| Kerry Wilkinson | |
| Birth Place: | Bath, Somerset, England |
| Occupation: | Novelist, Journalist |
| Education: | Frome Community College, Somerset, University of Central Lancashire |
| Period: | 2011 – |
| Genre: | Crime fiction, young adult fiction |
| Notableworks: | The Jessica Daniel novels The Whitecliff novels |
| Awards: | RoNA Award, International Thriller Writers Awards |
Kerry Wilkinson (born 4 November 1980) is a British author and sports journalist born in Bath, Somerset.
In 2018, his book Ten Birthdays won the Romantic Novelists' Association award for Young Adult Novel of the Year. Along with Marius Gabriel, he was the first man to win a RoNA Award in the organisation's 58-year history.[1] [2] He is also an International Thriller Writers Awards winner, with Close To You, for best ebook original.
In March 2023, he wrote an article for The Bookseller, entitled 'Autism can be a huge publishing strength—and challenge'[3] about how he was an adult when he discovered he was autistic.
Kerry Wilkinson is an author who has had bestselling ebooks in the UK, Canada, Australia and South Africa.
In 2011, he became one of the United Kingdom's most-successful self-published authors, but has since worked with 'traditional' publishers. In the final quarter of 2011, Amazon UK announced he was their top-selling author for their Amazon Kindle chart - and that he had sold over 250,000 ebooks.[4]
His first novel, Locked In, went to number one on the Amazon Kindle chart[5] and Apple's iTunes crime books chart.[6] At one point in November 2011, he had the top three books in the crime chart.[7]
He signed a six-book deal with Pan Books in February 2012 to publish his Jessica Daniel series of novels.[8]
In March 2012, it was announced he was one of Amazon's top-10 bestselling UK-born authors worldwide for 2011.[9] In August 2012, it was reported he was one of Amazon's top-10 bestselling Kindle authors in 2012.[10] [11]
In September 2012, Pan Macmillan announced they had acquired a "fantasy trilogy for young adults",[12] the Silver Blackthorn series.
The fourth Jessica Daniel book, Think of the Children, became Amazon UK's no.1 ebook pre-order,[13] in February 2013, with the paperback peaking at number 19 on the UK chart.[14]
In August 2013, The Bookseller reported that Pan Macmillan had bought two more books[15] from Wilkinson, including a standalone crime novel, Down Among The Dead Men; and Something Wicked, a spin-off from Playing With Fire, book five of the Jessica Daniel series.
Watched: When Road Rage Follows You Home (Dec 2013) and Crossing The Line (January 2014) became Wilkinson's seventh and eighth successive novels to appear in Amazon's top 20 crime chart.
A further deal followed in 2014 for another book in the Jessica Daniel series, another Andrew Hunter book, and a standalone crime thriller entitled, No Place Like Home. In 2015, the Bookseller reported his sales were "fast approaching the one million mark".[16]
With the Jessica Daniel series continuing through Pan Books in the UK, publisher Bookouture secured the rights to publish the series in the United States,[17] as well as global rights for "two psychological thrillers".[18]
In 2017, the first of those thrillers, Two Sisters, peaked at No.1 in the Canada Kindle chart[19] and the iBooks chart.[20] It also reached No.14 in the UK Kindle chart and No.20 in the United States.[21]
The second, The Girl Who Came Back, reached No.1 in the UK Kobo chart[22] and No.2 in the UK Kindle chart.[21] It also became his second No.1 in Canada.[21]
In 2018, his coming-of-age novel, Ten Birthdays, won Young Adult romance novel of the year at the Romantic Novelists' Association Awards.[23] [24] [1]
In 2020, his novel, Close To You, won Best Ebook Original Novel at the International Thriller Writers Awards.[25]
In 2021, publisher Bookouture announced Wilkinson's novel, The Blame, was his "30th book with us: the most titles Bookouture has ever released from one author".[26] It also acquired "World All Languages rights for two more addictive psychological thrillers, plus the coming-of-age novel Truly, Madly, Amy"[27]
In 2022, Bookouture said they had "signed a four-book mystery series with bestselling author Kerry Wilkinson".[28] The Whitecliff series was then released in 2023.
That same year, Bookouture announced they had signed "a pair of linked books, about a girl who goes to a teenage sleepover: but when she wakes up, her friends have vanished."[29] The Night Of The Sleepover and After The Sleepover were due for release in October and December 2023.
Kerry attended Oakfield Middle School and Frome Community College[30] in Frome, Somerset. He has a degree in journalism from the University of Central Lancashire.[31]
Kerry sponsors the annual short story competition for young writers in his home town of Frome. This is part of the Frome Festival.[32]
Miscellaneous
Jessica Daniel crime novels
The Jessica Daniel novels are also available as audiobooks, read by Becky Hindley.
Whitecliff mystery novels
The Whitecliff mystery novels are also available as audiobooks, read by Helen Keeley.
Andrew Hunter crime novels
The Andrew Hunter novels are also available as audiobooks, read by Nigel Patterson.
Silver Blackthorn novels
Other crime novels
Other novels