Amazon.co.uk has revealed that JK Rowling’s era-defining novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, has been voted the greatest debut novel of all time in a new nationwide study commissioned by Kindle Storyteller Award.
The study polled 2,000 Britons for their favourite debut novels, with the first installment of the Harry Potter series – published in 1997 – picking up 31% of the vote.
Harper Lee’s historical coming of age drama, To Kill a Mockingbird (26%) followed closely behind, along with JRR Tolkien’s The Hobbit (26%).
Literary expert Tom Abba, associate professor at UWE Bristol, states that JK Rowling’s debut is the bestselling debut novel of all time – totalling “in excess of 107 million copies sold to date.” He also said that “other universally acknowledged classic debuts include J.D Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye which has now totalled 70 million copies globally”.
The list also includes favourites such as Stephen King’s Carrie (20%), Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (18%), Lord of the Flies by William Golding (17%), The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (16%), The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (15%), Fifty Shades of Grey (14%), Casino Royale (13%) and Twilight (11%).
The Kindle Storyteller Award is a literary prize celebrating the UK’s best self-published story, with the winning author receiving a £20,000 prize. It offers recognition for the nation’s best established and new independent writers and is accepting submissions until 31 August 2023.
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