Every author has a characteristic writing style and a creative essence that they use to put words to paper. Take the quiz to learn what resonates in your writing. If you are yet to be published, use your imagination for the questions about your novel!
Joshua Lisec take us behind the scenes on what it is like being a celebrity ghostwriter. He discusses how he became a ghostwriter, what the ghostwriting…
The Kobo Writing Life team is excited to announce our latest Facebook Live Q&A on September 20th 2019. From 12:00 PM-1:00 PM EST, our takeover host, Ryan Zee from Booksweeps will be answering all your questions on the Kobo Writing Life Facebook page. If you can’t make the takeover, feel free to comment on this post with your questions and we can ask them for you! Keep reading to learn more about Ryan and his experience in the indie world, and get your questions ready!
A follow-up to our last infographic, which did not give women authors the love they deserve!
Dutch author Jeroen van Mastbergen enlisted the help of translator Goltan Varashk to translate his Young Adult title in English. Here they tell us about the process of working together––and the challenges of translating jokes!
With 20 years in the industry and over 100 novels under her belt, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jill Shalvis shares her tips for finding the right method of publication for you and how to sustain a lifelong publishing career.
KWL authors share their experiences of how their characters came to life and took the story into their own hands.
Margaret Atwood’s long awaited sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale has arrived! Plus recommended reads featuring fierce females who overcome insurmountable odds.
If you’re one of those writers who buys a planner six months early, I’m betting you’re psyched to see the title of this article! If not, I hope to lure your over to the dark side with some guidelines to help keep you on track as an author and savvy entrepreneur.
Julie Evelyn Joyce talks to us about the inspiration for prize-winning novel Steeped in Love. Julie shares how writing Gilmore Girls fan fiction taught her about craft and how a chance meeting at RWA led her to entering and winning Kobo’s Emerging Writer Prize!
If you’ve been soaking up the final glorious rays of summer or have been too busy to follow new releases, let me introduce some great titles that have come out this month.
This week, Steph and Joni sat down with David Wind, author of The Indie Writer’s Handbook. Wind has written 59 titles and started his author journey with a traditional publisher, before becoming a very early adopter of indie publishing in 2008.
Creating a vivid and realistic setting for your readers is a complex process. KWL breaks down the nuances of setting, from its relation to characters, plot, and symbolism, writing with the five senses, and figurative language. Plus, some musical inspiration for setting: get lost in your fantasy world with our playlist of the month!
Nora Decter, Kobo’s Emerging Writer Prize Winner for Literary Fiction, chats to us about her debut novel How Far We Go and How Fast. She talks about…
KWL has compiled a list of budget-friendly book review platforms that will help get readers talking about your book.
When it comes to writing, people who learn this craft – both for professional or personal use – can benefit from advice. When this advice comes from notable authors, those that have produced some of the best books and stories ever written, their words are worth taking into account. Assignment Helper provides an inspiring infographic featuring advice from famous authors.
If you found yourself in a Jane Austen novel, who would you be? Do you see yourself in a story by the Brontë sisters? According to Austen, “there are as many forms of love as there are moments of time.” So have fun with this, it is by no means an absolute science.
This episode starts a little differently, with an excerpt from Sarah’s audiobook, The Brothers of Brigadier Station, narrated by Myles Pollard. If you’d like to read…
So you’ve written a book! Now what? Regardless of how long you’ve been writing, there’s a lot to learn about actually publishing your book. We’ve put together some of the most common blunders we see from indie authors. Some of these may seem like no brainers to you, others might spark a light bulb moment.
Jackie Lau reflects on her first year of self-publishing and the steps she took to ensure success. She discusses the importance of diversity in romance and how she wanted her characters to fill a void that is missing in the romance community. She also talks about how Twitter and Instagram are the social media platforms that work for her.
July passed by in a whirlwind, as it always does and always will. Here’s what you may have missed during the heatwave. I went on an epic journey through the internet jungle of Canadian, American, and Kobo bestseller lists, to update you on some great new summer reads.
Can listening to music help you write a better novel? Potentially. Here’s why you should consider incorporating instrumentals into your creative process.
