Kindle Vella - Page 2

JSWolf · 04-16-2021, 08:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paperbackstash

Between the cover option and now this, they seem to be feeling "creative" the past week or so with these devices.

But the cover option costs $ because most people buy Kindles with ads. To me, that makes Amazon feeling greedy.

Quoth · 04-17-2021, 05:51 AM

They don't realise they are getting adverts because Amazon misleading advertises a cheaper version as having special offers.

I wonder how much Amazon make out of the charge to remove adverts?

Uncle Robin · 04-17-2021, 05:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paperbackstash

Between the cover option and now this, they seem to be feeling "creative" the past week or so with these devices.

The cover option is just catching up with what other ereaders have been offering since time immemorial (and after all the "Kindle is SO MUCH better than Kobo" posts which are the norm, the excited fuss has been fun to watch from the other side) , not much "creative" there, except in the Lobachevsky sense.

binaryhermit · 04-17-2021, 06:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Quoth

They don't realise they are getting adverts because Amazon misleading advertises a cheaper version as having special offers.

Actually, at some point they started calling it "Ad supported"

John F · 04-17-2021, 08:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Quoth

They don't realise they are getting adverts because Amazon misleading advertises a cheaper version as having special offers.

...

I don't believe this is the case any longer, they now call it "Ad Supported". From the USA website, the only mention I see of "special offers" is:

Quote:

The ad-supported option (also known as Special Offers) displays sponsored screensavers on your device's lockscreen. Learn more

And when you click on "Learn more" there is no mention of "Special offers".

Quoth · 04-17-2021, 08:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John F

I don't believe this is the case any longer, they now call it "Ad Supported".
And when you click on "Learn more" there is no mention of "Special offers".

I see that's now also true on the UK site. Good to see a bit more honesty.

JSWolf · 04-17-2021, 08:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Robin

The cover option is just catching up with what other ereaders have been offering since time immemorial (and after all the "Kindle is SO MUCH better than Kobo" posts which are the norm, the excited fuss has been fun to watch from the other side) , not much "creative" there, except in the Lobachevsky sense.

JSWolf · 04-17-2021, 08:54 AM

But it's dishonest to force new features on ad-free Kindles only.

Camellia · 04-18-2021, 04:37 AM

Must you complain about this across multiple threads?

Cootey · 04-23-2021, 02:32 AM

This will work if the stories are engaging. On another page Amazon very specifically forbids the dumping of PD texts or chopped up previously published stories as serialized episodes. They also demand exclusivity, as usual. So, if the stories are unique, new & engaging, people will come to read them.

This format (first five free, unlock to read the rest) is already used by tapas.io. The Korean webtoons.com allows access to all but the most recent episodes, charging desperate fans a premium to get an early peek. So worldwide, pay per episode has already been proven to be lucrative.

In Japan, there is an entire industry based on text only serialized novels. Like Wattpad, but originally for cellphones before the iPhone changed things. http://syosetu.com is the most popular. All the content is free, and publishers snatch up the hottest titles with book deals to spin off published books (usually called light novels), then manga, then anime.

As for padding, each episode is 600-5000 words. The more words, the more it costs to unlock. Obviously, authors will want to pad thinking this will earn them more money, but people will grow tired of those tactics quickly if the stories don’t offer a good bang for their buck. A writer might do better with shorter episodes with cliffhanger hooks.

It looks like the proposed prices are reasonable, too. I’m curious to see if this takes off.

What I’m not certain of is how long one has to keep the stories on Vella. Also, when is Vella going live? You can submit episodes now, but at this point you’d be queuing up episodes for that future day with no pay. The upside to that is that you’d have content ready for the reading whales who love to experiment with new toys right out of the gate.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

curtw · 04-23-2021, 11:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fbone

Authors get paid by word count. I'm expecting word bloat.

Good thing Charles Dickens stopped writing a while back.

Hitch · 04-23-2021, 12:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skydog

They tried serials previously that failed. And now another gimmick with tokens? Who comes up with this stuff? No, thanks. Not ever.

They tried serials on an invitation-only basis. For the authors, I mean--they basically only accepted or invited trade-published authors with a handful of Indy-pubs.

This is a different thing. There are a number of very successful Indy authors already effectively doing "serials." Aerki Jay, for example, is making a handsome living with his Space Opera version(s).

And we're all...(tasteful and discreet cough)...more mature than that audience is, generally speaking. It's not meant for us, methinks.

