Commonly Miscategorized Genres and Subgenres: Why These Mistakes Matter
Incorrectly categorizing your books can keep them away from your target readership. Worse still, this could lead to bad reviews, when readers do not get what they expect. Are your novels in the right category?
Read article5 Steps to Standing Out and Selling More in Your Genre
So, you have a concept of the tale you want to tell. Is the story truly of your own design? Follow these five steps to creating an original story.
Read articleReflections: The Inner World of a Multi-Genre Author
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 call is not uncommon, but necessary to jot those ideas down before they dissipate and forever escape me. Basically, it’s impossible to silence my…
Read articleHow to mix genres and make heroes
By Johnny B. Truant When people review my Fat Vampire books, they say two things. They say them so often and so consistently that I’m almost numb to how awesome they are. Almost, but not quite. The first goes something like this: “What a refreshing twist on a ‘done to…
Read articleToronto Event: Science-Fiction: The Interdisciplinary Genre Conference at McMaster University
From Friday September 13 to Sunday September 15, join Kobo Writing Life Director Mark Leslie Lefebvre at McMaster University for the Science Fiction: The Interdisciplinary Genre conference, in honour of Robert J. Sawyer’s archival donation to the McMaster University Library Collections. Special guests at the conference include Robert J.…
Read articleKWL – 217 – How to Excel at Co-Writing with PC Cast and Kristin Cast
Bestselling mother-daughter author duo, PC Cast and Kristin Cast, join us on the podcast this week. PC and Kristin tell us how they got their start writing and what prompted them to start working together, what their co-writing process looks like and how their individual writing practices differ, and they…
Read articleIntroducing the KWL #OwnVoices Free Page Promotion
Hi writers! As you know, we here at Kobo Writing Life are huge fans of promoting our authors’ work and supporting the indie author community, which is why we’re so excited to announce a new list that will be appearing on our free page: #OwnVoices #OwnVoices is a term coined…
Read articlePrinting Capacity, Independent Bookstore Day, and Writing About 2020: This Week in Book News
Happy last Friday of August, everyone! It’s wild to me that we’re almost in September and summer is coming to an end. Where does the time go?! I know a lot of our authors are also parents and are gearing up to either send their kids back to school or…
Read articleKWL – 207 – Assembling a Street Team with Nick Thacker
Bestselling author Nick Thacker joins us on the podcast this week to discuss utilizing street team marketing to grow your readership. Nick explains how to use your mailing list to find beta readers, get honest feedback about your work, and learn more about your target audience and what they’re looking…
Read articleKWL – 206 – Creating a Fictional Future with Megan Angelo
Author Megan Angelo joins us on the podcast this week to discuss her debut novel Followers. Megan tells us what inspired the story of Followers, how she created the fictional not-too-distant future of 2051 and grounded it in reality, and how her previous work as a journalist helped her craft…
Read articleCanada Reads, a Bestseller Controversy, and a Bromance Book Club: This Week in Book News
Happy Friday, everyone! I hope you’re continuing to stay safe, healthy, and cool during this hot and humid July (if you’re located somewhere that is not over 30 degrees celcius and/or has a humidex of under 85% know that I’m wildly jealous). Compared to weeks passed, it was a relatively…
Read articleKWL Live Takeover with The Hot Sheet’s Jane Friedman
The Kobo Writing Life team is excited to announce our latest Live Q&A on July 23rd 2020. From 12:00 PM-1:00 PM EST, our takeover guest, Jane Friedman, will be answering all your questions on the Kobo Writing Life Facebook and YouTube pages. If you can’t make the takeover, feel free to comment on…
Read articleKWL – 203 – Establishing Your Author Brand with Dana Kaye
Veteran Publicist, social media pro, and brand manager Dana Kaye joins us on the podcast this week to discuss all things marketing, publicity, and branding. Dana gives us some great advice on striking a balance between PR and marketing, pitching yourself and your books to media outlets, and identifying and…
Read articleCelebrate Pride Year Round with these 33 Books by LGBTQ+ Authors
This year commemorates the 50th anniversary of the first Pride march, but with social distancing measures in place across the world Pride as we know it is looking a lot different this year. Some cities have taken the celebration online, some have organized marches in solidarity with the Black Lives…
Read articleKWL Playlist of the Month: Video Game Soundtracks
Writing to music is a controversial subject. Some of us need absolute silence to get writing done, some of us need some background noise, and some of us require the perfect soundtrack. I fall into the last camp. I always have music playing, no matter what I’m doing in my…
Read articleKWL – 199 – Selling Audiobooks to the Kobo Customer with Elyse Daniels
Kobo’s Global Audiobook Merchandiser Elyse Daniels is on the podcast this week discussing all things audio. Elyse tells us the ins and outs of selling audiobooks on Kobo, including what genres do especially well as audiobooks, how she curates audiobook promotions and emails, what types of promotions are the most…
Read articleKWL – 198 Incorporating Mythology and Folklore into Your Writing with Skye MacKinnon