Stefanie London, USA Today best-selling author, shares her tips for completing your first draft, how to sustain productivity while working from home and how to find the right editor for your project. She also discusses the importance of taking time off for your creativity.
Founder of Reedsy, Ricardo Fayet answers all our questions about the company from founding principles to their latest launch, Reedsy Discovery. He talks about SEO and steps authors can take to increase their searchability to ensure new readers find their books. He also discusses the manual process of acquiring freelance professionals to ensure authors have help for every step in their publishing career.
A look into why the book descriptions of bestselling novels work so well and how to craft a captivating blurb.
Steeped in Love, a self-published book by Julie Evelyn Joyce won this year’s Emerging Writer Prize for Romance. Get to know Julie, her writing style, and what inspired her winning book.
Simply put, stakes are the negative consequences of failure. If your protagonist fails, bad things will happen. Unlike an intriguing hook or compelling protagonist, stakes put readers under tension.
Audio has been worth all the hard work. The audiobook is currently a bestseller in the US and Australia, and Myles has agreed to record the next two books in the Brigadier Station serieslater in the year. We have also been invited to teach workshops together and attend book signings. One audiobook has raised my profile and dramatically increased my book sales.
Michael Tamblyn, the CEO of Kobo, provides the most compelling argument to date about why indie authors need to go wide. Spoiler: You don’t want one algorithm to run your life. Michael discusses the origin story of Kobo and Kobo Writing Life and his own unique career path that led him to where he is today. He also talks about how indie authors have been excellent at exploiting opportunities as the eBook market shifts. Join the platform that’s fast, free, easy. www.kobo.com/writinglife
Hooks and blurbs can literally make or break careers so I can’t overstate the importance of getting them right.
Indie publishing activist David Gaughran discusses the benefits of BookBub in targeting specific markets such as Kobo and how much money authors should spend on advertising. David discusses the importance of creating a marketing strategy and how to revive a title with decreasing sales.
Sacha Black joins us to discuss the archetypal villain and how writers can stop writing boring clichéd villains. Sacha gives tips on how to write a kickass protagonist that stands out and why copywriting is a skill all writers should continually work on.
Adam Dahari discusses the importance of books and how they can impact mental health.
The Kobo Writing Life team is excited to announce our latest Facebook Live Q&A on May 30th 2019. From 12:00 PM-1:00 PM EST, our takeover host, Ricardo Fayet from Reedsy will be answering all your questions on the Kobo Writing Life Facebook page.
Learn how to combat writer’s block or any type of creative block with Mythulu creation cards. Creator Laura Crenshaw talks about the creative process involved in…
I treat it like a job, because it is a job. I retain control of content, cover, blurb, and marketing. I am happier for it. I bring a healthy income into our household after years outside of the workforce. I actually found a career where walking the towns of Ireland and seeing the interior of a pub is in my job description.
Dale Mayer, USA Today bestselling author, gives advice to listeners on how to develop a long and successful career in indie publishing. She also explains how dictating her books helped her become one of KWL’s most prolific authors.
For this episode of the KWL Podcast, we hosted a very special live fireside chat at Kobo HQ in Toronto with bestselling authors Sally Thorne and Mhairi McFarlane. We dive deep into romantic comedies and the key components that make a great love story. Spoiler alert: it’s sexual tension!
Julie de Lestrange is a true KWL superstar in her native France. Her first independently published novel was such a success that she caught the attention…
Book Smart Romance: How Penny Reid bypassed gatekeepers to create her own niche market. Penny discusses the ways in which writing romance is revolutionary, why creators…
The Kobo Writing Life team is excited to announce our latest Facebook takeover on Thursday April 25th, 2019. From 12:00 PM-1:00 PM EST, our takeover host, author David Gaughran will be live on the Kobo Writing Life Facebook page chatting with KWL director Christine Munroe. We’ll be doing a Q&A and will answer questions from the audience if we have time, so be sure to tune in.
With 12 books releasing this year, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Carrie Ann Ryan, takes time out of her jam-packed schedule to talk to us about her writing technique, how the self-publishing landscape has changed since first starting out and why she wanted to branch out into a new genre. Carrie also gives listeners a sneak peek of her first YA novel, From Breath and Ruin.
