Wednesday Writing & #ThursdayDoors — Author Experience Kindle Vella

Posted on by Teagan Riordain Geneviene

Wednesday, March 8, 2023

Door to Author Mind 2022, Image collage by Teagan
Image collage by Teagan

What lurks behind locked, bolted, and chained doors?  Do you fear to enter?  Or does curiosity overcome caution?  Imagine if you will, being both locked in and locked out simultaneously.  Imagine if you will, the Teagan Zone.

When I started posting stories to Amazon’s Kindle Vella (the first time was over a year ago), many people asked me to let them know about my experiences.  That first story was simply too much for my existing workload (with at that time publishing a monthly novella for Dead of Winter).  With 2023 I decided to give Vella another try.

Pixabay
Pixabay

I converted a 2015 blog serial for use in Vella, The Alchemist & the Woman in Trousers.  It was going well.  I even earned a bonus.  As of last week, I had published seventy (70) episodes.  Then, this weekend, when I published episode 71, I accidentally re-uploaded the previous file.  Kindle Vella locked down episode 71. 

But that’s not all.

They would not let me correct it.  The error-episode is locked (and any subsequent ones too).

Note the door with the fancy incomprehensible lock… just like Vella.

Pixabay
Pixabay

Vella would not permit me to upload any new episodes, or in any way correct, explain, or address the problem. 

Kindle Vella offered me only two options.

  1. Absurdly, leave the previous seventy episodes up — stopping in the middle of the serial.
  2. Unpublish all seventy episodes.

Well, it doesn’t do anything good for my reputation as an author if I leave a large story, “apparently” unfinished, stopped right smack in the middle of everything, now does it.  Although editing and formatting for Vella all SEVENTY EPISODES was no small amount of work. Even so, I unpublished all the freaking SEVENTY EPISODES.  All that work went right down the… toilet.

By the way, aren’t those rather nice stall doors in that bathroom?

Pixabay
Pixabay

All seventy of the blasted things.  SEVENTY.

Thanks for taking time to open this door.  I hope you’ll come back on weekends to read my new blog serial, Atonement in Zugzwang. That has absolutely nothing to do with Kindle Vella! 

I love friendly comments. However, please understand that that I will not respond to Vella questions like “Why didn’t you try ____.” I’m way too triggered to discuss it.  Don’t people think I’ve already tried the obvious?  Such comments will be deleted.  However, for the benefit of other authors, you are welcome to share your own Vella experience.  Or you can make me feel better by saying what a horrible beast the whole Vella thing is.

Honestly… SEVENTY freaking EPISODES…

♦ ♦ ♦

The Atonement Series

Atonement kindle covers Cat eyes shelf 2023

Atonement, Tennessee

Full series of e-books with one click:  relinks.me/B087JV25JT

Kindle:  rxe.me/HGSVA8A

Paperback: relinks.me/1481826948

Also in Spanish, translated by Olga Núñez Miret! The title for the Spanish-speaking market is Expiación y Magia

Atonement in Bloom

Kindle:  rxe.me/5RRBLH

Paperback:  relinks.me/1726882128

The Glowing Pigs, Snort Stories of Atonement, Tennessee

Kindle   rxe.me/LTBDNH

Paperback   relinks.me/1725891972

♦ ♦ ♦

Thursday Doors is a weekly feature allowing door lovers to come together to admire and share their favorite door photos from around the world. It’s hosted by Dan Antion.  Feel free to join in on the fun by creating your own Thursday Doors post each week and then sharing your link in the comments below, anytime between 12:01 am Thursday morning and Saturday noon (North American eastern time).

 

2023 Badge Thurs doors teresa-my-camera-and-i

Thanks for opening this door.  Hugs!

 

This is a work of fiction.  Characters, names, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, locales, or events is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2023 by Teagan Ríordáin Geneviene

All rights reserved. 

No part of this work may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission.  Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights.

All images are either the property of the author or provided by free sources, unless stated otherwise.

