By Kristy Tate //
Introducing Kindle Vella, a new way to read serialized stories. Find stories you love! The first few episodes are free! Short stories? Read for free. Have you checked it out? You can do that here.
Not only is this a fun way to find new books and authors, for me, it’s a fun way to write a book, too. I find it motivating to write a scene and publish it as I go. You can check out my work in progress here.
A word of caution, this is definitely a work in progress. I’ve already edited the previously uploaded episodes a few times now! I’m sure to do it again. Still, since a professional editor hasn’t laid eyes on it, there are bound to be mistakes. I’ve decided that’s okay.
Currently, my Kindle Vella story is on page nine of the mystery section, but when I first started, it didn’t even make a page! I had to hustle just to gain some visibility. Here are a few things I’ve tried. A few of them made me cringe. It’s hard for me to ask for favors, but I decided I just had to get over myself if I wanted to see my story rise out of the dungeon of sight unseen.
I texted a lot of my phone contacts and private messaged almost all of my Facebook friends. This is what I wrote:
Hey friends,
This is a call for help. No worries, there’s nothing seriously wrong in my world, I’m just trying to get some Amazon algorithm love for my Kindle Vella story. The Cocoa Concoction is a cozy murder mystery similar to Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple series, and it needs a boost.
Kindle Vella is serialized storytelling. The first three episodes are FREE, though, and I would love it if you would read an episode or two and give me a couple of thumbs up. The more views and thumbs up a story gets, the more Amazon will promote it. If you think your kids would be interested, please forward this.
There are a ton of fun stories here, so if you’re a reader, you should definitely check it out.
Here’s the link to The Cocoa Concoction.
https://www.amazon.com/Cocoa-Concoction-Cozy-Mystery/dp/B09SBTBZK8
Did it work? Absolutely. Before I had asked anyone, I had 0 reads. Now I have 105 read episodes, 65 thumbs ups, 19 story followers, and two 5 star reviews.
Would I do it again? Yes, but I’d rather not. Like I said, asking for favors is hard. I would much rather be the person granting favors than the beggar. But is the work done? No. I’d like to see my story on the first page of the platform. So, how do I do that?
I told my newsletter subscribers about it. That got me a handful of reads, which was underwhelming. So, I created a newsletter subscriber only contest. Here’s what I wrote:
If you didn’t know, I have been writing my current work in progress on the Kindle Vella platform. I’m trying to get my book to the number one spot and to do that, I’m hosting a newsletter subscriber-only promotion.
Here’s how to play:
1. Head on over to the Kindle platform and read one or two or more episodes of my story, The Cocoa Concoction. (The first three are free.) Here’s the link to my story.
2. Fill out the Google Form (making sure to include your email address so I can notify you when you win.) GOOGLE FORM FOR CONTEST!
3. If you share my story with friends and they read an episode or two or more, you can get another entry.
This contest will run until Amazon lists my story on the first page of the Kindle Vella platform or until the story is complete–whichever comes first.
What else have I done?
I created a graphic and shared it on social media. Last week, I created TikTok videos and posted one a day for five days. I don’t know if I got a lot of reads from my efforts, but my TikTok followers swelled. (I’ll write a column about TikTok next month. You can check out my videos here: https://www.tiktok.com/@kristytatenovelist)
I joined these Facebook groups:
Kindle Vella Author and Reader Support
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1182224165644831
Kindle Vella Authors – Promotion & Advices Amazon KDP
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1088377881638517
Kindle Vella Storytellers and Readers
https://www.facebook.com/groups/3017902548445329
Kindle Vella Stories
https://www.facebook.com/groups/920317821860508
Sweet Romance for Kindle Vella
https://www.facebook.com/groups/2860007700954655
Is Kindle Vella for you? That’s a question only you can answer. For me, I find it a motivating way to write a story. There’s a common saying that writing a book is a marathon, not a 50 yard dash. That’s absolutely true. But, as a former marathon runner, I know the value of the water stations sprinkled along the way, the friendly faces passing out the refreshments, and the cheering crowd. For me, writing episodes on Kindle Vella is like a celebration of each completed mile.
Your mileage may differ.
(If you have suggestions on how to get my story to the front page of the Kindle Vella platform, please share!)
KRISTY TATE is the Social Media Director for O.C. Writers and a USA Today bestselling author. To date, her newsletter subscriber list is edging toward 15,000. www.KristyTate.com.