As a self-published author, I am always looking for new ways to expand my readership. After being exclusively with KDP for many years, I felt like I reached a plateau. When thinking about releasing my first full-length novel series, I wondered, how can I launch bigger?
Then I heard about Kindle Vella, a serialized fiction platform. It’s always tempting to jump on the next big thing in the publishing industry, but it’s also a huge risk. Is it worth your time to publish on Kindle Vella?
I say yes, but not for the reasons I originally tried it.
What is Kindle Vella?
Kindle Vella allows you to issue your story out in 600-5,000 word “episodes.” Some authors write as they go. I uploaded a novel I’d already written one chapter at a time. Think of a literary version of Netflix. Its competitors are Radish and Wattpad.
Authors can release episodes right away (though there is a small wait for review and approval) or they can space releases daily, weekly, monthly—pretty much however they want.
Readers get to read the first three episodes for free. Then they must buy tokens on Amazon to “unlock” each new episode. Vella stories are read in your Kindle Reader, using the Kindle App for iOS and Android, or on Amazon’s website.
How to Publish to Kindle Vella
The Kindle Vella Publishing interface is super lean, and the process is streamlined. Simply add a title, write or paste your episode into the text box, and hit save, publish, or schedule.
Benefits of Kindle Vella for Authors
What’s unique about Kindle Vella is that authors can leave a note at the end of each episode for the reader. This is my favorite feature for authors. It’s a place to talk about where story ideas come from, share interesting research notes, expand on character’s perspective, and reveal relevant personal anecdotes.
Kindle Vella has also added a poll feature, where authors can post a question to their readers.
Readers may show their appreciation by giving episodes a thumbs up. At the end of the week, the are prompted to “crown” their favorite story, adding an extra element and social-media type of upvoting system.
Vella says authors earn 50% of the money readers spend on the tokens used to unlock their story episode, which is about midway between the 30% or 70% you earn with KDP. It’s possible that if readers spend more using the token system than they do for the flat rate book, it works out that you earn more.
In addition to royalties, a monthly bonus is delivered to authors based on episodes read and customer interaction.
Drawbacks of Kindle Vella for Authors
Your existing readership might not know how to or want to use Kindle Vella. I was hoping my existing readers would try Vella and give my story some initial activity so that new readers would find me, but only a few were willing to try or knew how to access Vella.
The platform is still new and the user base seems underdeveloped. The algorithms are a mystery! SEO is severely lacking, especially in categories. You can see the options in the screen shot below. For example, if you write literary fiction or horror, where do you fit in?
Also, Vella is still only open to US authors and readers. There is a loophole—I can write and publish from my home in Panama because I have a US KDP account.
On the flipside, though Vella Readers can read free episodes outside the US, they cannot purchase tokens to finish stories unless they are inside the US. So, though I have a US Amazon account, when I am in Panama, I am blocked from buying tokens and must remember to stock up whenever I am on American soil.
Note:
True: Vella authors cannot offer or have offered the same content for free on any other platform (e.g. blog) or republish previously published books.
False: Rumor had it that authors could not publish both to Vella and as an eBook or other format. This is not necessarily true. Vella authors can upload their story to KDP for eBook, paperback, and hardcover formats as long as they wait 30 days after they’ve published their last episode on Vella.
My Experience with Kindle Vella as an Author
My strategy for Kindle Vella was to use it to generate some pre-release buzz and introduce Oblivion Black to a new market.
After hitting publish and viewing the stats in the dashboard, I quickly realized that my story was not getting found. There were only a handful of readers, according to the stats, and those were existing fans from my email list who told me they were reading my story on Vella.
Keep in mind, I have not been promoting on social media. As I said, I assumed the platform itself would organically expose me to new readers. So far, it has been hugely disappointing.
Visibility is nil. The chance of moving up in the ranks organically seems low, judging by the fact that in the past 6 months, the top Kindle Vella stories on the front page have not changed.
Why I Will Keep Publishing on Vella
I love uploading to Kindle Vellaand getting the instant gratification of seeing a piece of writing go live each day. Reviewing my story in Vella’s Kindle format has helped me in my proofreading and editing process.
Adding the authors notes was time-consuming, but truly a joy. Even if few people read them, I will be able to use them as bonus content for my mailing list or future blog posts.
