Continuing its ongoing efforts to have a finger in every single literary pie that’s going, Amazon has now realised that it hasn’t as yet made any money from the ever popular realm of literary journals, and so has set about remedying that by preparing to make money from the ever popular realm of literary journals. The multi-hyphenate online behemoth has launched Day One in its American Kindle store, a typically ambitious weekly publication that will endeavour to highlight the work of new and emerging authors and poets.

Subtitled ‘A literary journal for the digital age’, Day One will be delivered directly to the Kindles (and associated apps) of subscribers, with a 52 week subscription usually retailing at $19.99 but currently on offer at the introductory price of $9.99. There is, as yet, no sign of an equivalent (or even just the same) publication in Amazon’s UK shop, but presumably if it meets with a reasonable level of success in the US a more global rollout will follow.

Each issue will focus on just one author and one poet apiece, with poetry sitting alongside either a short story from a debut writer or an English translation of work from non-Anglophone countries. It will also include a letter from the editor, Carmen Johnson, exclusively commissioned cover art and ‘occasional bonus content such as playlists, illustrations, or brief interviews with the authors.’

Issue one contains “Sheila”, a short story by Rebecca Adams Wright about ‘the relationship between an elderly widower and his cherished (and robotic) spaniel, Sheila’; “Wrought”, a poem by Zack Strait; a conversation between the two writers in which they discuss their influences and future plans; and an interview with Forsyth Harmon, the illustrator responsible for this issue’s cover art. It is available now. Next week sees new work from short story writer Clare Beam and poet Morgan Parker.