NEW YORK — Six hundred employees at independent bookstores — from Chapter One in Victoria, Minnesota, to The Cloak & Dagger in Princeton, New Jersey — will be receiving $500 holiday bonuses from author James Patterson.

Employees were able to nominate themselves, or be recommended by store owners, managers, peers, community members and others.

“I’ve said this before, but I can’t say it enough — booksellers save lives," Patterson said in a statement Wednesday. "What they do is crucial, especially right now. I’m happy to be able to acknowledge them and their hard work this holiday season.”

One of the world’s most popular and prolific writers, Patterson has given millions of dollars to booksellers, librarians and teachers. In 2015, the same year he began awarding employee bonuses, he was presented an honorary National Book Award for “Outstanding Service to the America Literary Community.”

Patterson has even co-authored a tribute book, “The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians,” which Little, Brown and Company will release in April.

“We all continue to be awed by, and grateful for, Mr. Patterson’s continuing support of independent booksellers," Allison Hill, CEO of the American Booksellers Association , said in a statement. "It means so much to have him recognize the valuable role booksellers play in the industry and we appreciate his financial generosity as well as his generosity of spirit.”

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LONDON — A judge ordered Prince Harry on Monday to pay nearly 50,000 pounds (more than $60,000) in legal fees to the publisher of the Daily Mail tabloid for his failed court challenge in a libel lawsuit.

The Duke of Sussex is suing Associated Newspapers Ltd. over an article that said Harry tried to hide his efforts to retain publicly funded protection in the U.K. after leaving his role as a working member of the royal family.

Justice Matthew Nicklin ruled Friday in the High Court in London that the publisher has a “real prospect” of showing that statements issued on Harry’s behalf were misleading and that the February 2022 article reflected an “honest opinion” and wasn't libelous.

“The defendant may well submit that this was a masterclass in the art of ‘spinning,’” Nicklin wrote, in refusing to strike the honest opinion defense.

Harry has claimed the article was “fundamentally inaccurate” and the newspaper defamed him when it suggested he lied in his initial public statements over efforts to challenge the government's decision to strip him of his security detail after he and his family moved to the U.S. in 2020.

Harry, 39, the younger son of King Charles III, also has a lawsuit pending against the government’s decision to protect him on a case-by-case basis when he visits Britain. He claims that hostility toward him and his wife on social media and relentless hounding by the news media threaten their safety.

Nicklin said a libel trial lasting three to four days will be scheduled between May 17 and July 31.

The 48,447 pounds ($60,927) in legal fees Harry was ordered to pay by Dec. 29 is likely to be dwarfed by the amount paid to lawyers in another lawsuit the duke has brought against the publisher.

Associated Newspapers is one of three British tabloid publishers he's suing over claims they used unlawful means, such as deception, phone hacking or hiring private investigators, to try to dig up dirt on him.

The Mail publisher failed last month in its bid to throw out that lawsuit, though it prevailed in getting some evidence barred from trial. Nicklin — who is also hearing that case — is considering what to award in lawyer's costs for each party's respective wins.

Harry and co-claimants that include Elton John and Elizabeth Hurley said they spent 1.7 million ($2.1 million) to prepare for and argue their case at a hearing over several days in March. The publisher, meanwhile, is seeking up to 755,000 pounds ($949,000).

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LOS ANGELES — Anthony Anderson has been nominated for multiple Emmy Awards, and now he'll be presiding over January's strike-delayed ceremony.

The Fox network announced Anderson will host the Jan. 15 ceremony, which honors the best shows, performances and other work on television.

The Emmys are traditionally held in September but have moved into Hollywood's traditional awards season due to this year's actors and writers strikes.

“Succession” is the leading nominee for its final season, with other HBO series like “The White Lotus” and “The Last of Us” also receiving multiple nominations.

Anderson is a seven-time leading comedy actor nominee for his starring role in the ABC series “black-ish.” The show ended its groundbreaking eight-season run in 2022.

Anderson is no stranger to headlining an awards show — he served as host of the NAACP Image Awards for eight years.

The Emmys will air live from Los Angeles' Peacock Theater on the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern and will be available to stream the next day on Hulu.

From combined wire services