Skye MacKinnon is an international bestselling author who writes across multiple genres, from science fiction to fantasy to paranormal romance and even children’s books. Skye joins us on the podcast this week to discuss writing in different genres and how she manages to incorporate her love of Scottish folklore and…
Read articleKWL Live Takeover with Director of the Alliance of Independent Authors, Orna Ross
The Kobo Writing Life team is excited to announce our latest Live Q&A on May 20th 2020. From 12:00 PM-1:00 PM EST, our takeover host, Orna Ross, will be answering all your questions on the Kobo Writing Life Facebook and YouTube pages. If you can’t make the takeover, feel free to comment on…
Read articleFundraising, New Simone De Beauvoir, and Celebrity Bookshelves: This Week in Book News
I can’t believe May is already here! It seems like April just flew by. Although I think we can all agree that during social isolation, time does start to feel meaningless. Regardless, warmer weather and sunshine is definitely welcome, even if we do have to enjoy it from inside our…
Read articleHow to Stay Creative in Challenging Times
By Orna Ross Are you using lockdown to tackle that project you’ve always wanted to complete? Or struggling to find motivation and inspiration in these crazy conditions? There are a lot of social media messages going around at the moment, insisting that it’s okay not to be operating at peak…
Read articleKWL – 193 – Adapting Your Novel for the Screen with Maggie Marr
Maggie Marr has been an entertainment attorney, a producer, an entertainment agent, and is a USA Today bestselling author. She joins us on the podcast this week to discuss her journey from the courtroom to the bestseller list, what it takes to make the jump from author to screenwriter, and…
Read articleWhat I Wish I’d Known When I Began Self-Publishing
By D.F. Hart I began this journey in March of 2019, and literally had no clue what I was doing through my first three book releases. In the interests of helping others avoid those mistakes, here are some things I would do differently if I had it to do all…
Read article18 Questions to Ask when Refreshing your Author Website
By Nate Hoffelder With all public events canceled for the duration, your website is ten times more important than it was last month. You can no longer rely on meeting people in person and winning them over; now you have to woo online – and that includes on your website.…
Read articleAre you a Writer of the Future?
Are you a new sci-fi or fantasy author that’s looking for some well earned recognition? Then you may want to consider entering the Writers of the Future contest! It’s free to enter your story and you can enter one each quarter. You’ll be competing with other new authors and your…
Read articleKWL – Ep 186 – The Importance of a Pen Name with Tawdra Kandle
Tawdra Kandle, a USA Today bestselling romance author, writes across multiple genres using just as many pen names. She tells us why she decided to utilize pen names, how these names came about, and how they’ve proven to be incredibly useful marketing tools. Tawdra describes her publishing journey and how…
Read articleQ&A with J. Robert Kennedy
J. Robert Kennedy is a bestselling author with over fifty titles under his belt and over one million copies sold. He was kind enough to take some time out his incredibly busy schedule (he’s currently writing the 28th (!!) title in his James Acton series) to answer some of our…
Read articleComic Book Rumors, Children’s Book Scams, and some Wonderful Book-themed Essays: This Week in Book News
Happy Friday, y’all! I hope you don’t mind, but instead of sharing strictly news this week I’ve also included some book-related articles I absolutely loved; you can find them at the end of this post! There has been some wonderful reading on the internet this week – I hope you…
Read articleThe Impact of Climate Change on Publishing, A Margaret Atwood Ballet, and I Read Canadian: This Week in Book News
I don’t know about you guys, but this week has just flown by! I guess that’s the joy of four-day work-weeks, huh? (Sincere apologies to those of you who didn’t have a holiday on Monday.) In addition to a bit of publishing and book news, this week also included the…
Read articleKWL Facebook Takeover with BookBub’s Carlyn Robertson
The Kobo Writing Life team is excited to announce our latest Facebook Live Q&A on February 27th 2020. From 2:00 PM-3:00 PM EST, our takeover host, BookBub’s Carlyn Robertson, 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…
Read articleKWL – 182 – Misconceptions about Motorcycle Romance with Autumn Jones Lake
USA Today bestselling author, Autumn Jones Lake explains the misconceptions associated with motorcycle romance, how she plots her Lost Kings MC series (15 books and counting!) and shares her tips for aspiring romance writers. Autumn tells us about her publishing journey from trying out traditional publishing, working with a small…
Read articleKWL Ep 180 – A New Approach to Author Branding with Vanessa Vale
Vanessa Vale, USA Today bestselling author of sexy romance novels, discusses publishing in a niche genre and how she strives for brand recognition through her author name rather than a singular book. Vanessa talks about her strategy for going wide, her rigorous release schedule, and the process of creating translations.…
Read articleKWL Ep 175 The Queen of YA: Holly Black
With 30 books published for children and teens, New York Times bestselling author Holly Black, discusses the evolution of the young adult genre from when she published her first book in 2002. She talks about the inspiration behind her latest series The Folk of the Air and what she is…
Read articleQuiz Time: Which Indie Romance Series Do You Belong In?
