📝 Amazon Kindle Vella
A new way to monetize your writing (especially serialized stories)
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Kindle Vella is a new way for authors to connect with readers through sharing serialized stories one episode at a time. Kindle Vella will allow readers to find and read details about every story that is in the Kindle Vella store, they can read the first few episodes on any story to see if they would like it, and they can use features such as favoriting stories, thumbs-ups, and engaging with other stories. Some say it’s the Facebook of the Kindle, which essentially it is.
If you’re an author, this is going to be a great platform for you! Readers can find your stories in the Kindle Vella story on Amazon, read a brief description of what your story is about, and then get to reading. The interface of the platform is so user-friendly and extremely pleasing to the eyes. It kind of looks like Facebook and Book of the Month had a baby and this is it. When you click on a story, you’ll see a brief description, what type of genre it is, how many episodes there are, and so much more. You can keep track of episodes or books you’ve read and keep track of what stories you want to listen to next.
The way this works is a reader can preview your story for free, but once they decide they want to read your story, they use tokens to unlock then. The reader has to purchase tokens on Amazon and use them to unlock the stories they want. The number of tokens needed for each story is different – it depends on word count, and it takes one token per 100 words. So, if you want to read a 1,000-word episode, you need 10 tokens. Amazon does offer bundle options on tokens, so make sure to check that out!
We love the idea of this platform, and we can’t wait to see the success others and readers have with it. It is a super unique platform and we’re going to dig deeper into why.
Why is it unique?
Amazon’s Kindle Vella is super unique simply because it is the first platform like this to ever exist, it’s a combination of Facebook, Good Reads, and Book of the Month. The way this platform works is that you go to Amazon, purchase tokens, and use your tokens to unlock stories written by your favorite authors. The user interface is super easy to use and navigate and the more you use this platform, the more episodes it recommends you’ll like (like Good Reads). It’s slightly similar to Facebook in the sense that you can like stories, thumbs up them, favorite them, and you can engage with others and the authors on the platform – no other platform does all those things.
Not only can you use this platform to read new stories every week, but you can also actually follow stories you liked and be notified anytime a new episode was launched. You can choose a weekly story that you enjoyed the most and they feature those stories in the Kindle Vella store so other readers can enjoy what you are! If you like an episode, make sure to give it a thumbs up so the author knows you like it and they will keep creating more!
The way this platform works is amazing – I mean did we expect anything else from Amazon? They offer great bundle packages for buying tokens, and there are thousands of options added every day. This is a great platform for those who love to read, but also enjoy the thrill of weekly episodes to keep them on their toes.
Kindle Vella Promotional Video — Amazon
Monetization model
The way these authors make money is unique on Kindle Vella. If you’re an author looking to earn some extra money, this is a great way to do it! By using Kindle Vella to publish your stories, you’ll earn 50% of what every reader spends on the token they purchased and used to unlock your story. In addition, you’ll be able to receive a launching bonus based on how much activity and engagement your stories see when you first join the platform. Readers don’t want to waste valuable reading time to find things they love, so the first couple of stories in your series will be free, but don’t worry, they’ll get hooked on your series and use their tokens to unlock the rest of the episodes!
Earning money through Amazon’s Kindle Vella platform is easy if you have stories that grab readers attention within the first 3 episodes – once they’re hooked, they’ll have no other choice but to use their tokens they paid for to unlock the rest of your series – leaving you with a nice paycheck!
Is it worth it?
For authors – yes, it is. If you’re a newer author looking to build a following, this is a great way to get your name out there – there is little to no risk, and you’ll start meaning instantly when your first reader uses their tokens to unlock your story. The best part about this platform is that you can now reach all those readers who have Amazon prime subscriptions. It opens you up to reach so many new readers that you weren’t able to reach before. 1
For readers – also yes! If you’re an avid reader and you’re always on the hunt for new stories, this is a great way to discover new stories daily! The cost of tokens isn’t too crazy and if you purchase them in a bundle deal, you’re already ahead of the game! Physical books can be expensive, so this is a great way to read new authors, discover new stories, all while saving some money! This platform is game-changing for book worms, and it’s a great platform for avid writers!
Note: A previous version of this article mentioned breaking down existing books or stories as a potential strategy. As several eagle eyed Blogging Guide reader quickly pointed out, this appears to be explicitly banned by Amazon. I’ve since removed this sentence.
From Amazon’s site: “You cannot break down your previously published book or long-form content into Episodes and republish in Kindle Vella, even if that book or long-form content is no longer available or is written in another language. If your Episode or Story is derived from another work you have authored (e.g., it continues the story from a book), you may include up to 5,000 words of content from the other work in the first Episode to bridge the story, provided you control the rights to do so.”
Actually, you cannot publish pre-exisiting books on Kindle Vella. The content must be new and never published before in any language. You can merge the episodes into a book later, but only after unpublishing it from Vella.