Virtually no one new has discovered my book on Vella yet. Still, I will continue my Kindle Vella pre-release strategy because the monthly bonuses alone are worth it. I’m using them to fund my cover design for each book.
Why Readers Will Love Kindle Vella
Readers get to try the first few chapters for free, allowing them to tell right away if the book is a good fit. As a reader, it’s nice to have bite-sized pieces to read during in-between moments. And readers will enjoy the feeling of connection with the author and knowing the story behind the story. There is an element of anticipation and suspense as you wait for the next episode, though this can also be equally annoying. If you’re a bit masochistic or appreciate the payoffs of delayed gratification, Vella is for you. If not, (again like Netflix) there are plenty of completed stories (mine included) that you can binge through as quickly as you like.
How to Read Kindle Vella Stories
You can access Kindle Vella stories in your Kindle reader of by using the Kindle app. Download the Kindle app for iOS or Android and sign into your Amazon account. The Vella stories you follow will appear on your home tab, as well as in your library. You will get notifications from the stories you follow each time a new episode is released.
Although there are many ways to name your characters, it’s more difficult than it seems. As writers, we must pick memorable names that define the personality of our characters. Each character’s name must be distinctive so our readers will not confuse them, yet we don’t want complicated names that will trip them up as they’re reading. If we have a huge cast of characters, we may run out of new and original ideas.
Writers who plan will create character profiles as they outline, choosing their names before ever writing. Those who write by the seat of their pants (like me) invent names as we go, or use placeholder names until the writing is done.
I’ve had to go back into my manuscript more than once to rename characters after realizing they had boring or similar sounding names. I’ve also had to research authentic names for characters who come from different countries.
I asked our members at the Writers’ Mastermind their favorite ways to name characters. Here are some fun ideas you can try out the next time you’re stuck for a character name.
9 Fun Ways to Name Your Characters
1. Movie credits–Most of us stop the movie when the credits roll. Next time, read through the names. Jot down any that jump out at you.
2. Players of sports teams–Are you a sports fan? Football, basketball, baseball, hockey, soccer, golf, horse racing? You can find an endless supply of names at sporting events. Mix and match first names and surnames for your next hero or villain.
3. Name tags of personnel–Next time you’re at a shop, restaurant, or grocery store, look at the employee’s name tag and save that name for a future character.
4. Family tree–Mine your family tree for cool names, and honor your ancestors in your story.
5. Graveyard–Walk around a graveyard with a notebook and resurrect the names of the deceased.
6. Scrivener name generator–If you use the Scrivener app, you can use the built-in name generator. Click “Edit” and scroll down to “Writing tools.” From there, you can choose gender, language, and other options.
7. Online name generators–If you don’t have Scrivener, no worries. There are many free name generators online, like the fun-to-use one on Reedsy.
8. Baby name books–Bringing a new character in the world is like having a baby on the way. That’s why baby name books are the perfect source for names. They also list the meaning of the name, which adds an extra layer of personality.
I got the name for Ona, the protagonist of my WIP, from a New Age baby name book, which included names from different cultures and traditions all over the world.
9. Google–When characters need foreign names or common names for different time periods, Google is the best option. Search up “most popular names” in the geographical area or time period your character is from, and you will find loads of interesting names.
How can you tell if you’ve chosen the right name for your character?
It helps to read your story out loud to see if your characters’ names ring true. Beta readers will also tell you if they get confused.
Avoid using multiple names that start with the same letter or have a similar structure, especially important characters who appear in the same scenes. Mix up sounds, syllables, and styles. Good names will sound and feel right, and create a picture in the reader’s mind.
What are your favorite ways to name your characters?
NOTE: The Artist’s Way is a 12 Step Process to recover your creativity by Julia Cameron that we are doing in the Writers’ Mastermind. You can read all about it here. Today, you get a sneak peek into what we’re working on inside the group. If you’d like to join us, sign up here! —Christa
This month, we cover ABUNDANCE!
And we are going to talk about MONEY.
The Problem with Writers and Money
One of the most damaging clichés about creativity is the idea of the poor, starving artist.
Add to that the fact we live in this age of free content…
And write in a highly competitive market…
Writers get used to the idea that it’s okay not to be paid for our writing.
But even if it feels good to sacrifice yourself on that altar (another virtue trap!)
you don’t have to martyr yourself for your art!
