Keeping Up With Kindle Vella, Crowns, and Kevin’s Cancer

In my first Kindle Vella post, I blogged about how I learned about the platform, my process to publishing on Vella, and my PTSD amidst it all. For this post, I’ll begin with a Q&A introduction on Kindle Vella with its multiple reading benefits followed by ten ways YOU can help support Vella Authors.

At the end, I’ll have a brief background and update about my husband’s cancer.

Are there growing pains to Kindle Vella? Absolutely! As with any great venture just as there were with Kindle Unlimited. For us “Marathon Authors” as I’ve dubbed, this is a process that requires chronic consistency, marketing to the masses, endeavoring to educate, and aspiring to achieve! As you can tell, I am an author who appreciates alliteration. And the frequent pun.

Q&A/PROS to VELLA

WHAT IS KINDLE VELLA? Much has been written about Amazon’s new online platform for serialized fiction, but since it just launched mid-July, we are in the budding process. With more nurturing and watering of the soil, we hope to see true growth! While many platforms have been established for serialized fiction such as Wattpad, Radish, Tapas, etc, Kindle Vella is Amazon’s new and greatest form of serialized fiction. We hope it will spread like wildfire!

HOW DOES IT WORK? Imagine serialized fiction like reading the details about your favorite TV show episode. For those who are consistent authors, such as myself, you get to look forward to binge-reading another episode the following week. (Or sooner depending on how the author schedules). There are a wide variety of categories: fantasy, romance, paranormal, dystopian, enemies to lovers, etc. And just like with downloading or streaming your favorite TV show episode, the price for serialized fiction is very low and in fact lower!

(Ex: Episodes to Unlock. Of course, I’ve already unlocked all of mine!)

HOW LOW? First, EVERY Vella book offers readers the firstTHREE episodes absolutely FREE! And you get 200 FREE tokens available from Kindle Vella simply by enjoying the platform. This can equate to ten episodes or more depending on word count!

WHAT COST? While TV show episodes are, on average, $1.99-2.99, Kindle Vella offers readers a “Token” System where 200 Tokens may be purchased for ONLY $1.99. 200 Tokens affords you far more than ONE episode, depending on the length which may be anywhere from 1,000-5,000 words. So, in fact: episodes may be purchased for mere pennies! When you click on the “Tokens” icon in the top right corner of the Kindle Vella page, this pop-up will appear. I always advise first-time readers to choose the $1.99 option. Less than a cup of coffee! 

WHAT ARE THE PROS TO SERIALIZED FICTION?
A. CAREERS/MOMS: Though it seems intimidating, there are some wonderful benefits to jumping on board with serialized fiction. For someone like me, who has ADHD, I personally LOVE serialized fiction. I am also a crazy busy career woman and a mom! It is so difficult for me to carve out time to read. Kindle Vella takes the pressure off big time. I can’t tell you how guilty I feel regarding all the TBR eBooks I’ve downloaded into my Kindle app. But I love how I can just sit back and breathe and only have to engage in 1-2 episodes per week for Kindle Vella. AND support new authors in the process! I’ve also found it much easier to FOLLOW these new authors.
B. YOUTH: For parents and educators, also view this as an opportunity to engage youth in reading more. When attention spans are shorter and kids thrive via TikTok and other ATM-like experiences, Kindle Vella is a beneficial form of reading in addition to old-school books.
INDIE/NEW: In this day and age where the market is oversaturated amidst Kindle Unlimited and traditional market can be biased and fickle, Kindle Vella grants readers the opportunity to discover some true diamonds in the rough. Or even…rubies in the rough. For my part, I discovered one ruby in the form of E.H. Blackwell and her “Top Two-Top Five” Granite Windstarr. Making new author besties who are relatively unknowns like myself has been a real treat!
C. INTERACTION: I love how much I get to interact with new readers through Kindle Vella. Especially in this age of covid where I am high-risk and my husband is undergoing chemotherapy for cancer, there is absolutely no chance for me to engage in any in-person events at this time. I also love how promotion works with Kindle Vella where I get to show teasers every week instead of having to commit to a major release party or blog blitz. With Kindle Vella, the fun never ends, and the SKY is the LIMIT! So, come and fly with me as I give you…
D. SUPPORT: Unlike with many other serialized fiction where authors put all their hard work out there for completely free, Kindle Vella offers authors a chance to spotlight their work and reap 50% of the proceeds as well as a monthly bonus! For professional authors like me, this is such a valuable source of income and a way to build my platform and readership in an age where the market is so oversaturated. It’s one reason why I was so eager to jump onto Kindle Vella when I have written dozens of books which still sit on my laptop shelf waiting to breathe, so to speak! This is a huge opportunity for professional indie authors who desire a long-term career.

So, how can you support us?

TOP TEN WAYS TO HELP KINDLE VELLA AUTHORS!

