Six 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.
Ep 169: Lessons from the ER: How Melissa Yi Balances Writing and Medicine
Melissa Yi, an emergency room physician and author, chats to us about how she balances being a writer and part-time doctor. She discusses how her work experiences have made their way into her Hope Sze Medical Mystery Series and she shares some of her favourite emergency room stories. Plus an exclusive sample of her audiobook, Code Blues!
The 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!
Checklist for NaNoWriMo 2019
National Novel Writing Month is only days away! Make sure you’re prepared for what’s coming, so you can start this challenge strong.
Indie Horror Quiz
Tell us what your horror tastes are and we’ll recommend a top-rated title on Kobo! Halloween vibes, anyone?
War, 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.
KWL Author Feature: Writing Dialogue With Flair
Every month, the KWL newsletter features a discussion prompt and gives authors the opportunity to contribute to the blog. See what experienced authors have to say about crafting dialogue.
How to Prep for NaNoWriMo 2019
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. Find out more about this global writing challenge!
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?
5 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.
Characters Who Speak For Themselves: Chatting With KWL Authors
KWL authors share their experiences of how their characters came to life and took the story into their own hands.
Writing Tips From Famous Authors
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.
Podcast Ep 156 — Diversity in Romance with Jackie Lau
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.
How Music Can Benefit Your Creative Process + KWL Romance Writing Playlist
Can listening to music help you write a better novel? Potentially. Here’s why you should consider incorporating instrumentals into your creative process.
KWL EP 151 – Moving Beyond Archetype: How to Write a Compelling Villain with Sacha Black
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.
KWL Author Takeover #5: David Gaughran
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
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…
KWL EP 140 – Lauren Layne
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.
2018 Holiday Content Processing
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…
NaNoWriMo, Banned Book Sculptures and Double the KWL Podcast Fun!
All the book news you need from the past week!
NaNoPlanno: Tools for NaNoWriMo Prep
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.
KWL EP 121 – Behind-the-Scenes Look at Kobo’s New eReader Forma with Ramesh Mantha
In this episode, Chrissy chats with Kobo’s VP of Product and Devices, Ramesh Mantha to learn all about Kobo’s newest eReader: Forma
KWL Dashboard Update: Free Download Tracking
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.
How Going Wide Helped Me Quit My Day Job
by Tracy Cooper-Posey Here’s a question for you: Why did you get into indie publishing?
Kobo Writing Life Podcast – Episode 099 – BookBub
The episode you can’t miss: how to sell more books with BookBub.
Single-Focus Marketing (or How to Write Better Email Newsletters)
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 Experience: Judy Ford on Cover Design
Author Judy Ford discusses her experience using the Kobo Writing Life cover design service.
Kobo Writing Life Podcast – Episode 098 – Rachel Amphlett
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
Free Download Tracker – fixed!
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…
Multi-Layered Readers and How to Reach Them
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.
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.
Five things I learned putting together bundles at Bundle Rabbit
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.…
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?
Kobo Writing Life Podcast – Episode 096 – Pep Talks from NaNoWriMo’s Grant Faulkner
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…
Be A Smart Indie
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?
Using Triggers to Poke at a Character’s Emotional Wound
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.
Thank you, Mark
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…
What Is a Comma Splice?
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…
Fighting the Demon of Self-Doubt
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…
YOU Are the Brand!
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.
Making Promotional Videos on the Cheap
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.
How do I make a change to my book after it is published on the Kobo store?
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…
The Five Stages Of Revising Your Novel
You’ve finished a first draft of your novel. Now what?
Learn to love Microsoft Word
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…
Even Snowflakes Follow the Rules
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.
Sunburst Award Winners Announced!
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…
5 Habits of the World’s Most Successful Writers
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…
Five things I learned at a professional writers workshop
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…
Kobo Writing Life Podcast – Episode 094 – Heather Tucker
It’s never too late to start writing.
Multi-Author Bundles: Dos and Don’ts
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…