Have you ever wondered if a book trailer would be right for your next novel? This week on the KWL podcast, Marina and Stephanie chatted with Adam Cushman, the founder of Film 14, about the benefits of creating a cinematic book trailer.
KWL EP 144 – Dharma Kelleher Gritty crime fiction writer, Dharma Kelleher joins us to talk about her experience as a transgender author, and the recent…
Are you an indie author looking to promote your titles and grow your readership? Kobo Writing Life and NetGalley have partnered to benefit authors and publishers looking to do just that.
Please enjoy this preview of Kobo’s new podcast Kobo in Conversation!
One of a potential reader’s biggest “sell” points is your book description. Sadly, it’s also one of the things that I most often see get mangled by authors. But fear no more! I’m going to give you a quick rundown on the elements you need for great cover copy.
Retired police officer, Brent Pilkey joins us to talk about his time as a beat cop for one of the roughest areas of Toronto, and how this experience influenced his writing. Brent discusses the genesis of his Rage series and how he decides which areas of being an officer should be excluded from his novels. Brent also discusses his writing process and what readers can expect from him next.
Bestselling author and KWL superstar Susan Stoker still occasionally falls victim to comparing herself to other authors. Here she discusses why comparison is destructive and how to battle self-doubt as an author.
Not sure where to start with publishing? Tara Cremin lays out the A-Z of Kobo Writing Life!
KWL EP 142 – Meredith Wild Superstar New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Meredith Wild, talks about her unique experience as being both an…
Book cover designer Stuart Bache joins us on the podcast this week debunking our theory that authors should not design their own covers. Stuart talks to us about his journey into cover design and how he started his business Books Covered.
Lauren Layne, New York Times bestselling author and branding superstar, shares her secrets on cultivating an author brand and mastering trickier social media platforms, specifically Instagram and Pinterest.
What’s happened in the book world this week?
Damon Suede, a chart-topping M/M romance author, will change the way you think about craft and characters.
Looking for inspiration for your next read? Adam Dahari describes his favourite reads by Indigenous Canadian authors!
Breakout star in France, Italy and Germany, Brenna Aubrey gives listeners tips on translations. Brenna also discusses how she fell into her niche (writing “geek romance”) and why ultimately, she decided on self-publishing rather than traditional.
In this episode, Stephanie and Marina interview USA Today best-selling author Nana Malone. Nana talks to us about her writing journey and how adapting and changing…
Pinterest is the single-biggest traffic driver to my website, and my click-through rate on my book-related pins is higher than anything I’ve ever seen on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Here are some of my key learnings on how authors can better use Pinterest.
What’s new in the literary world this week?
In this episode, Chrissy and Stephanie sit down with virtual assistant and CMO of Book+Main, Melissa Saneholtz.
By Angela Ackerman Show, Don’t Tell is one of those writerly phrases thrown out often enough that many writers can’t help but roll their eyes when…
KWL Author Experience Manager Tara Cremin connects with the global indie author community all the way across the world
In this episode, Steph sits down with Senior QA Analyst Wendy Reid from Kobo to learn more about accessibility in ePubs. Wendy gives us a breakdown…
By Joni Di Placido Calling all Canadian authors: The Kobo Emerging Writer Prize is now accepting submissions! Follow the link to see the rules and put…
In this episode we bring you a Kobo in Conversation with author Ben Macintyre about his latest book, The Spy and the Traitor. Ben was interviewed…
10 great TED talks to inspire you to start writing!
By Joni Di Placido It’s a new year and we’re bringing this feature back: a place to share the most interesting book news and author tips…
In this week’s episode, Cristina sits down with author and podcast producer Amanda Cupido to talk about her book Let’s Talk Podcasting: The Essential Guide to Doing it Right.
We’ve put together a challenge for anyone looking to embark on a reading journey and explore new genres and authors in 2019!
