Kindle Vella

[Uncle Robin]

Originally Posted by DuskyRose

Buying chapters with 'coins' apparently is very popular with enough readers in other countries that it's worth them making it a business. In China, I believe they're called 'web novels'.

A point I've made a couple of times in this thread. It's possible that Amazon may even be looking beyond the norms of the White Western World with this venture

[DuskyRose]

Originally Posted by Hitch

Yes, so I understand, but is it WIP stuff or finished work, do you know? I freely admit, I don't.

That I can't tell for sure. The press I've seen so far is that the 'episodes' will be released once a week.

Nothing I've seen so far said anything about making sure the work will be finished before episodes are posted, that it will still be accessible once the story is finished, that the final number of chapters will be given before purchase, (so the reader can budget) or that any type of editing will exist.

I might run across the info later, but honestly I'll probably just ignore it all.

Originally Posted by Hitch

I freely admit...when I saw all the whingeing and whining about it, on certain forums and then followed up to see the submitted V content from some of those whingers...sweet Moses on a Pony, I was bloody horrified. I mean...some of it was literally unintelligible.

One of the complaints I see on a lot of ebooks since Amazon opened up to self-publishing, especially the 1-star ratings, use the term "reads like bad fanfic."

I take that complaint seriously, because that covers a whole ton of problems, all in four words. Those freebies I don't bother with.

Originally Posted by Hitch

I mean, wow. Apparently, teens have a huge disposable income available, and satisfactorily high tolerance levels for crap writing, that Amazon can exploit.

The advertisers go after teens and young adults for a reason, and why a lot of shows are geared to catch their attention. They're the ones the advertisers want. They have a lot of disposable income, are socially driven to want to share their hobbies, (so bring in new customers), don't always have brand loyalty yet, and are willing to try new things.

This all may flop for Amazon, but it may not. I'll just keeping hanging on to my TBR pile for dear life, and hope my favorite authors don't disappear into the dark side. Then see how it all shifts out.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by Uncle Robin

A point I've made a couple of times in this thread. It's possible that Amazon may even be looking beyond the norms of the White Western World with this venture

While I also suspect that Amazon may be looking beyond the English speaking western world with this venture, I wonder why they didn't start in areas where "web novels' are already accepted and popular.

I've now had the chance to look at 4 Vella chunks and WiP is a kind description. One of them was more of a run through Google translate stream of consciousness from a disturbed mind that was not 'thinking' in English. None of them showed any evidence of editing, proof reading, all those little things that help make reading a pleasure. Who manages to misspell the 3 main characters names 8 times in 1400 words?

[jhowell]

Originally Posted by DuskyRose

That I can't tell for sure. The press I've seen so far is that the 'episodes' will be released once a week.

It is up to each author. They can write the whole thing up front or wing it. They can release all of the written episodes at once or schedule each one to come out whenever they desire.

Originally Posted by DuskyRose

Nothing I've seen so far said anything about making sure the work will be finished before episodes are posted, that it will still be accessible once the story is finished, that the final number of chapters will be given before purchase, (so the reader can budget)...

Authors can stop releasing new episodes whenever they want. There is no promise that stories will ever be finished.

The author can pull an entire story from Vella once the most recently released episode has been available for 60 days. I don't know for certain, but I assume that those who purchased episodes before the retraction will continue to have access to them. That is how it works for Kindle books.

Originally Posted by DuskyRose

...or that any type of editing will exist.

Episodes cannot be edited after release. I think that is a good thing for readers!

I saw a post from an author who had a new idea and wanted to introduce a new character earlier in the story. If Amazon had allowed that it would have led to confusion and complaints.

[jhowell]

Originally Posted by DNSB

While I also suspect that Amazon may be looking beyond the English speaking western world with this venture, I wonder why they didn't start in areas where "web novels' are already accepted and popular.

Perhaps that was the point of having a US-only soft release. They want to work out the kinks before making it available in the true target market.

[DuskyRose]

Originally Posted by jhowell

It is up to each author. They can write the whole thing up front or wing it. They can release all of the written episodes at once or schedule each one to come out whenever they desire.

Thanks for the info!

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by DuskyRose

Thanks for the info!

I'm with you, Rose, on my TBR pile. Hangin' on for dear life, indeed!

Hitch

[Uncle Robin]

Originally Posted by jhowell

Perhaps that was the point of having a US-only soft release. They want to work out the kinks before making it available in the true target market.

This sounds quite plausible. Entering a well-established market like East Asia's web serials with a "beta" product would be a bad idea indeed.

[kyrilson]

I guess I’ll be a nonconformist here and say I’m a fan of this format. I like having something to look forward to reading when a new episode comes out. I don’t mind paying a little extra for it. I really enjoyed it when Stephen King did it with The Green Mile paperbacks waaay back in the day. I’m 49, btw, so I’m not the typical young person like everyone seems to think is the target audience. I think it will do pretty well. Webtoon, Serial Box and others are pretty successful.
I do try to be very careful with who I read in stuff like this and focus on authors I’m familiar with and genres I know I like. For instance I’ve only read “Island of the Dead” by Brian Keene in Kindle Vella because he is one of my favorite authors. And even if I’m paying a little extra I know he’s getting paid that extra for it too, which is a bonus in my mind.