Money blocks that keep fiction writers from financial success
Combine our romantic “poor starving artist” notion with traditional qualms about money, and you’re destined to become the cliché.
Common money issues:
It is the root of all evil
It turns people into greedy, self-centered megalomaniacs
It leads to addiction and vice
It is not for you (because of gender, race, class, age, etc.)
God/spirituality/morality hates money
That if you want money, you’re a bad person
That you do not deserve it
Getting rich off of writing will make you a sell-out
Money and fame will taint the purity of your art
That you’ll end up like Tony Montana in Scarface
You may not even realize you’re carrying around some of these ideas. But if you unconsciously believe successful, wealthy people are bad, it will only ensure you never become one.
Julia Cameron debunks the God/spirituality/morality issue below.
How can writers break money blocks?
The first step to breaking money blocks is to become aware of them. Do this exercise from The Artist’s Way to find out what beliefs are holding you back when it comes to going big on your dreams as a fiction author.
MONEY MADNESS, AN EXERCISE
Complete the following phrases.
I. People with money are
2. Money makes people
3. I’d have more money if
4. My dad thought money was
s. My mom always thought money would
6. In my family, money caused
7. Money equals
8. If I had money, I’d
9. If I could afford it, I’d
10. If I had some money, I’d
11. I’m afraid that if I had money I would
12. Money is
13. Money causes
I4. Having money is not
Is. In order to have more money, I’d need to
16. When I have money, I usually
17. I think money
18. If I weren’t so cheap I’d
19. People think money
20. Being broke tells me
It’s not all about money
Your ideas about what you deserve affect everything you do as an author.
If you don’t think your writing is worthy, you will fail.
Why?
You won’t put your best into your book because, what’s the point? It’s not going to sell anyway.
You won’t query dream agents and publishers because it will be “a waste of time.”
You won’t promote a book you wrote in fear and uncertainty, because you feel it’s inferior and it’s not good enough to be successful.
You will not be willing to invest in proper editing, formatting, cover design, marketing, advertising.
You won’t invest in yourself and your continuing education as a writer. you “can’t afford it,” right?
You will give up, thinking it was all a foolish dream (like all the naysayers and your inner bully told you). You proved to yourself it isn’t going to work. All because deep inside you believe you’re not deserving.
In reality, you only failed because of your half-hearted attempt.
Don’t deprive the world of your words. Don’t sit on your stories. Give them the best chance you can. They deserve it.
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I’ve worked with many first-time self-published authors andall the writers I’ve met, I mean ALL, have stars in their eyes when they get ready to publish their first book.
Everyone has that feeling when they’ve created something special. Creativity is a divine force and we feel it’s destiny. The world has been waiting this book!
We imagine uploading our copy to Amazon and waking up in the morning with 10,000 downloads.
The truth is that, unless we have a large author platform and at least some basic PR skills, no one will even know we have a book out.
If we don’t know how to SEO our book for Amazon’s search engines, the likelihood of anyone stumbling across it are slim.
Do we have an eye-catching book cover?
Did we hire a professional editor?
Or did we just slap up our final draft and expect people to ignore any flaws because it’s The Book of Destiny?
I think every writer must to go through this.
It’s part of the process, and we have to try because, let’s face it, some writers do become overnight successes.
You can’t win the lottery if you don’t buy the ticket.
Still, I try to prepare my new author clients for the difficult road ahead. Even if your book is good, even if it’s extraordinary, you have to compete with the hundreds of thousands of other authors who have the exact same dream.
This is hard to explain to the first-time author. In my experience, they completely filter out my warnings and march ahead with a huge smile, ready for the confetti to fall and the champagne to pop.
At this point, I just wait and let them go through it. Once they realize it’s not likely they’ll become famous overnight, then they’re all ears and we can get to work.
So go ahead, choose your dream cast for the movie, visualize what you’re going to wear on Good Morning America, and practice your autograph.
Enjoy it.
Never stop dreaming about it.
Don’t give up!
Just keep in mind that it may not happen with your first book. Years later, you’ll probably be thankful it wasn’t your first book (I know that I don’t want the stuff I wrote years ago to ever surface).
Just trust that each challenge is a stepping-stone on your journey to becoming the writer you were meant to be.
Anyone can publish a book, but few authors are successful. Millions of titles come out each year. What can self-published authors do to compete in such a huge market?
