Lynn takes £20k Kindle Storyteller Award

Hannah Lynn has been crowned the winner of the second UK Kindle Storyteller Award, securing the £20,000 prize with her "heart-warming" tale of the after-life, The Afterlife of Walter Augustus.

The Kindle Storyteller Award, now in its second year, is open to authors who published their book through Kindle Direct Publishing on Amazon.co.uk. 

The Afterlife of Walter Augustus follows the character of Walter, who has been stuck for decades in 'the Interim' – a posthumous waiting room for those still remembered on Earth – and Letty Ferguson, a middle-aged shoe saleswoman whose life takes on an extraordinary dimension when she takes possession of an unassuming poetry anthology. 

Lynn was crowned the winner by presenter and author Lorraine Kelly on Wednesday evening (3rd October) at a ceremony at the Royal Society in London.

The panel of judges who decided upon the winning book included Kelly; author LJ Ross; Orna Ross, founder of The Alliance of Independent Authors; and last year’s winner of the Kindle Storyteller Award David Leadbeater, alongside some of Amazon’s book staff. In addition to the prize money, Lynn will receive a marketing campaign to support the book on Amazon.co.uk, access to a mentor and the opportunity to have the book translated.

Claire Johnson, UK Kindle content director and one of the judges, said: “It was incredibly tough to decide on a winner, especially when the shortlist featured such brilliant talent. Hannah’s book was a heart-warming and clever tale that will make you laugh and cry. It really captured the judges’ imaginations.”

EU Kindle content director Alessio Santarelli said the competition had had “thousands of entries from all over the world”.