 

…

65 thoughts on “Wednesday Writing & #ThursdayDoors — Author Experience Kindle Vella”

  4. Yikes! Teagan! Your 70 stories went “down the Vella toilet” as viewed in your photo (very clever). I had briefly considered trying Vella when you had mentioned it a year ago, then forgot all about it. Good thing. I really liked how your Dead of Winter short shorts worked on Amazon. Sometime give us more info on how to do that. However, I know it was a LOT of work (but so appreciated by us, your readers). ❤

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. Hi, Pam. It’s good to see you. Actually, I have a podcast coming up eventually with Rebecca Budd about Dead of Winter. Maybe I’ll do a companion post about how and why I divided it up the way I did. I’ve simply felt that there wasn’t much to tell about that. I appreciate this feedback. Thanks for reading and commenting. Hugs. ❤

      Like

      Reply

  6. Don’t worry about me offering any advice as I’d never even heard of Vella until today (and only know what’s here, which doesn’t really enlighten me…which is fine). But I can well imagine what a terrible and frustrating experience it was!!! I also agree that a toilet without a door is bad and one that has a door but no lock isn’t much better. 🙂 Potty humor to the rescue!

    janet

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. It felt that way, Luisa. Regardless of the fact that I can still make a book of it when I’m ready. Vella was a chance for me to be exposed to a group of readers that I otherwise wouldn’t have had. The story had not taken off, but the chance was still there. Plus, I was earning bonuses, regardless of not having many readers. Oh well. Onward. Hugs.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  8. These are lovely doors – really – but that experience would have driven me crazy. I get so mad when you know someone could fix something but won’t. If you can delete the whole series, they should be able/willing to help you delete one episode. I am sorry you had to go through that process.

    I love the locks, especially that second one.

    Hugs, cause it seems you could use one after that encounter with Amazon.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. You’re right about the hug, Dan — thanks.
      I was going to limit this post to Wednesday Writing, but the thought of locks and the whole thing going down the toilet took my twisting brain immediately to “Doors.” Locks are an important part of many doors. And a toilet without a door is a bad thing. LOL.
      I appreciate you reading and commenting. Hugs back.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  9. What a nightmare, Teagan! So sorry you had to go through that. I probably would’ve been pulling my hair out.
    But on a lighter note, I’ve never seen nicer doors in a bathroom before. 🙂
    I hope you’ll find another alternative for your story. ❤️💐

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  11. That’s just crazy! Anyone can hit the wrong button, and it’s ridiculous you have no option to make it right. I’d be so frustrated, Teagan. But I have to say I haven’t come across an author who’s been happy with Vella

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. I don’t think I have either, Teri. It didn’t work out for me a year ago, but that was mostly workload. I really wanted to give it another try, because it *should* expose me to a new & different audience. Even so, as far as I could tell, the story didn’t have many (any?) readers — BUT I got paid bonuses, which were more than the money of selling books.
      They have two strikes now. I really doubt that I’ll give them the chance at a third strike.
      Thanks for reading and commenting. Hugs.

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

  12. Well it gave you an interesting blog post with wonderful door pictures to illustrate your points. While not worth the aggravation of loosing 70 something chapters, it did off a small 🌈. Looking forward to the next Atonement adventure. Hope ful hugs chuffing your way. 🐖🐖🐖

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  16. Oh my, Teagan. What a nightmare with Vella. I tried it when it first came out and it just didn’t work for me. I’m so sorry that this happened to you! At least the story isn’t lost. I know you’ll find a way to share it, but what an ordeal.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. I can always publish it… But I wanted to release it at the same time as a second adventure for Cornelis Drebbel, and that one is not even close to finished. It’s been “on the shelf” for years. So, the first one (a past blog serial) was a great fit for Vella. Something I could use to give Vella another try, and not set myself back in any way. So much for that. Thanks for reading and commenting. Hugs.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    1. Thanks for being empathetic, John. Kindle support (it seems they are always in India) for regular publishing has been fantastic. But the Vella group… it was a mindless disaster. Oddly enough, they seem to be in USA. Seems ironic. Wishing you an easy coast down the other side of this midweek hump. Hugs.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  20. You’ve definitely given us a cautionary tale. Avoid Vella. I’m sorry to hear you were given an impossible choice but I think you did the right thing. Kindle is a monolith without ears or common sense.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  22. So, sorry, Teagan. Grrrrrr! They are a law onto themselves. The story was doing well, and it wasn’t anything to do with the story, so you did well. They are the ones who should sort themselves out. So frustrating! I came across Cornelius Drebble in one of the books I’m reading, which made me think about you and your story. Thinking about you and sending you positive vibes. Big hugs. ♥

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. I can always publish it, although the 1-year waiting period might still apply. But I wanted to release it at the same time as a second adventure for him, and that one is not even close to finished. It’s been “on the shelf” for years. So, this one was a great fit for Vella. Something I could use to give Vella another try, and not set myself back in any way. Oh well. Now to get another landscaping estimate. Ugh.
      Big hugs back, my friend. ❤

      Like

      Reply

      1. I agree. It’s such an easy mistake to make and then correct. When I taught online, if an assignment submission seemed really off, I’d message the student and ask if they’d uploaded the wrong file.

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply

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