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.
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.
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…
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.
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…
All the book news you need from the past week!
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.
In this episode, Chrissy chats with Kobo’s VP of Product and Devices, Ramesh Mantha to learn all about Kobo’s newest eReader: Forma
You asked for it – and now you have it! Free download tracking is now easier than ever in the KWL dashboard. Here is what you need to know about this exciting update.
by Tracy Cooper-Posey Here’s a question for you: Why did you get into indie publishing?
The episode you can’t miss: how to sell more books with BookBub.
We all want to increase our reader engagement, right? More social media comments, more newsletter opens, more purchases. But did you know that offering more choices might actual result in less action from your readers?
Author Judy Ford discusses her experience using the Kobo Writing Life cover design service.
In Episode 98, Mark Lefebvre interviews bestselling Australian thriller author Rachel Amphlett, who came to Kobo HQ during her international author tour. Rachel, her husband Nick, and Mark sat down to talk about how she finds inspiration, never giving up, sticking to a schedule, and more
Dear authors, you have been very patient with us. Our free download tracker has been broken for too long, and the behind-the-scenes work towards getting it…
When I thought about my readers, I lumped them all into one huge bucket. When I sent an email newsletter to my 500 readers, I couldn’t understand why some didn’t open and others didn’t click. . .As an indie author, identifying your readers offers opportunity to brainstorm new ways to connect with her.
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.
By Barbara G. Tarn Have you heard this great marketing tip? Include your book in a multi-author bundle, so that readers can cross-pollinate among various authors.…
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?
It’s day 8 of National Novel Writing Month, which is perfect timing to listen to some excellent inspiration from Grant Faulkner, Executive Director of NaNoWriMo. He…
If you’ve been an independent author for any length of time, you know the market has grown more competitive. So how can your books stand out in such a crowded marketplace?
When it comes to acknowledging what hurts us, the old saying, Deny, deny, deny! comes to mind. It’s no different with our characters, and in both cases, refusing to deal with wounding events carries a steep price.
After six years at Kobo, Mark Lefebvre is leaving his position as Director of Kobo Writing Life in order to pursue other dreams. Mark built KWL…
By Mignon Fogarty How to Use Commas Commas are always tricky because there are so many different ways you can use them, but one of the most…
By Eve Langlais When Kobo approached me for an article I jumped on it because how cool is that, to be asked to write something to…
By putting your name front and centre, even if you’ve only sold to family and friends, you’re making a statement that you deserve to be discovered.
I started making videos last July to promote my first novel, A Time and a Place, published October 1st 2017 by Five Rivers Publishing. I chose videos as a primary means of promotion because I believed they could make the biggest impact, and I could distribute them via multiple platforms for free.
By Stephanie McGrath You have successfully published your book and it is now live on our store. Congratulations! However, you notice a typo that needs immediate…
You’ve finished a first draft of your novel. Now what?
By Joan Frantschuk Have you ever screamed at Word because it just will not cooperate? Word is a writer’s best tool, best resource, best friend. Writing a…
The art of storytelling has been around as long as language, and its current form—what story nerds call structure—is not an accident. It works. It resonates. It strikes all the right chords deep inside the lizard part of our brains.
Huge congratulations to Claire Humphrey, winner of the 2017 Sunburst Award for Adult Fiction! Kobo Writing Life is proud to be a sponsor of the Sunburst…
by Justin Osborn Every writer dreams about the moment when their work hits the bestseller list. We wish for the perseverance and inspiration to churn out…
By Barbara G. Tarn As an introvert, marketing one’s own work is a huge challenge. Free advertising seems like a great way to get your name…
It’s never too late to start writing.
by Donna Fasano Multi-author anthologies require a lot of hard work. However, if 100% of the participating authors pull together to make the boxed set a…
How do you decide what you’re reading next? Checking various book lists? Asking friends? Browsing endlessly through the bottomless internet? Helloreads has built one platform to…
by Christine Munroe September 30 is International Podcast Day, and we’re excited to join this “international celebration of the power of podcasts.” You can spread the…
By Frances Caballo You’ve self-published your book, celebrated your launch, and sold books to most of your friends, family members and colleagues. Now, you’re even blogging. But…
You can earn more with Kobo Writing Life’s Author Affiliate program! This program is free to join, easy to sign-up, and requires no technical knowledge. It’s…
Are you looking for more ways to promote your books on Kobo? Are you looking to build your author profile on social media? Kobo Writing Life…
By Janie Crouch I write romantic suspense. Best job in the world. In every book I write there comes a moment when the main characters have…
by Chris Mandeville The first page of your manuscript contains only sixteen lines, and this “sweet sixteen” is an essential tool for hooking a reader. If…
KWL author Jason Currie discusses his experience using Kobo Writing Life’s cover design service.
by Chris Mandeville The other day I was talking to another writer about the young adult time travel story I’m writing. Her first question was,…
by Chris Mandeville At the start of a new year, it’s common to take stock of where we are in our careers and set goals for…
Last summer, Kobo Writing Life launched its professional EPUB conversion service on the Author Services tab of the Dashboard. Since then, we’ve seen one question come…
by Chris Mandeville It can be easy to lose focus when trying to write, especially when there’s distracting stuff going on around you. According to psychiatry…
Feed Your Creativity with a Writing Retreat This time of year, it’s easy to crawl into our writing hole and disappear for a few months. We…
by Chris Mandeville Life is fast-paced and full, and we’re all busy, even during an average month. But during the holiday season, we add all sorts…