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.
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!
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!
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.
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…
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.
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.
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!
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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.
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…
KWL EP 123 – Shayla Black In this episode, Stephanie and Laura sit down with New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Shayla Black.…
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.
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 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 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.
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.
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 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…
There has never been a better time to be an independent author. Powerful platforms like Kobo have made it possible for us to write the stories we want to write and put them before a huge audience that, twenty years ago, wouldn’t have been available to us.
by Michele Sabad We define ourselves in various ways, depending on time, mood, inclination. Many of our identities are stable throughout life. I am a woman.…
There aren’t many jobs in which you can meet up with friends and colleagues for a beer or a coffee and discuss the best way to dispose of a dead body.
The most successful travel writers today are not writing for magazines on the newsstand or books on a store shelf.
Independently publishing my books gives me freedom and empowers me to pursue my passions, connect with my fans, and create the life I always dreamed of.
In this episode, Chrissy Munroe interviews award-winning author and creative writing instructor Maxwell Alexander Drake.
Great authors are seldom born; instead they’re moulded, sculpted and polished over time.
My life was changed forever by self-publishing, and I’ll always be thankful for the opportunity to take control of my career.
For me, becoming an independent publisher (nice ring, right?) has given me back the happiness and joy I used to receive from writing.
-Larissa Reinhart
Christine will be hosting a free Bublish webinar on Wednesday, March 21 to talk about what’s new and exciting at KWL and what’s driving book sales at Kobo today.
The Kobo Writing Life blog is getting the first peek at Holly Evans’ newest title, Blood of The Wolf, available for preorder now only on Kobo.
When I’m asked why on earth I write gay and bi protagonists, the answer’s really very simple. I’m bi, I grew up around a lot of LGBT+ people, and the majority of my close circle are LGBT+, so I’m doing what writers are told to do again and again—I’m writing what I know.
The idea of the indie movement is slowly spreading in the Netherlands and I personally think that our 17th century forefathers would be proud to see that their adventurous and entrepreneurial spirit is still alive and well.
Sandra Lonchamp, our European Coordinator, interviews Italian KWL superstar Cecile Bertod.
Like yodelling on a mountaintop, when I say the words ‘author bio’ I can hear the collective author groan echo from every corner of the globe. Like eating your vegetables or doing your taxes, writing your author bio is unfortunately an inescapable part of literary life.
KWL author Terry Odell is splitting her February royalties for her novel “Deadly Engagement” with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
Valentine’s Day celebrates love. For me, it also celebrates my first twelve months as an indie author. Some fifteen years after writing the first draft…
By C.J. Archer C.J. first started publishing independently in 2011 and was an immediate success—making enough to become a full-time author within her first year. She…
KWL is a team of 7 strong women running a major pillar of Kobo’s content catalogue. We LOVE hearing stories about how self-publishing empowers female writers to build booming independent publishing businesses, making enough money through writing to quit their day jobs, and even hire their partners, family members, or friends to support them. Here Julia Kent shares her tips for success.
Everybody loves a twist, right?
A great twist is an enticing prospect for many readers in choosing their next read and it is my view, this is never more important than in the psychological thriller.
By Lisa Lepki As the Editor of ProWritingAid’s blog, I am constantly reading submissions from writers, and few things irk me more than common technical gaffes…
By Carrie D. Miller If you’ve taken the self-published route, you have a little more than a hint of control-freak in you. I know I do.…
by Tracy Cooper-Posey Here’s a question for you: Why did you get into indie publishing?