This is clearly aimed at the Wattpad crowd, which skews very, very VERY heavily toward "new adult" or YA, the teen and 18-21y.o. group.

HItch

DiapDealer · 04-23-2021, 12:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hitch

It's not meant for us, methinks.

Yep. People often mistakenly believe they have their finger on the pulse of public sentiment in general RE these things.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hitch

This is clearly aimed at the Wattpad crowd, which skews very, very VERY heavily toward "new adult" or YA, the teen and 18-21y.o. group.

HItch

Agreed. And even outside of that group. There are many fairly mainstream genre authors who use Wattpad and the like to disseminate side projects and gauge fan reaction.

Those who are dismissing this as a complete swing and a miss probably only have their fingers on their own pulses.

ApK · 04-23-2021, 01:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Quoth

This is actually an attempt to monopolise web serials.

How?

Uncle Robin · 04-23-2021, 08:04 PM

After checking out Wattpad's info, my initial reaction to this new Amazon initiative was reinforced. Wattpad says "write your stories in your own language", and that again made me think of the webtoons and serial novels so very popular in East Asia. The ubiquity of online serial novels can be seen from the number of times the protagonist in C-Dramas has this very occupation. So I would say that not only is the demographic Kindle's aiming at one with a lower average number of solar orbits than the MR crowd, it's also more likely inside the circle, not just outside.

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04-17-2021, 05:51 AM	#17
Quoth Still reading Posts: 15,004 Karma: 111111255 Join Date: Jun 2017 Location: Ireland Device: All 4 Kinds: epub eink, Kindle, android eink, NxtPaper	They don't realise they are getting adverts because Amazon misleading advertises a cheaper version as having special offers. I wonder how much Amazon make out of the charge to remove adverts?

04-17-2021, 08:54 AM	#23
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 80,782 Karma: 150249619 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	But it's dishonest to force new features on ad-free Kindles only.

04-18-2021, 04:37 AM	#24
Camellia She / Her Posts: 48 Karma: 13653962 Join Date: Jul 2020 Location: Australia Device: Kobo Forma	Must you complain about this across multiple threads?

04-23-2021, 02:32 AM	#25
Cootey Absentminded Reader Posts: 1,345 Karma: 7442365 Join Date: Apr 2017 Device: Kobo Mini, Libra Colour & Elipsa; Kindle Paperwhite 3 & 4; iOS apps	This will work if the stories are engaging. On another page Amazon very specifically forbids the dumping of PD texts or chopped up previously published stories as serialized episodes. They also demand exclusivity, as usual. So, if the stories are unique, new & engaging, people will come to read them. This format (first five free, unlock to read the rest) is already used by tapas.io. The Korean webtoons.com allows access to all but the most recent episodes, charging desperate fans a premium to get an early peek. So worldwide, pay per episode has already been proven to be lucrative. In Japan, there is an entire industry based on text only serialized novels. Like Wattpad, but originally for cellphones before the iPhone changed things. http://syosetu.com is the most popular. All the content is free, and publishers snatch up the hottest titles with book deals to spin off published books (usually called light novels), then manga, then anime. As for padding, each episode is 600-5000 words. The more words, the more it costs to unlock. Obviously, authors will want to pad thinking this will earn them more money, but people will grow tired of those tactics quickly if the stories don’t offer a good bang for their buck. A writer might do better with shorter episodes with cliffhanger hooks. It looks like the proposed prices are reasonable, too. I’m curious to see if this takes off. What I’m not certain of is how long one has to keep the stories on Vella. Also, when is Vella going live? You can submit episodes now, but at this point you’d be queuing up episodes for that future day with no pay. The upside to that is that you’d have content ready for the reading whales who love to experiment with new toys right out of the gate. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

04-23-2021, 08:04 PM	#30
Uncle Robin Diligent dilettante Posts: 3,662 Karma: 52758936 Join Date: Sep 2019 Location: in my mind Device: Kobo Sage; Kobo Libra Colour	After checking out Wattpad's info, my initial reaction to this new Amazon initiative was reinforced. Wattpad says "write your stories in your own language", and that again made me think of the webtoons and serial novels so very popular in East Asia. The ubiquity of online serial novels can be seen from the number of times the protagonist in C-Dramas has this very occupation. So I would say that not only is the demographic Kindle's aiming at one with a lower average number of solar orbits than the MR crowd, it's also more likely inside the circle, not just outside.