Howard VanEs from letswritebooks.net talks about how to prepare and position our fiction books for self-publishing success on Amazon and other distributors (and even become a bestseller)!
Watch this presentation, plus get na free 30-minute private call with our guest speaker about how to market your book. Just start your free trial with the Writers’ Mastermind. JOIN HERE
To continue our series of interviews with our short story contest winners, we talk to Sam Szanto, author of second place winner, If No One Speaks. Sam is an accomplished writer and poet, whose had nearly 40 stories and poems published and listed in competitions.
11 Questions with Sam Szanto
1. Tell us a little bit about yourself. Where are you from? Where are you now? What has your life been like?
I’m originally from Eastbourne (known as God’s Waiting Room), a seaside town in South-East England. I’ve lived all over England but mainly (20 years) in London. Last April, my family and I migrated to the other end of the country and now live in Durham, a city where everyone knows everyone (except us). I have a husband, two young children and an old tabby cat. Life has involved a number of jobs from (wo)manning an ice-cream kiosk to working at a girls’ private school to marketing for a national blind charity, and now writing as much as possible while freelancing as a copy-editor and English tutor. Much of my copy-editing is academic research for clients in Taiwan, although I also do novels, PhDs and whatever else anyone asks for.
2. What kind of stories do you like to write?
I write stories and poems; some are political, some about love relationships and some combine the two. They tend to be realistic, although I do like to add in the odd ghost! I also write a lot about displacement and alienation, with a particular interest in refugees (I am from a refugee family who came from Hungary in the Second World War). I like to place my writing in a wide variety of settings: Mexico, Madrid, Thailand, Cambodia, Venezuela, Russia, Bangladesh, etc. If you can’t travel far in real life, you can in your mind!
3. What sets you apart from other writers in your space?
I guess I haven’t read any other stories that sound as though I could have written them. But presumably every writer feels like that. I’m lucky now that I have the time to write, as I didn’t when I was younger – I have been reprimanded by a former boss for writing when I should have been working!
4. What drives your writing? What do you mean to accomplish with your stories?
I was once told by a novelist that ‘Writers need to write.’ This is absolutely true for me; and the older I get, the truer this is. I need to write, and I want to write. My aim is to publish a short story collection, which I have recently finished and am querying.
5. Who are your favorite writers and books? What are your other creative influences?
So many. I’m reading Val McDermid’s ‘1979’ at the moment, and Carolyn Forche’s ‘The Country Between Us’. I also always have an audio book on the go. My favourite short story writers and influences are Tessa Hadley (I was lucky enough to have been taught by Tessa on my MA in Creative Writing) and Elizabeth Bowen. My favourite novelist is Kate Atkinson and favourite poet Simon Armitage (neither seem very original answers!) but I could go on listing all day…
6. Tell us about your writing space. When and where do you write? Do you work in silence? Or music?
I write as much as possible, when I’m not doing paid work, housework or school pick-ups (I do also sleep). I can’t write with music anymore, although I did all my A-level English coursework with happy hardcore bulldozing into my ears. I write in silence in a study, interrupted by my kids asking what’s for tea and my husband asking what’s for lunch. The study is a luxury and blessing, as I spent each of the lockdowns in London writing at a table while the kids bounced up and down in front of the TV at the other end of the room.
7. What is your favorite thing to do when you are not writing?
I exercise a lot, mainly at the gym at the moment although we’ve also just bought a rowing machine. I’ve also got into gardening so I know I’m middle-aged. I also like the theatre. And of course, reading! When I was younger, I was often to be found unwashed at a music festival.
8. Who is your current artistic muse?
I’m not sure I have one, but I am smitten with the poetry of Warsan Shire, who wrote the poem I wish to have written (‘Home’).
9. Why do you think it’s important to write fiction?
Fiction has so many important roles. I can’t remember a day of my life when I haven’t read a book. Escaping into different worlds has got me through all the problems and hardships in my life to date. I’ve also learned so much about different worlds and times. Writing also has a very important role in mental health: it certainly helps me with that.
10. Who would be the best writer, alive or dead, to tell the story of your life?
Tessa Hadley. If only!
11. What are you working on right now?
A story about a school reunion, featuring a ghost, entitled ‘Everybody loved Romy’.
*****
About Sam
Sam Szanto lives in Durham, UK with her husband and two children. She has had almost 40 stories and poems published and listed in competitions.
