Powell’s Rehires, More Harry Potter, and Some Celebrity Reading Livestreams: This Week in Book News.
Another week of social distancing and it’s starting to feel a bit more normal. As normal as staying in my small, Toronto apartment full time can…
KWL – 190 – Finding the Motivation to Become a Published Author with Glenn Dyer
Historical fiction author Glenn Dyer was in his sixties and freshly retired when he published his first novel, The Torch of Betrayal. Now planning the release…
Twelve Books by Trans and Nonbinary Authors to read on Trans Day of Visibility (and any other day)
Today is Trans Day of Visibility, a day to celebrate trans and nonbinary people around the globe and to honour the courage it takes to live…
Authors Helping Authors, Virtual Book Festivals, and Some Things to Keep You Busy During Social Distancing
Another week of adjusting to our new normal is in the books, and I hope everyone is still doing okay. Here at KWL we’ve settled into…
KWL – 189 – Touring as an Author vs. Touring as a Musician with Eamon McGrath
Canadian musician and author Eamon McGrath joins us on the podcast this week to discuss the differences and similarities between being a musician and being an…
Adjusting to Social Distancing and Finding Silver Linings: This Week in Book News
Hi KWL Community, This week has been a tough one, and we hope you’re doing okay. As we all adjust to social distancing and what that…
KWL – Ep 188 – Writing Advice and Finishing Your First Draft with Andrew David MacDonald
Debut author Andrew David MacDonald joins us on the podcast this week. Fresh off the release of his first novel, When We Were Vikings, Andrew talks…
Jill Shalvis, author of Almost Just Friends: “The call that changed my life”
This content originally appeared on Walmart.com Everyone has a “How I Started My Career” story. Which is different from their “My First Job” story. Cuz my…
More Coronavirus Cancellations, Inspiring Teen Writers, and a Love Letter to an Appliance: This Week in Book News
I think I speak for everyone when I say this week has been A Lot. Living in the era of the never-ending news cycle can be…
KWL – Ep 187 – Kobo In Conversation with Saeed Jones
Award winning poet Saeed Jones was in the Kobo office recently to discuss his new memoir, How We Fight For Our Lives. In conversation with maxine…
LBF is Cancelled, Simon and Schuster is for Sale, A Walkout at HBG: This Week in Book News
It has been a big week for book news as the effects of the Coronavirus continue to hit the publishing industry. There were also some big…
KWL – 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…
Q&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…
Comic 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…
KWL – Ep 185 – Getting Creative with your Book Marketing with T S Paul
Bestselling Science Fiction and Paranormal author TS Paul joins us to discuss how he went from a reluctant writer to an author who puts out over…
New year, new you, new book
This content was originally published on Kobo.com As the Senior Manager of Author Experience at Kobo, Tara Cremin is constantly working with authors. Over the years, she’s…
The 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…
KWL – Bonus Episode: The Future of Publishing with the Kobo Writing Life Team
As 2020 is a leap year and contains an extra day, we figured why not record an extra podcast! Our international KWL team members were in…
KWL – Ep 184 – Writing Retreats and Finding Your Writing Community with Darcy Burke
USA Today bestselling author Darcy Burke sits down with Steph and Tara to discuss the importance of having a writing group, what writing retreats are really…
New Memoirs, Valentine’s Day, and 594 Ways to Read Jane Eyre: What’s Happening in the Literary World this Week.
