There’s a wonderful world of book awards out there. For authors they are a stamp of approval. A way of shouting – hey my book is brilliant because it’s recognised above all the others. And who doesn’t love an accolade. I can’t imagine for one minute; any winner is going to turn around and say oh no I couldn’t possibly, go on give the prize and publicity to somebody else.
And for the reader aren’t book awards useful? Every day there are so many brilliant books hitting the shelves but with limited time and money, how do you decide what to read? Yes, there are book reviews, recommendations from friends and adverts. But if you’re standing in a bookshop, clutching two brilliant novels but can only buy one, the award winner is likely to edge it, don’t you think?
You have to be in it to win it
To win book prizes you clearly need to enter them. That makes total sense. And how those entry fees vary. Some are free (hooray), some are a few quid and others will make a sizeable dent in your wallet. As an author you could easily blow the budget, so it pays to do a bit of research first.
What type of writer can enter an award?
The answer to that question is – it depends. Some awards are genre specific; some are dictated by where you live; some awards want debut authors; some want unpublished authors; some want authors that aren’t self-published, and some are happy to welcome anyone who has taken the time and effort to form their imaginings into a book.
As a reader do you care?
Does it really matter if a book wins an award or not? As long as you enjoy a book, isn’t that what’s most important? Or do you like the idea of helping an author win, or at least be shortlisted? Well, if you do your luck is in.
The Kindle Storyteller Award 2024
The Kindle Storyteller Award is a prestigious literary prize recognising outstanding writing and it’s open to authors, whether they are a seasoned author or a debut one. And this is why I’ve held off publishing my second contemporary fiction novel until May and made it exclusive to Amazon – so I could submit Saving Elora to the Kindle Storyteller Award.
After 31st August, each book entered is rated on its commercial viability (number of sales, borrows and customer feedback whether it’s in paperback, Kindle or Kindle Unlimited). The Grand Prize winner receives £20,000 and a book launch merchandising package on Amazon.co.uk. Now that’s a prize I wouldn’t mind winning.
Kindle Storyteller Award shortlisted authors
I was lucky enough to chat with Daisy James at the recent New Writing North Newcastle Writing Conference. She was a 2021 Finalist with her Escape to the Hummingbird Hotel, (set on the Greek Ionian island of Corfu) and said the whole experience was brilliant. And last year the fantastic Francesca Catlow was a finalist with Greek Secret, also set on Corfu.
Daring to dream
Now wouldn’t it be wonderful if, with all your help, Saving Elora (set on the Greek Ionian island of Lefkada) was shortlisted! And imagine if it won! You could all say – I was part of that. Saving Elora is part two of the Apokeri Bay Trilogy but I’ve cleverly written it, so you can just as easily read the second part without missing out on the main points from the first (although please feel free to read Apokeri Bay).
Can you help?
I’m not the type of person who usually asks for help. But this time I am. Do you want to give me a helping hand to be shortlisted? Did you say yes? Woohoo, thank you so much and what is it that you need to do? You need to pop over to Amazon and purchase Saving Elora. And if you can, please leave a cracking Amazon review before 31st August 2024. That’s the sales pitch over. Thank you for indulging the hope and dreams of an author, aspiring to be a bestselling one. Keep your fingers crossed for me.