JD Kirk winner of £20,000 Kindle Storyteller Award

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 yesterday evening at a ceremony that took place at the prestigious London Library. 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 twice previously, but it was Stateside this year 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 77 releases via Kindle Direct Publishing and hasn’t looked back since he hit ‘publish’ for the first time in 2016.

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.

– JD Kirk

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.

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!

– Sara Cox

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!

– Vick Hope

The Award – now in its eighth year – was open to any work in the English language published on Kindle Direct Publishing between May 1st and August 31st, 2024.

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.

– judge Dreda Say Mitchell MBE

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.

– Jen Barrett, Kindle Direct Publishing lead, Amazon UK