Alexa-Skill Monetization possibilities for developers

Question

We created Alexa Skill using AWS Lambda. Currently our skill is available as FREE skill.

Is there option to develop a paid skill ( advertisements / in-app purchases )? Looking for Monetization options for developers. Looked at https://developer.amazon.com/alexa-skills-kit documentation but didn't find any doc which says I can or I cannot develope such paid skill.

Is this even possible in Skills? AWS is chargeable service and I'll be charged for my FREE Skill but not the end user.

Any examples or links available on the same?

Answer 1

No, Amazon does not yet provide any facility for charging for skills (ie. 'paid skills'), but it sounds like they might be working on it and there are some other options...

Here's a post discussing some possibilities, by a guy I've come to trust on Alexa issues:
https://forums.developer.amazon.com/questions/5255/paid-skills.html

And here is a thread with some clarification from an Amazon person in July:
https://forums.developer.amazon.com/questions/27430/skills-monetization-request-clarification.html

Answer 2

It seems like the only way that you can do this as of now, is to have a premium version of your skill. In order to do this you would need your own server and authentication system to know which users get access to this extra skill functionality.

Answer 3

Announced first quarter of 2018, Amazon has started a Beta developer preview for monetization options, including premium paid skills and in app purchases with Alexa, See: https://developer.amazon.com/blogs/alexa/post/a51e1424-6fdf-42f4-8683-07dd134d00bb/amazon-announces-new-ways-to-earn-money-with-your-alexa-skills-developer-preview. Secondly to the point that your skill is free, however it cost you to host your skill because AWS is a "chargeable service", It is however providing you have at least one skill published and live, Amazon provides $100 of credits usable for AWS services to essentially make it free monthly. The trick is to provide a skill or service that provides value and daily return users to make this a reality of earning from your labor, good luck!