It’s nearly two years since Amazon launched its ‘reader-powered’ Kindle Scout program in October 2014 to publish new genre fiction and thrillers are still leading the list.
The program works by authors submitting a book and a sample is published on the Kindle Scout website for readers to preview and nominate their favorites, with the books winning most nominations being reviewed by the Amazon team for potential publication.
The latest Kindle Scout winners being published during September by Kindle Press include:
Fraulein Frankenstein by Stephen Woodworth
This is a great concept (with a brilliant cover) and looks to me to be perfect for a film.
Woodworth has previously written the Violet series of psychic suspense novels and he has done a lot of research for Fraulein Frankenstein, which is centred on the ‘true story’ of the mate that Victor Frankenstein created for his monster.
Federal Underground by Jeff Bennington
This is billed as Penn Mitchell’s Ancient Alien Saga and is the first in a series involving Mitchell who comes into contact with an ancient alien race on Earth.
Bennington is a very prolific author who has written supernatural thrillers and also some guides about self-publishing, including The Indie Author’s Guide to Publishing Success.
The Rage of Plum Blossoms by Christine M Whitehead
This mystery/thriller is set in New York and has a great cover. The book features Quinn Jones’s quest to solve the killing of her husband.
Whitehead has previously published Tell Me When It Hurts and has a new book scheduled for next year called Hemingway’s Daughter.
Take The Body And Run by Jada Ryker
This looks like being a ‘chick-lit mystery romance’ starring Macey Malloy who finds trouble when she starts a new job at a college.
Ryker has written mystery/horror/paranormal novels, including A Pink Zombie With A Mist and Dog Days of Karma as well as the ‘Dare’ series featuring Marisa Adair investigations.
With The Dawn, and Blood Sacrifice by Cassandra Sky West
It’s a double whammy for the magnificently named West as Kindle Press are publishing Books 1 and 2 of the Faith of the Fallen.
They appear to be her first published books and Alexi Creed features in both novels, complete with vampires, werewolves and agents of the Arcana.[clear-line]
Including books currently in production, the Kindle Scout program has now published around 186 books through the Kindle Press imprint, so they’re running at an average of around 100 books a year.
The eligible genres for never-before-published novels of at least 50,000 words are:
- General Literature & Fiction
- Romance
- Mystery & Thriller
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Teen & Young Adult
The deal for winners includes: five-year renewable terms, a $1,500 advance, 50% ebook royalty rate, easy rights reversions and featured Amazon marketing. If a Kindle Press author does not earn at least $25,000 during the five-year contract, he or she can request his rights back.
You can find out more about the program at Kindle Scout.