Amazon to shut down Kindle Vella serial book platform, saying it ‘hasn’t caught on as we’d hoped’

Amazon announced Tuesday morning that it will shut down its Kindle Vella platform for serial and episodic stories and books in February 2025, acknowledging for the first time that the service didn’t live up to its expectations.

“This was a difficult decision,” Amazon said. “We are grateful for all of the authors and readers who participated in Kindle Vella and, while we remain committed to experimenting and testing new ideas to deliver unique and delightful experiences for both readers and authors, Kindle Vella hasn’t caught on as we’d hoped.”

Amazon launched Kindle Vella in July 2021 on the web and in the Kindle mobile app, after working with authors to build up an initial catalog of content. Stories were told in episodes ranging from 600 to 5,000 words each. Readers got the first three episodes for free, and purchased tokens to unlock further episodes as they go.

Vella was an extension of the Kindle Direct Publishing platform for independent authors. Amazon faced tough competition from Wattpad, Radish Fiction, and many others in serialized content.

In the post Tuesday morning, Amazon said users can keep reading and unlocking episodes with tokens until the program closes. After Dec. 4, no new episodes will be available, and users won’t be able to buy new tokens. Any unused tokens will be converted into Amazon gift cards. Stories and episodes unlocked with tokens will remain accessible in the Kindle app on iOS and Android, but not on the web.

When the service closes, Amazon says it will automatically credit users’ account balances with an Amazon.com gift card equal to the value of their remaining tokens.