Amazon is taking another step towards positioning itself as a content creator with the launch of StoryFront on Wednesday, a new platform for publishing short fiction.
StoryFront, Amazon's latest publishing imprint, will sell short stories a la carte -- 43 stories available at launch -- for as little as $0.99. The section will also serve as the home to Day One, a literary journal for Kindle devices that Amazon launched at the end of October.
“Based on the continued success of short fiction on Kindle as well as the enthusiastic response to Day One -- we received thousands of subscriptions in the first week -- we know readers are hungry for short stories and excited about exploring new genres,” said Daphne Durham, a longtime member of the Amazon books team who now heads up the Adult Trade and Children's Group. “With StoryFront, we’re feeding that enthusiasm by offering a wide range of stories curated by a team of editors who are committed to the craft.”
In addition to StoryFront and Day One, Amazon has also experimented with offering short, original content through its Kindle Singles program. On the broadcast side, Amazon is also ramping up its original TV programming.