Based on your romance reading preferences, we’ll recommend a bestselling romance series you’re meant to be in. You may just find your next binge-worthy read!
Read articleMarket Research Doesn’t Have to Hurt
Noah Steele, indie author of gay romance, shares his insights on market research. It’s not as scary as you might think!
Read articleEp #170 From Wedding Planner to Writer with Violet Howe
Violet Howe talks to us about her writing career and how feeling strongly about her story and characters led her to indie publishing. Violet discusses how writing two different series in the same town allows her to explore two genres. Violet also talks to us about how her past work experiences have influenced her writing but also how they have helped with other aspects of her writing business.
Read articleSix Tips on How to Write Sizzling First Love Scenes
Prize-winning author, former BBC journalist, bookseller and magazine editor Helena Halme shares her wisdom on creating gripping, sexy, and heartfelt first romantic encounters.
Read articleThe Broken Union of Narrative Voice and Story (and how to bring them back together)
Narrative voice and story content are intricately bound together, and the two must be compatible for your novel to work. Recognize the four most common issues with narrative voice and how to overcome them.
Read articleNaNoWriMo 2019: Beginning of the Trail
Our NaNoWriMo journey has begun! Check out Joanna Penn’s 5 tips to help you write a novel in one month. Plus an exclusive offer on The Writer’s Toolbox 2019 and The Successful Author Mindset.
Read articleKWL Facebook Takeover with OverDrive’s Adam Sockel and Jill Grunenwald
The Kobo Writing Life team is excited to announce our latest Facebook Live Q&A on November 21st 2019. From 12:00 PM-1:00 PM EST, our takeover hosts Jill and Adam, will be answering all your questions on the Kobo Writing Life Facebook page. If you can’t make the takeover, feel free to comment…
Read articleThe Book Scoop: October Edition and Horror Writing Playlist
Catch up on popular new releases across genres this October. Plus news on major book award winners and a spine-tingling horror writing playlist!
Read articleWar, Resistance, and Exile: Anne Allen on Writing The Guernsey Novels
Award-winning author Anne Allen discusses the fascinating history of the British island of Guernsey. The island’s turbulent past and its connection to the legendary Victor Hugo served as a backdrop of inspiration for The Guernsey Novels.
Read article5 Advantages of Writing in Multiple Perspectives
Have you ever considered telling a story in different points of view? Five key ways multiple narratives can benefit your novel, adding depth and meaning to your story.
Read articleThe Age of Audiobooks: Rising Popularity and Expert Perspectives
KWL recently launched an audiobook upload service for its authors! Whether you are considering creating an audiobook or just want to stay up to date with shifts in the publishing industry, read on for expert insight and interesting facts. For audiobook inquiries, email writinglife@kobo.com. Audiobooks Publisher’s Association The US-based Audiobooks…
Read article#164 – Learning the Habits of your Readers with Emma Chase
Emma Chase, NYT bestselling author, discusses the importance of learning the habits of your readers and setting reader expectations before the release of a new book. She discusses how she built up her newsletter audience and gives us hints about what to expect next from her Royally series.
Read articleKWL Ep. 163 How to Stay Relevant with an Authentic Online Presence with Rachel Van Dyken
New York Times best-selling author, Rachel Van Dyken discusses how having an authentic online presence offers something tangible to readers and allows authors to stay relevant in the ever-changing publishing world. She talks to us why she decided to be a hybrid author and discusses her upcoming novel Fashion Jungle which she co-wrote with model Kathy Ireland.
Read articleFacebook Live with Ryan from BookSweeps
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!
Read articleEmpowering Wisdom from Female Authors
A follow-up to our last infographic, which did not give women authors the love they deserve!
Read article