How I went from petrified to panelist By Judy Penz Sheluk My earliest memory of public speaking goes back to the eighth grade, when I stood…
By Elizabeth Jennings and Tiziana D’Oppido The Indie Unconference, Europe will take place in April 11–13 2019 in Matera, Italy SPECIAL GUESTS: Camille Mofidi and Sandra Lonchamp of Kobo Writing Life,…
In this episode, Rene sits down with the cast and crew of the recent film The House with a Clock in its Walls
KWL EP 131 – Ricci Wolman In this episode, Chrissy chats to Ricci Wolman the founder and CEO of Written Word Media. Ricci talks about why…
Happy New Year from us all at Kobo Writing Life! As we leave 2018 behind, let’s take a moment to celebrate and revisit some of the…
By Linda Shenton Matchett Even though 2018 marks my eleventh year of attending Crimebake, a mystery writing conference held each November in the Boston, Massachusetts area,…
In this episode, Steph and Laura chat to author Signe Pike about her novel The Lost Queen. Signe talks to us about her time as an…
This is a friendly reminder that as the holiday season approaches, the schedule for our regular content processing services will be adjusted.* December 21 is the…
In this episode of the KWL Podcast, Steph and first-time co-host Mickie interview Bishop Blue, a musical duo that is pioneering the concept of “novel songwriting.”
The Entire Kobo Staff 2018 has been a fantastic year for books and publishing. At the beginning of the year, we posted a KWL Reading Challenge…
It’s time for the finalists! The top three covers in every category have been placed into one final poll and we are asking YOU to vote for your overall favourite.
In this week’s episode, Rene sits down with Professor Dr. Lee Airton to talk about Airton’s new book, Gender: Your Guide: A Gender-Friendly Primer on What…
You’ll now have the option to browse through over 2,000 categories to find the ones that best suit your book and help tell your story.
The final category is NON-FICTION! Please scroll thorugh, vote for your favourite, and share on social media! Good luck, non-fiction writers!
Our EU Manager, Camille Mofidi, sits down to chat with UK Content Lead, Nick Coveney about the state of indie publishing in Great Britain. Welcome, Nick!…
KWL EP 127 – Adam Croft In this episode, Chrissy interviews international best-selling author Adam Croft. Adam talks to us about rethinking his writing career…
When my debut mystery novel, The Hanged Man’s Noose, was published in 2015, one of the first things I did was set up a bookstore event at my local Chapters. Visions of eager customers lining up outside the door danced through my head.
The reality was considerably different.
Week three, and our final fiction cover poll; with ten more beautiful book covers!
By Sierra Delarosa Are you aiming for your next book to become a bestseller? Why do some books become more popular than others? While there’s no surefire…
KWL EP 126 – Sarah Winman In this episode, author Sarah Winman drops by Kobo’s headquarters in Toronto to talk to Chrissy about her latest release,…
Melissa Chan is a local Toronto designer and founder of Literary Book Gifts, a gift shop for book lovers. She’s kindly offering an exclusive discount for KWL authors on her site––read on for the discount code!
The Kobo Writing Life team is excited to announce our latest Facebook takeover on November 29th 2018. From 1:00 PM-2:00 PM EST, our takeover host, Chrishaun Keller-Hanna will…
By Joni Di Placido Week 2 of our 2018 cover contest, and it’s time to look at Fantasy and Science Fiction titles! Scroll through the covers,…
KWL EP 125 – Courtney Summers In this episode, Stephanie and Marina sit down with New York Times best-selling author Courtney Summers. We talk to Courtney…
How do you feel about swearing in your books? Hard no, or appropriate when the narrative calls for it?
By Marina Ferreira Hello everyone! I have another quick literary round up for you today. Hope you’ve had a great and productive week working on your…
By Joni Di Placido As we approach the end of the year, it’s time to celebrate some of the best covers of 2018! We’re going…
By Joni Di Placido Affiliate income is an absolute no brainer for any independent publisher or author. Vivian Arend wrote a comprehensive guide about making the…
Kobo Writing Life Podcast Insights and inspiration for growing your self-publishing business, featuring interviews with bestselling authors and publishing experts. In this episode, Stephanie sits down…
By Dani Di Placido I read an article online a couple of years ago, stating that most American parents read to their children for less than…
This one is for those stat-hungry authors among you! A KWL author conducted a reader survey: here are some of the take-home messages.
