Kobo Writing Life

A blog about writing and self publishing

Turning My Instagram Followers into Book Buyers—and a Movie Deal

Today’s #KWLWonderWoman is seriously inspiring. Katja Meier is a social worker at a refugee camp in Tuscany, working with women who are survivors of human trafficking. She wrote and self-published a memoir about her experiences which has now been optioned for a movie adaptation. Here Katja explains how she used her favourite social media platform, Instagram, to reach out to her audience and market her book.

“I can’t imagine giving up the control I now have over my books and career.”

Some might consider money to be too puerile a reason to choose one option over another (as opposed to the illusive concept of prestige), but we were struggling financially. Really struggling. I’d wake up in cold sweats at night. Writers have to eat; writers’ children need clothes, and school supplies.

Kobo Writing Life Podcast – Episode 100 – Behind the Scenes at Kobo with Featured Author Sarah Woodbury

For our 100th episode, we decided to give our listeners a behind-the-scenes look into Kobo Writing Life and the magic that goes into publishing a new title on Kobo. We follow Sarah Woodbury’s upcoming release The Favored Son, as it makes its way on to the Kobo store and into the libraries of our customers. We also introduce an exciting edition to the KWL podcast, Chrissy Munroe’s newest co-host, Stephanie McGrath!

Go Wide, Go Big—Go For It!

KWL is a team of 7 strong women running a major pillar of Kobo’s content catalogue. We LOVE hearing stories about how self-publishing empowers female writers to build booming independent publishing businesses, making enough money through writing to quit their day jobs, and even hire their partners, family members, or friends to support them. Here Julia Kent shares her tips for success.

Kobo Writing Life Podcast – Episode 097 – James Alan Gardner & Spider Robinson

Mark Lefebvre interviews James Alan Gardner and Spider Robinson, co-editors of the Tesseracts Twenty: Compostela anthology.  The stories in this anthology in their own way tell the tale of futuristic travelers who journey into the dark outer (or inner) reaches of space, searching for their own connections to the past, present and future relics of their time.

Tips and Tools to Help You Complete NaNoWriMo (or any writing project)

You’re down to the wire. The deadline for NaNoWriMo (or another writing project) looms on the horizon. But you’re behind. You’re afraid you’re not going to make it. You simply don’t have enough time to write the requisite number of words at your typical writing pace. Or the words just won’t come. Or both. What’s a writer to do?