The Kindle Storyteller UK Award 2020 opens for entries from May 1, 2020 and is paying out a top prize of £20,000 again. This is the fourth year for the award which has become a well-established highlight of the year for indie authors.
Entries must be for books that are available as an ebook and a print book through Kindle Direct Publishing and enrolled in the KDP Select scheme. The entry period runs from May 1 until August 31, 2020.
As well as a £20,000 prize fund, the winner will also receive marketing promotion for their title on Amazon in the UK and mentorship to help them learn and grow as a writer.
Readers play a pivotal role in helping to choose the shortlist of stories, with a panel of judges, including top figures from the world of publishing and Amazon books, choosing a winner based on factors including quality of reviews, sales and pages read in Kindle Unlimited. The winner will be announced in London this autumn.
The Kindle Storyteller Award accepts submissions of new books in English, published using Kindle Direct Publishing. Titles must be previously unpublished, with a minimum of 24 pages in paperback, and they must be enrolled in KDP Select while they are in the competition. Readers should be able to access all titles entered into the prize in print or on the Kindle e-reader or on the free Kindle app for iOS, Android and Fire devices.
When publishing the book, StorytellerUK2020 should be entered in the keyword metadata field in order for Amazon to identify your entry.
Previous years have seen a varied selection of around half a dozen books picked for the award shortlist and a panel of judges will then pick the overall winner.
The first award in 2017 was won by David Leadbeater’s thriller The Relic Hunters while the 2018 prize went to Hannah Lynn for The Afterlife of Walter Augustus which is a fascinating blend of contemporary meta supernatural comedy fiction. 2019 saw Ian W Sainsbury win with his debut psychological thriller The Picture on the Fridge.
Ian Sainsbury had previously published several science fiction novels but The Picture on the Fridge was his first venture into a new genre. Ian’s main advice to others who want to self-publish through Kindle Direct Publishing is to understand the importance of a good hook.
He says ‘Everyone consumes so much media today that it’s important to grab attention in the first pages, or even in the first paragraph, so when you go further into your story, you’ve already hooked them and they stay with you.’
Ian sets himself a goal of writing 12,000 words a week and has been experimenting with dictating the first draft of a novel and using transcription software to get it down on paper.
He says, ‘The dictation process helps me to think about these stories in a visual, cinematic way, so I can hear my own voice as an author, and I can imagine how the reader might interpret my words. By dictating and transcribing a first draft, I get the story down and then I start to work on the written word.’
You can find out more details about the Kindle Storyteller UK Award 2020 here on the Amazon website.
Ian Sainsbury’s psychological thriller takes £20,000 top prize for Kindle Storyteller Award 2019
Hannah’s Lynn’s The Afterlife of Walter Augustus wins £20,000 Kindle Storyteller award
Amazon launches £20,000 KDP Kindle Storyteller award in the UK