By Signe Pike “I’m working on a novel” If you’ve ever uttered these words you are most likely acquainted with the particular horrors of trying to…
KWL EP 123 – Shayla Black In this episode, Stephanie and Laura sit down with New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Shayla Black.…
KWL author Robert Craven was invited to do a reading at the 2018 Murder One festival in Dublin. Here he shares some snippets about his experience.
Originally posted on Kobo.com There’s a chill in the air, leaves are falling, and we’re layering up with scarves and sweater dresses. But who says that…
All the book news you need from the past week!
We’ve partnered with Language+ Literary Translations, a team of experienced translators who specialize in literary genres. Language+ Literary Translations will offer a special discount to Kobo Writing Life authors as part of our partnership.
NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) began today! Wishing all you NaNoNovelists a fantastic month of writing!
KWL director Chrissy Munroe spoke with digital collections specialists Maria Cipriano and Beth Godlewski, who were informative, engaging and hilarious. Tune in to the podcast on iTunes, Spotify or anywhere you can download podcasts!
NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month: a frenzy of writing with the goal of producing a 50,000-word novel during the thirty days of November.
By Joni Di Placido Happy Friday! Before we head into the weekend, let’s recap what’s been happening in the world of books this week! The…
Folsom is one of the many indie authors who has the benefit of a secret weapon—a street team of ardent fans who are devoted to her and, perhaps more importantly, to her ongoing success as a writer.
In this episode, Chrissy chats with Kobo’s VP of Product and Devices, Ramesh Mantha to learn all about Kobo’s newest eReader: Forma
This literary festival is a unique conference in Europe dedicated to women’s fiction, with a four-day program for authors to learn more about the craft of writing fiction; the book market; the new landscape of both traditional and self-publishing.
The Kobo Writing Life team is excited to announce our latest Facebook takeover on October 26th 2018. From 12:00 PM-1:00 PM EST, our takeover host, Damon Courtney from Bookfunnel will be answering all your questions on the Kobo Writing Life Facebook page.
Each person who comments with a question and “likes” the Kobo Writing Life page will be automatically entered to win one of two $25 gift cards to the Kobo store.
Marina here with this week’s Literary Round Up! A few announcements: The Kobo Writing Life podcast is now releasing new episodes weekly! Check out the…
NaNoWriMo is a fun way to connect with a global writing community and a great way to focus on really prioritizing your writing for 30 days
In this episode, we sit down with the European Manager of Kobo Writing Life, Camille Mofidi.
KWL EP 119 – Sasha Cottman In this week’s episode, Chrissy sits down with Australian author Sasha Cottman. Sasha talks to us about her first-year…
By Joni Di Placido Welcome to this week’s literary round up! What’s new in the wonderful world of books this week? HUGE thank you to everyone…
By Victoria M. Patton First, what is an author platform? In essence, it’s a way for you to reach your potential readers, fans, followers, and ultimately…
While many of us work to keep ourselves physically well and look after our bodies, it’s easy to neglect our mental health. This is a gentle reminder today and every day, to be kind to yourselves and take care of you.
By Vannessa Barnier After working 9-5 for six months, I was itching to get into the woods and wash my hair with dirt. I organize poetry…
Hello everyone! Marina here with another Literary Round Up! I have some exciting and fun tidbits to share with you about everything that’s been happening…
If I could focus on one means of discovery for my books, I’d focus on libraries.
by Christine Munroe Happy International Podcast Day! These days, it seems like everyone has a podcast (including us!). But there are only so many hours and…
By Joni Di Placido Hello hello! Thanks to Marina for keeping this going while I was flitting around NYC last weekend! Chrissy is in NINC this…
KWL EP 118 – Lauren Weisberger and Mackenzie Belcastro In this week’s episode we bring you not one but two interviews! First, Rene d’Entremont, the director…
News from around the book world this week.
