Amazon launches £20,000 literary prize

In the UK, Amazon will launch a £20,000 (A$33,040) literary prize for self-published books, reports the Telegraph.

The Kindle Storyteller Prize will be open to any English-language book published through Amazon’s ebook and print-on-demand publishing unit Kindle Direct Publishing between 20 February and 19 May 2017.

Eligible books can be in any genre, but must exceed 5000 words, and must have previously been unpublished.

Amazon will use reader ratings, including factors such as sales, borrows and reader feedback, to help compile the shortlist, with a winner to be chosen by a panel of ‘both Amazon experts and literary authorities’. The shortlist will be announced at the start of June, with the winner to be awarded at a ceremony in July.

Alessio Santarelli, Amazon EU Kindle Content Director, said in a statement, the company is hoping to ‘encourage aspiring authors … to get writing and make their new stories available to readers across the world’. ‘Publishing a book has never been easier, and the Kindle Storyteller Award will reward the author whose story resonates most with both readers and literary experts.’

For more information about the award, visit the Amazon UK website here.

Category: International news