Amazon, in what it described as a "difficult decision," is winding down Kindle Vella and shutting it down completely in February 2025. When the company launched the serialized story platform in 2021, it said Vella was a way for readers to discover new fictional stories and a new way for authors to earn from the Kindle Direct Publishing service. But it hasn't caught on as it had hoped, Amazon explains on its website, and it has decided to throw in the towel three years after Vella's debut. Authors can only publish stories on Vella until December 4, which is also the last day readers can purchase tokens. While readers will no longer be able to purchase tokens after that, they can continue using those tokens to unlock episodes until the program closes in February. The good news for those who've been following specific authors or stories on Vella is that they won't lose their access to whatever episodes they've already unlocked even after the platform shuts down. They can always read the stories they've purchased in their library in the Kindle app for iOS and Android, though they can no longer open them on the web. Any token they don't use by February will be refunded. Responses to Vella have been pretty lukewarm since it became available. Some authors liked the fact that they could use it to earn money from unfinished stories, while some readers said they'd prefer getting a whole book instead of paying for installments. Personally, as someone who follows a lot of indie... Continue reading at 'Engadget'
[ Engadget | 2024-10-29 12:00:30 UTC ]
Indian consumers haven't been cut off from Amazon's world of ebook goodies, but their experience is about to get a lot more native with the launch of a local Kindle Store. The prices of over a million books are now available in rupees, and if you're in need of hardware, the latest bare-bones... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2012-08-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Amazon on Thursday released updates to the Kindle app for iOS, along with the Kindle Cloud Reader Web app. The updates add in support for children's books. Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2012-06-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
As we saw the iPhone 4's release, a massive bump in screen resolution means that plenty of apps need to be updated to fully take advantage of all those extra pixels, and today has seen a few big name ones get optimized for the new iPad's Retina display. The biggest of those is Amazon's Kindle... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2012-03-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Last April, Amazon announced the Kindle Library Lending program would let Kindle users borrow books from more than 11,000 U.S. libraries. Today, the program officially launched at all participating libraries. Users can search their local library's website, and when they find a book, they can... Continue reading at Betanews
[ Betanews | 2011-09-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Written By: Bookseller Staff Publication Date: Thu, 30/06/2011 - 09:30 CNN reports that Amazon and Barnes & Noble are remaining tight-lipped on the eve of new app rules being introduced by Apple. Today, 30th June, is the deadline for app makers to get in compliance with Apple's strict new... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-06-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Written By: Philip Jones Publication Date: Wed, 16/02/2011 - 07:33 Apple's decision to grab a revenue share from ebook purchases made via apps raises questions over the future of Amazon's Kindle app, according to media reports. As The Bookseller reported yesterday, the FT notes that Apple is... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Apple has moved to block third party app developers from selling content, such as ebooks, outside of the app store, leading to speculation that it wants a cut of digital purchases, even when they are made via apps such as the Kindle app. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this