Six books have been picked for the shortlist for the first UK Kindle Storyteller Award which offers a £20,000 cash prize for the winner. The titles cover a wide range of genres and include a non-fiction book, a crime thriller, two science fiction/fantasy books, historical fiction and lesbian romance.
The full shortlist is:
- Long Standing Ambition: the first solo round Britain windsurf by Jono Dunnett — Non-fiction
- The Relic Hunters by David Leadbeater — Crime, Thrillers & Mystery
- Wyvern Awakening by Joanna Mazurkiewicz — Young Adult – Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Henry: Book Three of the Tudor Trilogy by Tony Riches — Historical Fiction
- Tombyards & Butterflies by Orlando A. Sanchez — Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Lost In You by Jade Winters — Lesbian Romance[clear-line]
This is the first year of the Kindle Storyteller Award in the UK and aims to recognise newly published work in English across any genre. The prize was open to all authors who published their book through Kindle Direct Publishing on Amazon.co.uk between February 20 and May 19.
Alessio Santarelli, EU Kindle Content Director, says, “The Kindle Storyteller Award was created to celebrate great stories that resonate with readers. It is great to see that readers have chosen books across such a range of genres.”
The shortlist will now be assessed by a panel of judges who will decide on the winning book, which will be announced in late July. The judges include actress and literacy campaigner Lily Cole; best-selling author Rachel Abbott; Irish author, former literary agent and founder of the Alliance of Independent Authors, Orna Ross; the Metro’s Books Editor Claire Allfree; as well as members of the Amazon Books team — UK Head of Kindle Singles and Chair of Judges, Andrew Rosenheim; UK Kindle Content Director, Amy Worth; and UK Editorial Director for Amazon Publishing, Emilie Marneur.
Andrew Rosenheim, Chair of Judges, Kindle UK Storyteller Award, said: “It is a remarkably diverse shortlist, ranging from a non-fiction chronicle of one man windsurfing around Britain’s coast to historical fiction that provides an intimate view of a little-known king, Henry VII. I look forward to reading all the shortlisted books.”
Here are the shortlisted authors talking about their work:
Jono Dunnett, author of Long Standing Ambition, says: “The book was written primarily for my mother. I considered it to be a letter that explained ‘who I am’.”
David Leadbeater, author of The Relic Hunters, says: “I was sitting at my desk thinking that someone should write an archaeological mystery mixed heavily with the adventure genre, combining the clues with the thrills, the puzzle with the added spectacle of blockbuster action, and then my brain said: let’s do it.”
Joanna Mazurkiewicz, author of Wyvern Awakening, says: “I submitted the book to the contest with no expectations at all, but had a feeling that this kind of book might do well. I was stunned when I received a phone call and was told I had been shortlisted for the prize.”
Tony Riches, author of Henry: Book Three of the Tudor Trilogy, says: “I was born in Pembroke within sight of the castle, birthplace of Henry Tudor, so I’ve always been intrigued by the story of Henry’s return to Pembrokeshire with a small army to take the English crown from Richard III.”
Orlando Sanchez, author of Tombyards & Butterflies, says: “I wanted to depict a mix of cultures — American and English —-and that was the inception of what became Tombyards & Butterflies.”
Jade Winters, author of Lost In You, says: “I am thrilled to be shortlisted for the Kindle UK Storyteller Award, not only because my work has been recognised, but also because I’ve been given the opportunity to showcase a genre that isn’t mainstream.”