London, UK, 6 November 2024: Stateside by JD Kirk has been announced as this year’s winner of the The Kindle Storyteller Award, a £20,000 literary prize which champions and celebrates the best of independently published stories which can be published in any genre.
Best-selling authors and presenters, Sara Cox and Vick Hope announced the winner of the award this evening at a ceremony that took place at the prestigious London Library. The award is in its eighth year and celebrates the best of independent stories. The winner, JD Kirk has been self publishing books under this pen name since 2019. JD Kirk has been shortlisted for the Kindle Storyteller Award three times in previous years, but it was Stateside that took the gold.
Stateside is the fifth instalment in the Robert Hoon series, which follows the protagonist, Bob Hoon, as he finds out an old friend, and MI5 agent, has gone missing in the United States. Despite just wanting a little peace and shutting himself away from his messy life, Hoon finds himself on a destructive adventure across America while he searches for his friend. The reader is transported from the Highlands of Scotland, to the gritty dive bars of Florida to the flashing lights of Vegas where an Elvis-themed PI awaits. The novel is full of excitement and adventure, with a very foul-mouthed protagonist that readers can’t help but root for.
JD Kirk originally started his career as an author writing children’s books via traditional publishing, but switched gears to publish sci-fi novels and crime thrillers independently. JD Kirk has released 77 books via Kindle Direct Publishing and hasn’t looked back since he hit ‘publish’ for the first time in 2016.
On winning the prestigious literary prize, JD Kirk said: "Wow, I'm blown away to have won the Kindle Storyteller Award! With it being my third time shortlisted, I can safely say that the third time truly is a charm. When I first tried self-publishing back in 2016, it completely changed my life and took my literary career in a whole new direction, so it feels great to be recognised for it. Stateside is the fifth book in what was originally planned to be a trilogy, so here's to the many more adventures of Robert Hoon.”
Alongside Sara Cox and Vick Hope, the 2024 judging panel was also made up by last year’s Kindle Storyteller winner G.J Ogden, Author and broadcaster Dreda Say Mitchell MBE, Alliance of Independent Authors representative and children’s author Karen Inglis, Amazon UK KDP Manager Jen Barrett, and EU + UK Author and Editorial Programmes Manager at Amazon, Darren Hardy.
The judges commended the fast-paced plot of Stateside, its witty dialogue, and how Kirk manages to lean into eccentricity without losing the reader, instead pulling them along for the ride. Despite being the fifth book in a series, the judges agreed that it is easily read as a standalone, remaining compelling throughout, with a well-developed cast of characters and unfaltering world-building.
Sara Cox commented: “It was such a joy reading all the shortlisted books, but Stateside is a very worthy winner. I found the plot to be as punchy as the protagonist; sweary Scottish antihero Hoon is a man I think would be handy to have on speed dial! A big congratulations to JD Kirk, can’t wait to see where Hoon ends up next!”
Vick Hope added: ““There was such a great variety of genres, characters and plots in this year’s shortlist and I really enjoyed reading all these stories. Stateside was a top pick for me as it had everything that makes for a great thriller, with the added bonus of it being truly so funny, the dialogue was sparky, pacy and had me immersed whilst still being very cleverly written. JD Kirk is a worthy winner with this one!”
The Award was open to any work in the English language published on Kindle Direct Publishing between May 1st and August 31st, 2024. With a whole host of entries spanning countless genres this year, judge Dreda Say Mitchell MBE commented; “The prize recognises the bold dreamers and passionate storytellers who have embraced the path of independent publishing. It celebrates the spirit and creative freedom that self-publishing embodies. The Prize is a testament to the quality, diversity, and innovation that independent publishing brings to the literary world.”
Jen Barrett, Kindle Direct Publishing lead at Amazon UK, who chaired the judging panel, said: “Once again we received some fantastic submissions this year; we’re always so blown away with the sheer amount of talent that is out there! However, there is something very special about Stateside. It had all the hallmarks of a winning title, as we were looking for a compelling story that draws you into the author’s world, and is absorbing from start to finish - which Stateside definitely is! The Kindle Storyteller Award continues to highlight to me just how many skilled authors are able to further their writing journey via Kindle Direct Publishing. It’s a fantastic way for authors to truly own the process, earn well-deserved royalties on their sales, and make their writing dreams come true.”
For more information about the Kindle Storyteller Award and to read more about Stateside by JD Kirk and the other shortlisted books this year, please visit www.amazon.co.uk/storyteller.
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Notes to Editors:
About the Kindle Storyteller Award
The Kindle Storyteller Award accepts submissions of new books in the English language, published using Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP). 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 can access all titles entered into the prize in print or on the Kindle eReader or on the free Kindle app for iOS, Android and Fire devices. Print copies will also be available to buy on the Amazon.co.uk store.
KDP is a fast, free and easy way for authors to publish their books in print and digital to a global audience and receive up to 70 per cent royalties on their work. Hundreds of thousands of authors use KDP to sell their books around the world and thousands of them earn more than $50,000, with more than a thousand passing $100,000 in royalties. Authors who made their books available through Kindle Unlimited earned their share of a fund worth more than $53.9 million over April 2024.
About Amazon
Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Amazon strives to be Earth’s Most Customer-Centric Company, Earth’s Best Employer, and Earth’s Safest Place to Work. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalised recommendations, Prime, Fulfilment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Career Choice, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, Alexa, Just Walk Out technology, Amazon Studios, and The Climate Pledge are some of the things pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit amazon.co.uk/about and follow @AmazonNewsUK.
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