Kindle? No, Vella!

Today, July 14, 2021, Kindle Vella went live. What is Vella, and why should you care? I’ll do my best to answer both those questions.

First of all, Kindle Vella is a serialized writing outlet, similar to Wattpad or Radish. It allows authors to publish serials, or “episodes,” of ongoing stories. This enables readers to follow along with stories as they’re developing, engaging with the authors and maybe even having input in how they’re crafted.

While this premise isn’t new (Charles Dickens published most of his books as weekly chapters in newspapers back in the day), Kindle’s take on it is unique. While Wattpad has free and paid tiers, Vella offers free access to the first three episodes of every story; you pay tokens to unlock further episodes if you like what you saw. Readers can also “like” and “Fave” stories, giving authors immediate feedback on their work.

The other big difference between Vella and its competitors is its affiliation with Amazon, the largest publishing outlet on the planet. Wattpad is much more established, but its readership is predominantly in Asia; it seems like Amazon is hoping to carve out its audience in North America and Europe.

Again, why should you care? One, because you can check out new writing with no risk to see if you like it. If you do enjoy it, you can let the authors know directly and give them feedback, which benefits everyone involved; I’d rather know a story is boring after a few weeks of work rather than added pouring two years into it!

More specifically, if you’re here, hopefully you care because you like my writing and want to support it. With Vella, you can! I have two stories started on there, Unburnt and The Borrowed Daughter. Please check them out and let me know what you think!