In March 2022, her short story ‘If No One Speaks’ won second prize in the Writers’ Mastermind Short StoryContest; ‘Mikey’ was longlisted for the Bedford International Writing Competition (previously also highly commended in the Write by the Sea KQ Competition) and ‘The Thought of Death Sits Easy on the Man’ was published in WayWords, Issue 5 and ‘The Yellow Circle’ was published in Personal Bests Journal 3 (also published earlier by Storgy). In 2021, her story collection ‘Courage’ was a semi-finalist in the St Lawrence Book Awards; ‘Quiet Love’ placed third in the Erewash Writers Open Short Story Competition; ‘The New House’ was longlisted for the Crowvus Ghost Story Competition; ‘Rubbish’ was highly commended in the Glittery Literary Summer Competition and published in Anthology Volume 2; and ‘Don’t Refuse Me’ was listed in the Parracombe Prize Story Competition and published in the Parracombe Prize 2021 Anthology.
In 2020, Sam’s short story ‘Inaccrochable’ was published in Storgy; ‘125’ was a finalist in the 2020 Literary Taxidermy Competition and published in the Regulus Press anthology 124 Beloved – another of her stories in the 2021 competition also received an Honourable Mention; ‘Ferhana’ was published by Momaya Press in their Short Story Review 2020 and ‘Phil in Real Life’ was published in Secret Attic Booklet #6. ‘Making Memories’ was highly commended in the Michael Terence Publishing Winter Short Story Competition 2019 and published in the anthology The Forgotten. Also in 2020, Sam had stories shortlisted in the Writers Forum Competition, the 2020 Exeter Literary Festival Short Story Competition, the Doris Gooderson Short Story Competition and the 2020 Pennine Ink Writing Competition; and longlisted for the Flash 500 2020 Quarter One and the Cranked Anvil Short Story Competition.
In 2019, she won second prize in the Doris Gooderson Short Story Competition with her story ‘Letting Go’, which was published in the 2019 Chairman’s Challenges Anthology. Also in 2019, one of her stories was shortlisted in the Henshaw Press December Short Story Competition. Her flash fiction, ‘The Things that he Gave Me’ was published in Gold Dust.
Sam is also a poet and in 2022, three of her poems will be published in Europe Poetry Magazine and Horned Things Journal. In 2021, she was published in Alternate Route Zine. She won both the 2020 Charroux Prize for Poetry and the First Writers 12th International Poetry Competition. In 2019, she won second prize in the Hammond House International Literary Prize and was published in the anthology Leaving. Her poetry was shortlisted for the Grist Prize in 2019.
Sam is currently studying for the UK Poetry School / Newcastle University MA in Writing Poetry and also has an MA in Creative Writing from Bath Spa University.
Anyone can publish a book, but few authors are successful. According to this article on selfpublishingadvice.org, Worldometers says that 2.2 million titles were published globally in 2021. What can self-published authors do to compete in such a huge market?
Writing a fiction novel is an amazing achievement. Your future fans are waiting for your story, but your book needs to be strategically positioned and marketed to sell. However, many authors rush into self-publishing without proper research and planning.
Howard VanEs from letswritebooks.net talks about how to prepare and position our fiction books for self-publishing success on Amazon and other distributors (and even become a bestseller)!
Howard VanEs
Howard VanEs is President of Let’s Write Books, Inc., a company specializing in working with independent authors providing publishing and book marketing services. Howard has over thirty-five years of writing experience in every format imaginable, including writing thirty-three books of his own. Many of his books have been number one in their respective categories on Amazon.
Howard has also ghostwritten numerous books of others in a wide variety of genres ranging from non-fiction to books for kids to novels.
His experience includes the marketing and creation of information products: reports, eBooks, workbooks, DVD’s, audio programs, etc. Howard is also the former owner and creative director of an award-winning ad agency.
Here are some topics we’ll cover:
Is there a market for my book?
Getting titles and subtitles right
Descriptions (what’s the formula for a good description?)
Cover design
Interior design
Editing
Distribution and formats
Marketing
Bring your own questions for Howard
WHEN AND WHERE
Monday, May 23, 2022
11:30 AM EST – 04:30 LONDON
This will be a live Zoom Meeting. Recording will be available for replay.
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HOW TO ATTEND
Start your FREE 30-Day Trial with the Writers Mastermind to join the event. You will receive a link before the meeting.
