Kerry Wilkinson

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] Shortly after, it was announced he was one of Amazon's top-10 bestselling UK-born authors worldwide for 2011,^[9] and then one of Amazon's top-10 bestselling Kindle authors overall for the following year.^[10][11]

In September 2012, Pan Macmillan announced they had acquired a "fantasy trilogy for young adults",^[12] the Silver Blackthorn series, Meanwhile, when the same publisher released the fourth Jessica Daniel book, Think of the Children, it became Amazon UK's no.1 ebook pre-order in February 2013, with the paperback peaking at number 19 on the UK chart.^[13]

In August 2013, The Bookseller reported that Pan Macmillan had bought two more books^[14] from Wilkinson, including a standalone crime novel, Down Among The Dead Men; and Something Wicked, a spin-off from the Jessica Daniel series.

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".^[15]

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,^[16] as well as global rights for "two psychological thrillers".^[17]

In 2017, the first of those thrillers, Two Sisters, peaked at No.1 in Canada's Kindle chart^[18] and the iBooks chart.^[19] It also reached No.14 in the UK Kindle chart and No.20 in the United States.^[20]

The second, The Girl Who Came Back, reached No.1 in the UK Kobo chart^[21] and No.2 in the UK Kindle chart.^[20] It also became his second No.1 in Canada.^[20]

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".^[22] It also acquired "World All Languages rights for two more addictive psychological thrillers, plus the coming-of-age novel Truly, Madly, Amy"^[23]

A year later, the publisher said they had "signed a four-book mystery series with bestselling author Kerry Wilkinson".^[24] The Whitecliff series was then released in 2023. The company also signed "a pair of linked books, about a girl who goes to a teenage sleepover: but when she wakes up, her friends have vanished."^[25] The Night Of The Sleepover and After The Sleepover were released in October and December 2023.

In August 2024, Wilkinson signed a deal with Bookouture for his 50th novel to be published. The company's publishing director, Ellen Gleeson, said: "Writing 50 books is an incredible accomplishment. Kerry has an unrivalled understanding of what makes a small town tick."^[26]

Wilkinson attended Oakfield Middle School and Frome Community College^[31] in Frome, Somerset. He has a degree in journalism from the University of Central Lancashire.^[32]

Wilkinson sponsors the annual short story competition for young writers in his home town of Frome. This is part of the Frome Festival.^[33]