What’s A Vella?
Originally published October 10, 2022
Are you starting to hear this mysterious word, "Vella," being spoken at various writing events or flitting across Facebook Pages? Or are you familiar with it, but want to know more? Well, wherever you are in meeting this word, here's a bit about it...
Vella is a newer publishing arm of Amazon where stories are serialized in their release. It's very similar to Wattpad and other platforms where there's little vetting of the piece and you're able to drop chapters or sections of your story at your leisure. But what exactly is it and how can it be used as an author? Or accessed as a reader? Fellow co-owner of No Bad Books Press, Theresa, and myself have been experimenting with this platform over the past couple of months to learn what we can of it so that we may provide some of these answers.
For Authors
Vella offers us sort of an incredible opportunity; as of the time of this article's publication, Amazon is providing monthly bonuses to authors who are regularly uploading their stories to Vella. To the best that we can tell, (Amazon is rather secretive with their formulas), the more often you release chapters or episodes, as they are called on Vella, the higher the bonuses. We also know that as authors, the more engagement your story receives (reads, likes, comments), the more royalties you are paid.
To roughly quote what our friend Isabelle Markus, Author of The Awakening of Marcianna, this is an opportunity to make your drafts work for you. This is an opportunity to be paid to produce a draft as well as to receive feedback, which is a pretty snazzy deal. Theresa used Vella to develop the draft for her romantic comedy, Lying, Baking, Surfing, and I used Vella to start producing my urban fantasy vampire series, Blood Lords.
Beyond the feedback aspects, is the incredible drive Vella creates to keep you motivated. The added element of having accountability for what you're writing has been quite the motivational factor for me to keep up with my writing schedule. If you're someone who needs accountability, meaning your friends and readers poking at you to drop the next chapter ASAP, then this might be a great platform for you.
It also allows us to interact with our readers in fun ways. At the end of each episode, we're able to leave notes as well as to provide surveys to make the experience richer or to help us develop our stories. Vella also allows us to schedule our posts in advance, so it's pretty flexible!
Now, ALWAYS read the fine print before you sign up for anything. Vella does allow us to publish our stories on other platforms after a ninety-day period (as of the publication of this article), but here's more information on their requirements as well as deeper insights on what the program entails straight from the horse's mouth. Again, consult the fine print, and if you're not sure, chat with some creative legal experts to help you on your way.
For Readers
On the reader side of things, Vella stories are accessible within your mobile apps. You can find the stories using the general search bar at the top of Amazon on your desktops as well. The stories are accessible using a tokens system. Depending on how Amazon is feeling, will determine how many tokens you receive (once again, Amazon is finicky with their secrets, so we're not exactly sure how tokens are designated.) BUT that being said, the first three chapters of every Vella story are free, so you can have a nice bite-sized piece of the pie before you decide to invest your tokens in the read. While we don't know the exact monetary value of the tokens, there's speculation that one equals around a hundred words, so if an episode is around 1,200 words, it'll likely cost you 12 tokens. Once you run out of tokens, you are able to purchase more via Amazon for a minimal fee and in bundles. We're seeing that Amazon is running promotions where episodes are free, so it seems to be a pretty good deal for readers as well.
After each chapter, you can give the episode a thumbs up, follow the story, participate in surveys your author provides, or leave a review as to how the story is going. Each one of these interactions helps the author TREMENDOUSLY, so even something as basic as a thumbs up makes an author's heart smile.
So what do you think? Does this appeal to you as a reader? As a writer? Or are you somewhere in between? Let us know if you have any questions about the process by dropping us an email at nobbpress@gmail.com or in the comments below.
A tremendous thank you to Chris Bannor and K.R. Cervantez who pointed us in the direction of Vella and who have educated us in this field. Click on their names to check out their collection of Vellas!
Happy writing!
-S. Faxon