Vampire thriller and cycling travelogue up for £20K Kindle Storyteller Award

The shortlist for the 2020 Kindle Storyteller Award sees a vampire thriller, a detective novel and a South American travelogue up for the £20,000 prize. 

Five books have made the shortlist: "heart-warming" Fitting In by Amanda Radley, "fast-paced" detective novel Hear No Evil by J M Dalgliesh, South American cycling travelogue Llama Drama by Anna McNuff, vampire thriller Of the Blood by Cameo Renae, and Sunshine and Second Chances by Kim Nash, a "feelgood summer read" about friendship, love and second chances.

The award was open to any work in the English language published on Kindle Direct Publishing between 1st May and 31st August this year. A panel of judges will decide which shortlisted book will win its author the £20,000 prize, a golden Kindle, marketing support on Amazon.co.uk and mentoring. The winner will be announced in October.

Candice Carty-Williams, author of the Amazon charts bestseller Queenie (Orion), said: “I’ve always been a huge fan of the Kindle Storyteller Award as it’s a great way for authors get their voices heard. There is a vast pool of undiscovered talent in the literary world and it looks like we have some gems in the mix this year.”

The judging panel features TV presenter and author Claudia Winkleman, authors L J Ross and Mark Dawson, last year’s Kindle Storyteller Award winner Ian W Sainsbury, Sacha Black from the Alliance of Independent Authors, Amazon EU books director Simon Johnson and UK books editor Jen Barrett.

Winkleman said: “This year, more than ever, has highlighted the need for brilliant books and brilliant writers. It’s fantastic to see so many entries across such a variety of genres. I’ve had loads of fun reading them and am excited to join the panel selecting the 2020 winner. But it’s not just down to us, the readers play a huge part too, which is fantastic.”

Readers play a role in the shortlist selection, as their reviews and ratings are taken into account. Other criteria for selection  includes the number of reads, sales creativity of content, and quality and style of writing. 

Johnson said: “Every year we look forward to the entries coming in and I’m delighted that we’ve seen a record-breaking number this year. Not only that, the quality of entries is impressive and I’m looking forward to reading my way through the shortlist.”

The winner will be announced in October.