Audiobook Options and Kindle Vella

I've mentioned Audiblegate a couple of times before and also talked about the internal debate I was having with respect to moving my audiobook catalog - including how that deliberation was delaying the audio production of Conjuration (Kid Sensation #9).  I've finally come to a decision, and I think I'm going to go ahead and create the audio version of Conjuration via ACX/Audible.   

That said, the fact that I'm sticking with Audible for the nonce doesn't mean I'm fully satisfied with them or their policies, which have improved somewhat but still need work.  However, Audible recently changed one such policy so that authors who decide to be exclusive with Audible (because exclusivity pays a higher royalty) are no longer locked into a 7-year contract.  (Yes, you read that right - 7 years.)  Now you can walk away from exclusivity after 90 days.  Ergo, I can go ahead and creation the audio version of Conjuration while I continue weighing the options of what to do with my audio catalog, and if I ultimately decide to no longer be exclusive, at worse I only need to wait 90 days after Conjuration is released. 

An author's work, however, is never done; there's always something new on the horizon. In this case, it's  a new program Amazon is introducing called Kindle Vella.  It probably isn't on the radar of many readers yet (and probably won't actually be available for several months), but here's a link to the official video describing it:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjBoQrFgOms

In essence, Vella invites authors to upload new written works in "episodes" of 600 - 5000 words.  For readers, the first three episodes will be free; afterwards, readers will have to buy each additional episode.  Moreover, episodes are purchased using tokens (which have to be bought) rather than cash. It doesn't appear that the price of tokens are completely set in stone yet, but the evidence suggests that they will be cheaper in bulk.  For instance, current pricing shows 200 tokens for $1.99, but you can get 1700 tokens for $14.99.  (This is different than the prices shown in the video - evidence again that prices are in flux.) Also, it seems that episodes will sell for about 1 token per 100 words.  So if an episode is 600 words long, it will cost a reader 6 tokens; if it's 4000 words long, that's 40 tokens.

Frankly speaking, I'm not completely sold on the program and - in my present state of mind - probably won't participate.  In essence, it doesn't suit my business model:  stories on Vella must be exclusive (can't previously have appeared anywhere else - even on Amazon) and can't be published in any other form. In other words, no print or audio versions.  Of course, you can always unpublish them on Vella and then publish them in the traditional manner (and other formats), but it seems like a hassle. 

Anyway, my non-participation is not yet set in stone, so anything can happen.  Like the situation with my audiobook catalog, I'll spend some time thinking about it and try to figure out the best course of action. (And of course, if any readers have thoughts about Vella, please feel free to share.)