Taking A Chance On Kindle Vella

By Deb Hunter

After I hit the USA Today best seller list in October 2020, I thought…That’s it. No more writing. One more challenge completed. Then, in April 2021, Amazon announced its newest platform, Kindle Vella. Vella is short for novella and I’m a huge proponent of short fiction – short stories, essays, abbreviated novels, so maybe that’s why I was one of the first authors Amazon contacted with the news. It sounds as if it’s worth the risk. Some of us like new.

Kindle Vella, or Vella, is reportedly scheduled to launch in July. This will be a new frontier for Amazon – episodic fiction. They are going into the game against Wattpad and Radish, and so am I. It’s been a while since I’ve been this excited about writing. This is a new venture for me, and I am having a blast writing my series. I’m enthusiastic by nature, and having a challenge is just what I like. 

Vella is still in the Beta stage, and we know very little about it. However, serialized fiction isn’t new – think of Dickens and other Victorian writers who released stories to readers who anxiously awaited each new installment.  This will bring a refreshing change to the traditional way stories are read on Amazon. Wattpad and Radish serial fiction have been breakaway successes in Asian markets, and there’s no reason to believe this innovative concept won’t catch on with the world’s largest publishing behemoth.  

What we do know is that readers will pay for content via Tokens, and they will be able to give stories a ‘like’ or ‘dislike’. The author will be allowed to leave additional info for their readers as well. For instance, my story is a fictionalized contemporary retelling of the love story of Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII. I can leave Notes at the end of each episode to let readers know the actual history behind the fiction. This is just my jam!

The first three chapters of each series will be free, and each episode can be 600 to 6,000 words. You’ll need to leave your readers wanting more so they’ll purchase additional episodes of your story via the token concept which they will buy from Amazon using their regular payment method. (There’s a rumor that tokens will be bought via blockchain currency, but Amazon has said that this is untrue.)

There are a few guidelines to follow if you want to publish. Where the site is developing, things appear to be changing frequently. As of right now, they are only allowing the following categories: Action & Adventure, Dystopian, Erotica, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Humor, LGBT Fiction, Mystery, Non-Fiction, Paranormal, Romance, Science Fiction, Teen & Young Adult and Thriller.  Keep up-to-date here: https://www.kdpcommunity.com/s/question/0D52T00005RQ79xSAD/kindle-vella-content-guidelines-update

Also, there is currently no way to set up pre-orders for stories but eventually, when the platform launches, you will be able to find your favorite author’s new stories from their Amazon Author Page. Here’s my page: https://www.amazon.com/Hunter-S-Jones/e/B009SLNLKS

As of right now, Amazon is playing it close to the chest and they aren’t sharing much at all, especially as to how to best promote to your readers. But any gambler knows to trust their instincts. Going on a hunch, I’m going all in with Kindle Vella.

To learn more about Vella: https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G6F5YEPRLMKR3PV7

About the Author:

Deb Hunter writes history and fiction using traditional and independent publishing platforms. In the business world, she has negotiated multi-million-dollar sales contracts as a consultant for international corporations. Her accomplishments include selling approximately 100,000 books and short stories; receiving numerous awards and one Pulitzer Prize nomination as well as having articles featured in magazines and newspapers.

Her 2018 history work Sexuality & Its Impact on History: The British Stripped Bare reached numerous #1 spots. It launched via Pen and Sword Books, one of the oldest history and military publishers in the U.K. That same year, she was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. Although she has lived her entire life in Georgia and Tennessee, her sense of adventure has led to extensive travel, to more than eighty countries around the globe. She has been associated with groups as prestigious as the Royal Historical Society U.K., Society of Authors U.K., American Historical Association, and several US Civil War societies and roundtables, and a member of Women Writers, Women’s Books since 2015. Deb remains creatively engaged and gains a great deal of strength from her Scottish born husband, her historical pursuits, and her social media following. 

She has previously written as Hunter Jones, however 2021 will see her launch of Fables: A Tudor Fairytale on the new Kindle Vella platform using her own name. Fables will be a modern-day retelling of the Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII love story. While filming in New Orleans, the two stars, Max King and Daisy Colston, hate each other to the extreme. Daisy asks a psychic at Bottom of the Cup for help. 

The first three stories will be free. Adding a special twist, and a feel of New Orleans, Deb will draw a tarot card each week and base the story line on it.

Some love stories never end. 

You can follow her at these sites: 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheDebATL

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheDebATL

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedebatl

Her Facebook Group – All Things Tudor: https://www.facebook.com/groups/AllThingsTudor

 

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Category: How To and Tips