Happy Valentines Day! I know today isn’t everyone’s favourite holiday (myself included), but you can’t deny how great curling up with a good book while devouring…
KWL – Ep 183 – Writing Great Romance with Jennifer Probst
New York Times Bestselling romance author Jennifer Probst discusses her experience in publishing and how she found her success in an evolving industry. Jennifer tells us…
The KWL 2020 Reading Bingo Challenge
Hello KWLers and welcome to the KWL 2020 Reading Challenge! Is it a little bit late? Maybe. But in our defense, it has been really busy…
Prizes, Controversy, and Book-Inspired Fashion: What’s Happening in the Literary World
Happy Friday! After a brief hiatus, we’ve decided to reboot our Literary Round Up feature, compiling all of the important book-related news in one convenient location.…
KWL – 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!)…
KWL – Ep 181 – Building Your Readership through Email Marketing with Holly Mortimer
Holly Mortimer, both an author and email marketing specialist, discusses strategies authors can implement to sell more books. Holly describes the common mistakes authors make when…
KWL – Ep 179 – How to Plot a Mystery with Sara Rosett
Sara Rosett, USA Today bestselling author, gives her tips for plotting mystery novels, discusses the psychology of why readers choose cozy mysteries, and explains the challenges…
KWL – Ep 178 – The Pirate Author Code with David Mark Brown
David Mark Brown speaks to Kobo Writing Life about Fiction Vortex and StoryVerse™, which allows authors to collaborate and make narrative content in shared worlds. Listen…
KWL 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…
KWL – Ep 177 – Writing Crime Fiction with Robert Craven
Crime fiction writer Robert Craven chats to us about how he writes strong female characters, his formula for writing and pitching a book, and provides insight into the conference scene in the UK and Ireland
The Best Indie Cover Contest Final Poll!
Thank you to everyone who submitted and voted! We are delighted to present the 10 finalists below in our best overall cover poll.
KWL Ep. 176 Exploring Steampunk with Victoria L. Szulc
Multi-media artist and author Victoria L. Szulc chats to us about using steampunk as a creative theme and how she is able to create her own…
Rakuten News Update
We have some news to share with you before we wrap up business for 2019. As you are aware, in early 2015 our parent company Rakuten…
KWL 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…
The Best Indie Book Cover of 2019!
It’s here! Huge thanks to everyone who entered the contest. It was tough to narrow it down, but we have selected ten finalists in each category!…
KWL Ep 174 Original Content with Audiobook Expert Michelle Kaatz
In this episode, we pulled Kobo’s very own Michelle Kaatz from her desk to tell you all about Kobo Originals and give her sizzling hot takes…
KWL – Ep 173 – Launching a Stand-Out Series Wide with Michael Anderle
Michael Anderle, best-selling indie author, gives us the scoop on the launch of his first “wide” series, Opus X. He tells us his author origin story, and…
KWL Ep 172 – Storytelling for Change with Juan Pablo Villalobos
This week on the podcast, award-winning Mexican author and academic Juan Pablo Villalobos spoke to us about his latest title, The Other Side. This project explores…
KWL Ep 171 – Making Your Backlist Work for You with Zoe York
Zoe York talks to us about how she began her career writing “the stories of her heart”, and then went on to turn those stories into…
Ten Emergency Medicine Myths From Reddit, Vetted by an ER Doctor
By Melissa Yi Hi, I’m Dr. Melissa Yi, emergency physician and the author of GRAVEYARD SHIFT, which debuted November 1st. Have you ever wondered if the…
KWL Ep#168 – The Author and Narrator Relationship with Rachel Grant and Greg Tremblay
Author Rachel Grant and her narrator Greg Tremblay shed some light on the process of creating an audiobook. Rachel discusses the working relationship she has with Greg and how his narration has influenced her future work. Greg shares his experience as a narrator, and the process for creating audiobooks. Start self-publishing today with KWL.
#165 Storytelling with Waubgeshig Rice
Waubgeshig Rice, an author and journalist originally from Wasauksing First Nation, talks about his latest novel, Moon of the Crusted Snow, a take on a post-apocalypse story told from an indigenous perspective. He also describes his path to writing and offers advice for young aspiring writers.
#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.
KWL Ep. 162 Behind the Book with Ghost Writer Joshua Lisec
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…
How Not To Get Lost in Translation
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!
Planning: How to Keep Your Sanity as an Indie Author
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.
Podcast Ep 157 – Creating Your Own Audiobook with Sarah Williams
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…
Why Book Blurbs are Crucial to the Success of your Novel
A look into why the book descriptions of bestselling novels work so well and how to craft a captivating blurb.
My Writing Life: EWP Romance Winner, Julie Evelyn Joyce
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.
The Essential Storytelling Ingredient That Makes Your Story More Addictive
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.
Getting Your Story Heard
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.