Kindle Vella, Kindle Vella, Cinderella?

Are my posts about Kindle Vella driving you nuts? Let me explain…

Why Serial? 

In honor of crown day on Kindle Vella, I thought I’d give a little more information on what it is and why books are making the shift toward serialization. 

First, we live in the age of TikTok now and our attention spans are a fraction of what they used to be. Notice how I broke those first few sentences up into smaller chunks? Yeah. Our brains lose focus when we encounter long strings of text. 

That’s why those fun BuzzFeed articles about Kim Kardashian’s butt, her shoes, her salad… they’re all broken into short, easy-to-digest chunks. 

But books? 

Well, serialization isn’t new exactly. Many of the classics started out as serials. A Tale of Two Cities, War and Peace, The Secret Garden, and even Dune are great examples of serials. But why do you care? 

Because you’re busy, of course. We all are. We’re all trying to cram self-care and hobbies into hour-long blocks (or less). And while reading a book may seem daunting, binging a TV show for 10 hours does not. 

So, books are becoming binge worthy with short, palatable episodes you can read at once, or come back to later. 

How Does it Work? 

Amazon has created a platform for serialization. It’s still in beta and only available in the United States right now, but it’s been growing steadily. 

Authors earn royalties and bonuses for reads, likes, follows, and favorites. And while it’s not as well known as Kindle Unlimited or Audible, the platform has about 12,000 stories and counting. 

As a Reader, How Can You Help? 

Like 

Read your favorites! But also, if you enjoy the episode, hit the “thumbs up” button at the bottom of the episode. This helps the story climb the ranks and gain visibility. 

Favorite

The first 3 episodes of every story are free. After that, readers have to purchase tokens with the smallest package being $1.99 for 200 (which will get you quite a ways and even to the end of some stories). 

Once you purchase tokens and go to read a locked episode on Sunday, you can pick a favorite story. If a story earns enough crowns, they land on the “top faved” list. Guess what? That boosts the author’s bonus for that month, along with boosting visibility. 

Review 

And as always, like any other book, reviews are HUGE! Good reviews attract attention and increase readership. 

Stories to Get You Started 

Obviously, I’m going to recommend my own because I’m biased. I’ve recently taken the plunge into horror and suspense. 

Stix 

The Hills Know 

Pointed Conspiracy

For romance, I have to recommend So It Goes because the witty banter will have you cracking up in the first paragraph. 

So It Goes

Fancy something a little more dystopian? Winter’s Myth is full of action, brief episodes, and a storyline that keeps you going. 

Winter’s Myth 

If you’ve made it this far, THANK YOU! I’ll try not to blow up your inboxes, but since this platform is largely author-driven, I’ll likely send out another post with more recommendations in the coming weeks.

And if click on a story and enjoy it, please, please, please like it, or share it, or just tell someone you know!