Becoming Hercules is a diverse coming-of-age story that brings Greek mythology back to its multicultural roots. It’s not a book, but a weekly serial, or web novel, currently exclusive to Amazon’s new Kindle Vella serialized story platform.
Click here to learn more about the story and its inspirations
How Kindle Vella Works
The first three episodes of a Kindle Vella serial are always free.
When you first sign into Kindle Vella, Amazon will drop 200 free Vella Tokens into your account, which you can use to unlock episodes beyond the first three. Becoming Hercules episodes tend to range from 10 to 20 tokens depending on their length.
Additional Vella Tokens can be purchased through Amazon and are non-transferrable.
Authors only get paid for their work when you unlock episodes with purchased Vella Tokens.
Unlock, Read, Like, Fave, and Review
As you read, you can hit the thumbs-up button at the bottom of episodes you like.
Buying and using Vella Tokens also gives you the ability to crown or “fave” the serial you like best each week.
You can also leave a review of the serial, just like for a book.
Likes, faves, and reviews help a serial gain exposure among new readers.
Location-Specific Guide
Inside the U.S.
In Any Internet Browser:
On the Kindle App for iOS:
Read Becoming Hercules on the Kindle app for iPhone or iPad. Search for “Becoming Hercules” and follow the story to receive notifications as new episodes publish.
Android users can access Kindle Vella only through a browser for now.
Outside the U.S.
While Amazon’s Kindle Vella platform is in beta release, participation is limited to U.S. authors and the content is only available to U.S. readers. We’re told the platform will eventually be opened to the rest of the world, but Amazon has not yet announced a date.
For now, you can use a VPN (Virtual Private Network) service on your network or device to set your location to the United States, and gain access to all the country-gated stories on Kindle Vella including Becoming Hercules.