Hi Marina! We’re really happy to have you on board! Can you tell our authors a little about yourself? Hello! My name is Marina, and I…
The Kobo Writing Life team is excited to announce our latest author takeover on September 21st 2018. From 1:00 pm-2:00 pm EST, our author takeover host,…
KWL EP 117 – Kevin Tumlinson In this episode Chrissy interviews award-winning and bestselling author, Kevin Tumlinson. Kevin talks to us about overcoming the stigma of…
by Chrissy Munroe Once upon a time, in 1996, there was an older sister, whose younger sister went to Australia for a soccer training trip, while…
By Barbara Avon Enter, if you will, the mind of a multi-genre author. Images, ideas and words swirl aimlessly in my mind. A 3 a.m. wake-up…
By Joni Di Placido And we’re back, post long-weekend! I hope those of you in North America enjoyed the last long weekend of summer and are…
by Dr. Melissa Yi KWL: Hi, Melissa. How come you’re wearing a white coat? Melissa: Because I’m an emergency doctor. I also have one husband, two…
By Mackenzie Belcastro For eight months, my novel went through a series of identity crises. My high fantasy morphed into magical realism, as I killed my…
By Stephanie McGrath We recently spoke to an audiobook narrator Sean Pratt for an episode of the Kobo Writing Life podcast (listen here) and it got…
KWL EP 116 – Sean Pratt Join Steph and Joni as they sit down with Sean Pratt, an audiobook narrator who has recorded over 975 audiobooks.…
By Carmen Giraudy, Kobo Content Operations Manager There are a multitude of bookstore bucket lists available out there, describing the stores serious book lovers should visit…
By Joni Di Placido Welcome to the Literary Round Up, a new weekly feature where I’ll share Kobo and KWL updates, as well as any weird…
Good Morning Authors! Early this morning, Kobo launched eBooks with Walmart, the world’s largest retailer. Kobo’s CEO, Michael Tamblyn, has more details to share below: Walmart’s…
By Tara Cremin The fourth annual Romancing the Capital conference took place in Ottawa on August 2-4th. The conference is the brainchild of New York Times…
I’ve been writing crime fiction and psychological thrillers for a decade now, and have been self-publishing for around eight years.
I’m now fortunate enough to have sold more than 1.5 million books all around the world, and I’ve reached the position where I’m able to give something back.
It’s a great time to be an author.
KWL EP 114 – Scott Bintz In this episode, Chrissy chats to Scott Bintz, the founder of RealTruck.com, a 100-million-dollar e-commerce store from North Dakota. Recently,…
We’ve all been traditionally published and wanted the control and flexibility that independent publishing would allow us. Traditional publishers don’t tend to be interested in collaborations like our Steele Ridge series, but we had a vision and wanted to make it a reality.
Here’s the core idea: thinking out loud is often less arduous than writing. And it’s now easier than ever to combine the two, thanks to recent advances in speech recognition technology.
The Kobo Writing Life team is excited to announce our first author takeover on July 27th 2018. From 1:00 pm-2:00 pm EST, our author takeover host,…
KWL EP 113 – All About EPUBs with Simon Collinson and Ben Dugas from Kobo Join Chrissy as she sits down with EPUB experts Simon Collinson…
I believe that everyone has a story to tell. Mine began in a library.
By Joni Di Placido With library distribution via OverDrive now available to all KWL authors, we want to ensure our authors can take full advantage of…
KWL EP 112 – Lauren Blakely In this episode, Chrissy and Stephanie chat with #1 New York Times best-selling author, Lauren Blakely. Lauren talks about her…
By Erin Wright In the summer of 2017, I got together with five other Western Romance authors and we decided to put together a boxset…
By Adam Croft As authors, we’re all looking for that one change or shift in focus which will take our careers to the next level. I…
KWL EP 111 – Adam Sockel and Jill Grunenwald from Overdrive In this episode, Chrissy and Steph sit down with Adam Sockel and Jill Grunenwald from…
True revision, in which a writer takes apart a book and puts it back together again, terrified me. How could anyone pull it off?
I’ll tell you how: step by step, little by little, just like you wrote the book.
The opening of the novel is so important. It’s your pick-up line; you need to catch your reader’s attention, and hold it.
By Patricia Sands At sixty-three, when most people are settling into retirement, my unanticipated career as a writer began. I refer to this as my rewirement.…
By Tara Cremin Last month, thousands of romance writers and fans converged for the annual Romantic Times Booklovers Convention. What most people didn’t know upon…