new literary talent.

To be eligible, a writer must be 18 or over, employed at a brick-and-mortar comic shop or bookstore for at least three months, and have a full-length prose novel, graphic novel, or book-length comic in progress. Writers who have published a full-length work are not eligible, but they can have published essays, short stories, or other short works. They are expected to continue working at their current employment while receiving funds. More details and the application are available at the Susan Kamil Scholarship for Emerging Writers website. The deadline for applications is April 7, 2024.

Binc recently awarded two scholarships to assist with travel costs for retailers who attended the ComicsPRO meeting in Pittsburgh (see “Binc Awards Retailer Scholarships to 2024 ComicsPRO Annual Meeting”).