Kindle Vella: Return of the Serial

Yesterday, we had an introductory article about Kindle Vella. Today, Melissa Bowersock delves a little more deeply into Amazon’s newest offering.

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Amazon, never content to rest on its laurels, has announced a new avenue for storytelling: Kindle Vella. Many writers have already discovered the lure of publishing a serial, a short episode or a chapter at a time. Hugh Howey’s Wool, if you remember, started as a short story, then he expanded on the series little by little. It was already wildly popular before he accepted a six-figure deal with Simon & Schuster.

We’ve all seen how some series, either books or movies or both, can garner a large following. If we’ve got a captivating story line with complex characters interacting in interesting and surprising ways, our readers want to know what happens next. Continue reading “Kindle Vella: Return of the Serial”

Coming Soon from Amazon: Kindle Vella

Kindle Vella logoYou may be hearing some buzz about a new publishing platform that KDP is rolling out soon. It’s called Kindle Vella and it’s set to launch in mid to late July.

This is a slightly different beast than an eBook. For one thing, Kindle Vella stories are not going to show up on anyone’s Kindle device. Vella is aimed at folks who read on their smartphones and other small electronic devices. You may think that’s nobody, but I can tell you that neither of my kids has ever had an actual Kindle, but they’ve been reading fanfiction on their tablets and phones for years. Even I tend to read news stories on my phone anymore. So this is a way to capture the kind of audience that always has a phone in their hands.

I should mention a couple of things before we get any further. Continue reading “Coming Soon from Amazon: Kindle Vella”

Why I Love iBooks

author terry schottGuest Post
by Terry Schott

You might not realize this, but you love iBooks.

In early 2010, Amazon was the only place to sell eBooks, and they paid authors a 35% commission. Then iBooks announced they would be inviting authors to sell in their store. Amazon responded by increasing their payout to 70%.

So, if you sell a book online and make 70% commission from it, then say it with me: I love iBooks. Continue reading “Why I Love iBooks”

Indie News Beat: All the News You Can Eat

News, views, and stuff you can use from the world of publishingGather ’round, children. It’s time once again for the Indie News Beat – the only news that matters.

Here at Indies Unlimited, we hand select only the finest sun-kissed news links. We place those links in a vat and the lovely ladies of Indies Unlimited crush them with their bare feet. Do you know what comes out of that vat? Truth juice!

Sadly, Chris James didn’t show up for work again. I guess he’s still on tour with Genesis. When he said he’d written a book with stories inspired by the lyrics of songs by the greatest rock band in history, I naturally assumed he was talking about KISS. Oh well. Continue reading “Indie News Beat: All the News You Can Eat”