In April 2021, Amazon has announced that they are about to release their new platform called Kindle Vella.
Kindle Vella is a mobile-first interactive platform designed for readers that are more interested in stories that can be read quickly on their phones.
What Kindle Vella is?
Kindle Vella is a platform through which authors will be able to publish serialized and/or episodic work. The stories, released in short episodes will be available on the Kindle Vella app for iOS or Android, or on the Kindle Vella website on desktop. That said, Kindle Vella is available to US-based authors who publish in English only. Those short pieces of work come out episodically and can range somewhere between 600 to 5000 words. And while the first three episodes are free to access, the readers will need to purchase tokens to unlock the future ones. The tokens that readers will need to unlock an episode will depend on its length and based on the number of tokens spent by the readers, authors would be entitled to their remuneration.
How does it work for authors and what kind of content should be published?
What is important for the authors to know is that they cannot upload content that is available anywhere else. Kindle Vella has extremely strict rules when it comes to the content published on its platform which means that authors are not allowed to publish stories that have already been published in the form of a book for example. However, if an author decides to publish his episodic fiction as a novel, but he has previously uploaded them on Kindle Vella, he has to take the content down from the platform before he proceeds.
Interaction and engagement with Kindle Vella readers
Communication between the author and the reader creates engagement and a stronger connection between the two. Kindle Vella also has a more interactive way of publishing. Readers can give a story a "thumb up" to encourage the author that he is on the right track. Once a week, the readers can "fave" a story they like, and those stories get recommended to more readers on the platform. Another good thing is that the readers can follow the story they enjoy and get notified when a new episode is released. That said, authors will have the chance to address the readers directly and leave notes at the end of each episode. Authors can use the additional notes to share personal thoughts and insights. Not only, but authors can use the notes at the end of each episode to give a bit more information about the background of a character or to explain their inspiration about a specific location and even to let the readers know when they can expect the next episode. Another great thing about Kindle Vella is the 'tag", which will make it easier for the reader to find more stories in the Kindle Vella store. Authors also can use up to 7 "tags" per episode to provide more information about the story and the genre as well.
Advantages of Kindle Vella
It is entirely free to enroll if you have a KDP account and there is no upfront cost to publish your story. Kindle Vella allows authors to retain their publishing rights and the freedom to reproduce, modify or distribute copies of their work. Not to mention the easy publishing process, because you can upload your story in a word document with basic formatting only. As an author, Kindle Vella provides you with the chance to experiment with new genres and expand your series, bringing new ideas into the story. Having mentioned that, being unique and implementing new ideas will bring new readers to your fan base.
Earning royalties can't be easier
As an author, you earn 50% of the tokens purchased by the readers to unlock a story. In July Amazon has slightly changed the way the authors get paid -in short, the authors now get paid based on the pages read.
In conclusion
Kindle Vella is a relatively new platform for publishing stories. After all, fewer authors on the Kindle Vella platform mean more visibility for you as a writer. Also, you don't have to have the whole book written before you start publishing. Writing each chapter will keep you on track with your writing motivation and inspiration, knowing that you have to publish a new episode. And what is even better is that you can determine your schedule for publishing your new episodes.