Kindle Worlds gives uber fans with literary aspirations the chance to publish and sell their works based on their favorite books, comics, TV shows, music and games, free from legal reprisals.
Described by Amazon as “the first commercial publishing platform that will enable any writer to create fan fiction based on a range of original stories and characters and earn royalties for doing so,” Kindle Worlds has already secured licenses for "Gossip Girl" by Cecily von Ziegesar, "Pretty Little Liars" by Sara Shepard, and "Vampire Diaries," by L.J. Smith and claims that it will be announcing many more licensing deals across different forms of media in due course.
By securing the licenses, Amazon Publishing will essentially act as a middleman or broker, paying the rights holders a royalty for using their creations while also paying the author a royalty for sales. This means a piece of fan fiction 10,000 words or more in length will earn an author’s royalty of 35% of net revenue, while shorter stories (which Amazon typically sells at less than $1) will earn 20%.
The Kindle Worlds information site launches on May 22 but the platform and therefore the ability for writers to submit their works is not scheduled to go live until June, by which time Amazon expects to have secured licensing for up to 50 works, including by authors Barbara Freethy, John Everson and Colleen Thompson.
{{/usCountry}}The Kindle Worlds information site launches on May 22 but the platform and therefore the ability for writers to submit their works is not scheduled to go live until June, by which time Amazon expects to have secured licensing for up to 50 works, including by authors Barbara Freethy, John Everson and Colleen Thompson.
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