But will Vella turn Amazon into a gatekeeper?
Can authors trust it?
“I don’t trust Amazon to treat authors right.
Susan Q Yin / Unsplash
I’m just hoping to make some for myself, as well.”
Serial Killer
Serialized fiction is so hot right now, and its easy to see why.
Serialized stories also create a buzz.
Joyce Busola / Unsplash
They supply chapters on a regular schedule, which again fits our modern reading habits.
Neither Kindles, nor the Android app, are currently supported.
“I believe serialized fiction builds more investment in characters,” agreesVella author AJ Arnault.
“Week by week, you get excited to learn whats going to happen next.
Cliffhangers, plot twists, and whodunit moments take on a new meaning through bite-sized episodes.”
Frasier publishes onRadishandTapas, two serialization platforms, andalso on Wattpad.
These platforms are dominated by genre fiction, which also seems well-suited to serialization.
Freedom
One of the best aspects of self-published, serialized fiction is the freedom.
I don’t trust Amazon to treat authors right.
I hope to be treated somewhat decently, but I’m not expecting it.
The novel is not the ultimate literary form.
Its just the form that grew to fit the size and shape of the printed book.
Popular art often changes its form to fit the way it is used or sold.
Joyce Busola / Unsplash
Microsoft did something similar withMicrosoft Pointsback in 2005.
Vella tokens look like they have similar goals.
Amazon is well-positioned to take serialized fiction mainstream, and thats good news for authors and readers.
Whether it affects rival services remains to be seen.
For now, it looks like Vella might be just another way for authors to self-publish their work.
