Kindle Vella Concerns

Summary

An author expresses concerns about the reception and visibility of their serialized fiction on Kindle Vella's beta platform despite their commitment to continue writing and hopes for future recognition.

Abstract

The author, Crystal A. Walker, has recently ventured into serialized fiction publishing on Kindle Vella with their story titled Matchmakers. Despite the excitement of releasing the first episodes, the author is grappling with the reality of low engagement beyond the free initial chapters. The author remains committed to writing, drawing inspiration from the supportive community on Medium, and is hopeful that consistent publishing will lead to increased visibility. The article reflects on the challenges of gaining traction on a new platform, the uncertainty of Kindle Vella's marketing efforts during its beta phase, and the importance of reader interactions such as likes, reviews, and marking stories as favorites to feed the Amazon/Kindle algorithm.

Opinions

The author is concerned that the lack of engagement after the first three free episodes indicates either disinterest in the story or reluctance to pay for content.
There is skepticism about Kindle Vella's current marketing strategies and whether they are sufficient to promote the platform and its authors effectively.
The author believes in the potential benefits of Kindle Vella for readers, as it allows them to sample content without a significant upfront investment.
The author is determined to maintain a positive outlook and persist with writing, trusting that their efforts will eventually be rewarded with a readership.
The author values reader interactions, such as reviews and likes, and understands their role in improving discoverability on the platform.
The author encourages readers to explore Kindle Vella and support writers by engaging with their content and joining related communities for updates and discussions.

I’m seven episodes into my serialized fiction, but a little worried about my stats

I’m new to Kindle Vella. Everyone is because it is currently in Beta (at the time of this writing). Almost a month ago, I published my first three episodes on Kindle Vella named Matchmakers. I have had sitting on my hard drive for years and recently had the itch to dust off. I was very excited about publishing my story, but the stats behind it is a little anti-climatic.

Screenshot provided by the author Crystal A. Walker

However, I am not letting it stop me from writing, working on it, or any future serialized story that I write on Kindle Vella in the future.

Instead, I am taking the same approach with Kindle Vella, and I currently am with Medium: Write because I want to write. I also have hopes that the more I write and publish, that I will eventually be seen.

Every day on Medium, I see encouragement from those who feel depressed about their $.05 Stripe deposit after a month of writing. Yet, the response from writers: Keep writing, so I am taking the same advice and not going to give up.

Right now, Kindle Vella is offering the first three chapters of all their stories to read for free. After that, readers will need to purchase tokens to read more content. It’s a fair deal, and I think advantageous to readers. Instead of buying an entire book to find out that you don’t like it, then you’re out $10–20. I’m getting (a few readers) for my first three chapters, obviously because they are free. Yet, I am getting none for episode 4 and beyond. To me, that translates as:

My story sucks, and readers don’t want to continue it.

People don’t want to pay to read the content.

Screenshot provided by the author Crystal A. Walker

This is a challenging position because my story needs to be liked, marked as a fave, and reviewed to help feed the Amazon/Kindle algorithm so readers can discover me. So far, I have one review. (Thanks, mom.) Looking through the listings in each genre, there are a ton of writers in the same situation.

I am also starting to wonder if Kindle Vella is doing enough to market itself. Maybe they will once it is out of Beta? That remains an unknown factor, and I cannot find any information yet about when Beta will be over. However, I am going to assume it will be a year of it. Since it was released in Spring 2021, I am taking an educated guess that the Beta will end around the same time in 2022.

I am unsure how this will shake out, but I will continue with hope, be optimistic, and keep writing. I’d rather have my story out there to the world with potential readers than sit on my hard drive and be visible to no one.

If you are interested in reading serialized fiction and discovering new writers, it’s a great place to start. If you are interested in reading Matchmakers, (a romantic comedy), it is also available. Like all self-published writers, I appreciate a like and a review! Remember, a little bit goes a long way. If you find a story that you enjoy then mark it as a Fave so you will receive an instant notification when a new episode is released by the author. Happy Reading (and Writing)!