  1. TOP FAVES/CROWNS: In order to Kindle Vella authors to climb the ranks, we need CROWNS! I will admit I have no pride and will unashamedly BEG and PLEAD for Crowns. It costs only $1.99 to purchase tokens, unlock an episode, and receive your “TOP FAVE” to “CROWN” your favorite author. Thanks to my budding readership and extremely supportive friends, I reached a ranking of “Top Four” for Kindle Vella at the beginning of August and have held onto “Top Eight” throughout the month. Yes, I am ALWAYS reaching out for more crowns. But I treat my readers with a Rafflecopter, signed art postcards, quizzes, games, regular posting on social media, lots of love and affirmation, and more! Give some love to the Top Faves who do NOT have the gigantic bubbles!

  1. THUMBS UPS: It may seem like a little thing, but you have no idea how much impact a simple thumbs-up means to us Kindle Vella Authors. All you need do is unlock an episode, whether you use your free or purchased tokens, scroll to the end, and thumbs up! EUREKA! Forgive me for saying eureka, thank you.

(Ex: Bottom of my first episode of Bride of the Corpse King. Thumbs-ups are available at the end of each episode following the optional Author’s Notes. I like to interact with readers, so my author’s notes are longer.)

  1. WRITE A REVIEW: Yes, this is a sweet feature Kindle Vella offers on books. All it takes is something as simple as “I loved this book. The storytelling was superb!” Mark 5*****, press submit, and VOILA!

(Ex: Reviews of Bride of the Corpse King. Available to view on the main book page. 1-star is literally from a troll reviewer who didn’t want to pay anything for my book. Sorry, Larc. I won’t give everything away for free. This is a business. This is my career.)

  1. FOLLOW THE STORY: One click and you get to follow an author’s story. And you don’t even get annoying pings! It’s just a fast and easy way to support us.

(Ex:: How to follow my book on main book page)

  1. SHARE KINDLE VELLA POSTS: Due to Kindle Vella being in its infancy, we are bearing so much of the back-breaking work to educate and inform people about the platform. Anyone who can engage in spreading the word does us a great service in supporting authors. Whether it’s major posts about it or simple blog posts by Kindle Vella authors like me!
  2. FOLLOW SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS: This is self-explanatory, right? And yes, I have a wonderful group on Facebook because I’m a dinosaur and I love interacting on there. Come join me at “Emily’s Vella Verse”. But I am also Tiktok in training, so go easy on me!!

  1. LEARN MORE ABOUT KINDLE VELLA: You’re already off to a great start!
  1. CONNECT WITH AUTHORS: Seriously, we are not all these depressed Hemingway types ready to have an emotional breakdown at any moment. Okay, maybe a little. All authors are extra in some way. But want to know what keeps us off that breakdown ledge? Hint: connection is the key! Subscribe to our newsletters, stalk us on social media. We truly love it!
  1. VENT WITH US: We need healthy outlets to express our author woes, what is working for us, what is not. Be that safe space. It’s one of the greatest ways to support an author. And don’t mind us if we go a week without saying a peep and then want to stalk and talk to you for hours. It’s just an author thing. Special thanks to all my amazing “ventees”, my husband being the biggest.
  1. ENTER OUR GIVEAWAYS/SHARE SHARE SHARE! Right now, I have a Rafflecopter going to win a PRIZE GIVEAWAY including a $50 Amazon gift card/Original Art/Swag/and a Signed Paperback. Entering and sharing posts like these, our public art, excerpts etc. means the world to us!

So, that is Kindle Vella in a nutshell! Vella authors truly appreciate your support. For some of us, this is our career choice and how we hope to make a viable income. As Vella has just launched, we beg your patience during the process of growing pains and hope you will continue cheering from the stands as we run this marathon!

CANCER UPDATE:

In late June, my husband, Kevin, went to the doctor over concern regarding a very tiny lump he discovered. The doctor was very concerned, stated it was most likely testicular cancer, but the only way to confirm would be through emergency surgery. He was booked the very next week. Kindle Vella launched just following his surgery.

The weeks were fraught with an increased amount of stress, especially with parenting two little ones who couldn’t understand why Daddy couldn’t play with them like he used to or so much as pick them up. Combined with my going into hyperdrive to ensure my Vella book would be a success along with additional appointments, it’s truly a miracle we made it through July without more mental and emotional scars. Instead, our marriage is stronger than ever.

In late July, Kevin went in for a CT. When it returned CLEAN of cancer, we were so ecstatic. We were pretty convinced he would not need chemotherapy. But a visit to the oncologist two weeks later unfortunately yielded a different and disappointing result:

Unlike most cancer patients, Kevin is in the rare 15-20% who have 3/3 factors which have an extremely high likelihood of a resurgence of cancer. And due to one of these factors, any cancer is untraceable apart from a CT. And when (not if) a resurgence occurs, it would end up in a different location than the last and wouldn’t be caught till it’s too late.

With all that information, Kevin will have to go in for a round of chemo early September to hopefully kick the cancer once and for all. Back-to-school anxiety is also killer as I am high risk and potentially either of our girls. So, we appreciate all the support possible. One great way to support both of us during this time is literally the Top Ten Ways above as Kindle Vella is proving to be a supplemental source of income in the hopes of paying off medical bills.

To truly understand how much Kevin works behind the scenes and alongside me to fulfill my dreams and goals, I will be releasing another blog post soon: Top Ten Ways Kevin Helps My Author Career.