We were shocked to hear about the death of Seattle book entrepreneur Kim Ricketts, whose events company connected authors with staff and management at dozens of companies in the greater Seattle area for more than seven years, and who learned the business of books working at such stalwarts as the University Book Store. Ricketts died Monday, after treatment for a bone marrow disorder.
A celebration of her life will be held at 3 pm on Wednesday, May 4 at St. Mark’s Cathedral, 1245 10th Ave. East, in Seattle. The Seattle Times posted a wonderful bio about her and Shelf Awareness also published a nice tribute.
Ricketts started work in the book industry at a small independent store in Seattle in the early 1990s. In 1997 she took a job at the University Book Store as book club coordinator. The next year she was named the events and programs coordinator for the University Book Store and its branch stores. In 2003 she left the University Book Store to open her own business, Kim Ricketts Book Events, which specializes in connecting big-name authors to corporate clients for local readings and events. One of her specialties was cookbooks and their authors, and she produced a regular Cooks and Books series, which was popular. We hope it continues.
Read our 2008 interview with Kim Ricketts here.
