Amazon has launched Kindle Vella, a twist on e-books that offers a serialized storytelling format designed to be mobile-first. Available first for iOS and the web, Vella offers "episodes" that are 600 – 5,000 words long, ideal for reading on a phone in short periods of time. Users can "follow" their favorite stories and be notified when new episodes are available, much like podcasts. The first few episodes of every story are free, after which users can buy episodes using "tokens". Users who have purchased tokens can "Fave" one story each week, which is used to recommend the best stories to other users. The service also offers Thumbs Up (likes) and tagging for topics and genres. Thousands of stories containing tens of thousands of episodes are already available, with new episodes being published regularly.


More...