Kay joins judging panel for Kindle Storyteller Award

Adam Kay, author of bestseller This is Going to Hurt (Picador) is joining the judging panel for this year’s Kindle Storyteller Award. 

The £20,000 prize celebrates the best self-published story published in the UK.  

Kay said he was “absolutely delighted” to be on the panel, which also includes last year’s winner Rachel McLean, best-selling and self-published author Mel Sherratt, the Alliance of Independent Authors’s organisation member manager Melissa Addey, and Amazon’s editorial programmes manager Darren Hardy and books editorial manager Jen Barrett. 

Kay said: “I know how daunting it can be diving into the world of writing - it wasn’t long ago that I swapped wards for words and theatres for... another sort of theatre. The award is a brilliant opportunity for budding authors, and I can’t wait to read and celebrate this year’s entries.” 

The Kindle Storyteller Award is open to authors who publish their story via Kindle Direct Publishing between 1st May and 31st August 2022.  

McLean said winning last year’s award helped give her more confidence in her writing. “Even now I am still in some disbelief that out of thousands of entries, my book The Corfe Castle Murders was chosen as the winner in 2021” she said. She has since released five more books in the Dorset Crime Book series. 

“Deep down, I do believe that everyone has a story to tell, whether thrillers set in the South West like myself, or recounting a diary of a junior doctor. No matter what age or stage you are in your writing career, the Kindle Storyteller Award seeks entries from both new and established authors. I would urge anyone to have a go and submit for this year’s award!” 

Since winning the award in 2021, a number of McLean’s novels have gone on to become Kindle bestsellers, with The Corfe Castle Murders amassing 13,000 customer reviews to an average of 4.2 out of 5 stars, Amazon said.