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[John F]

Looking at it from the glass-is-half-full perspective: those who want it early can buy in pieces, and those who want the whole thing can wait?

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by kyrilson

I guess I’ll be a nonconformist here and say I’m a fan of this format. I like having something to look forward to reading when a new episode comes out. I don’t mind paying a little extra for it. I really enjoyed it when Stephen King did it with The Green Mile paperbacks waaay back in the day. I’m 49, btw, so I’m not the typical young person like everyone seems to think is the target audience. I think it will do pretty well. Webtoon, Serial Box and others are pretty successful.
I do try to be very careful with who I read in stuff like this and focus on authors I’m familiar with and genres I know I like. For instance I’ve only read “Island of the Dead” by Brian Keene in Kindle Vella because he is one of my favorite authors. And even if I’m paying a little extra I know he’s getting paid that extra for it too, which is a bonus in my mind.


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I don't have a problem with the concept. I mean, if it was good enough for Dickens and Doyle, what the hell. (And Black Mask, etc.)

I'm just...really unhappy about the quality of what I'm seeing ATM. Will it change? Sure, most likely but there seems to be an entire swath of would-be writers that DO think it's WIP stuff. They are even evangelizing for "private" comments from readers, like beta readers. It's boggling to me. It's as though they have no distinction between something like Wattpad and serialization.

Generally speaking, for me personally, serials aren't my cuppa. I won't even buy books from any author (any longer) that cliffhangs me. If they do it, they're permanently removed from my list. It's greedy, grasping behavior and I won't reward them for it.

Hitch

[kyrilson]

Originally Posted by Hitch

I don't have a problem with the concept. I mean, if it was good enough for Dickens and Doyle, what the hell. (And Black Mask, etc.)

I'm just...really unhappy about the quality of what I'm seeing ATM. Will it change? Sure, most likely but there seems to be an entire swath of would-be writers that DO think it's WIP stuff. They are even evangelizing for "private" comments from readers, like beta readers. It's boggling to me. It's as though they have no distinction between something like Wattpad and serialization.

Generally speaking, for me personally, serials aren't my cuppa. I won't even buy books from any author (any longer) that cliffhangs me. If they do it, they're permanently removed from my list. It's greedy, grasping behavior and I won't reward them for it.

Hitch

I totally get that. I’m not a fan of that WIP methodology either. That’s why I tend to stick with established favorite writers and am very picky about what I go with in these types of things. A lot of people like being “beta readers” I guess. I have actually been a beta reader, but for actual big 5 publisher writers. That’s a little different quality-wise, usually.


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[Deskisamess]

Originally Posted by kyrilson

I guess I’ll be a nonconformist here and say I’m a fan of this format. I like having something to look forward to reading when a new episode comes out. I don’t mind paying a little extra for it. I really enjoyed it when Stephen King did it with The Green Mile paperbacks waaay back in the day. I’m 49, btw, so I’m not the typical young person like everyone seems to think is the target audience. I think it will do pretty well. Webtoon, Serial Box and others are pretty successful.
I do try to be very careful with who I read in stuff like this and focus on authors I’m familiar with and genres I know I like. For instance I’ve only read “Island of the Dead” by Brian Keene in Kindle Vella because he is one of my favorite authors. And even if I’m paying a little extra I know he’s getting paid that extra for it too, which is a bonus in my mind.


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I took a look at that one you mentioned...the first episode is about 600 words, a 2 minute read at most. That's not even a chapter in the lite fiction I sometimes read. I don't want to read a book/story 2 minutes at a time.

[kyrilson]

Originally Posted by Deskisamess

I took a look at that one you mentioned...the first episode is about 600 words, a 2 minute read at most. That's not even a chapter in the lite fiction I sometimes read. I don't want to read a book/story 2 minutes at a time.

*scratches head*. Right. It’s not for everyone. There are multiple choices for reading options. I read through all 5 episodes this morning and it was a pleasant 10 minutes. It didn’t cost me anything. Oh my goodness, it’s a cliffhanger, I have to wait for episode 6 now. Gasp, the horror!! I. Don’t. Mind. At. All. When episode 6 comes out, I’ll spend a few minutes reading it and go back to my other ebooks I’m reading. No big deal. Jesus, man.

See, people have different opinions and like different things. I know I’m in the minority here, but there are likely others out there that won’t mind the episodic nature of this product and are happy to support favorite authors that dabble it. This is a key. I WANT TO SUPPORT WRITERS I LIIKE. I want to give Brian Keene money because he writes what I like and I want him to be able to keep eating. So if he’s going to Kindle Vella and he’s writing something I’m enjoying, I’ll throw a few cents every episode his way (each episode has been 16 tokens which seems to come out to 12.5 cents).


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[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by Hitch

Oh, hell, why not?

Hitch

Weird. Were you quoting my post?

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

Maybe Stephen King could use this as an excuse to finish The Plant.

Yours shows a different user name and the link doesn't seem to go anywhere.