Posts from the ‘The Business of Writing’ category

KWL Live Takeover with bestselling author and success coach Becca Syme

The Kobo Writing Life team is excited to announce our latest Live Q&A on June 25th 2020. From 12:00 PM-1:00 PM EST, our takeover host, Becca Syme, will be…

KWL 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…

18 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…

Sell More on Kobo with Promotions

NOTE: This piece originally appeared on StoryShopUni. Looking to sell more titles on Kobo? Then you should be taking advantage of Kobo Writing Life’s Promotions Tool!…

Market 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!

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?

Reedsy Discovery: A New Marketing Platform For Your Frontlist

Ricardo Fayet, CMO and Founder of Reedsy, talks about Reedsy Discovery’s unique approach to book marketing.

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.

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!

Podcast Ep 159 ⁠— Best Practices for Indie Writers with David Wind

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.

How to Get Book Reviews and Generate Buzz as an Indie Author

KWL has compiled a list of budget-friendly book review platforms that will help get readers talking about your book.

Five Most Common Self-Publishing Mistakes

So you’ve written a book! Now what? Regardless of how long you’ve been writing, there’s a lot to learn about actually publishing your book. We’ve put together some of the most common blunders we see from indie authors. Some of these may seem like no brainers to you, others might spark a light bulb moment.

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.

“I found a career where walking the towns of Ireland and seeing the interior of a pub is in my job description.”

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.

How Indie Publishing Changed Julie de Lestrange’s Life

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…

Why is Little Timmy’s Face on Fire?(or how to write a good book description)

One of a potential reader’s biggest “sell” points is your book description. Sadly, it’s also one of the things that I most often see get mangled by authors. But fear no more! I’m going to give you a quick rundown on the elements you need for great cover copy.

The A to Z of KWL

Not sure where to start with publishing? Tara Cremin lays out the A-Z of Kobo Writing Life!

10 Ted Talks to Inspire You to Start Your Novel

10 great TED talks to inspire you to start writing!

Writing Tips, Marketing Advice and Book News: What’s Happening This Week?

By Joni Di Placido It’s a new year and we’re bringing this feature back: a place to share the most interesting book news and author tips…

KWL Ep 133 – Let’s Talk Podcasting with Amanda Cupido

In this week’s episode, Cristina sits down with author and podcast producer Amanda Cupido to talk about her book Let’s Talk Podcasting: The Essential Guide to Doing it Right.

In Praise of Public Speaking

How I went from petrified to panelist By Judy Penz Sheluk My earliest memory of public speaking goes back to the eighth grade, when I stood…

KWL Ep 131 – Ricci Wolman

KWL EP 131 – Ricci Wolman In this episode, Chrissy chats to Ricci Wolman the founder and CEO of Written Word Media. Ricci talks about why…

The Best of the KWL Blog 2018

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…

Setting Up a Multi-Author Bookstore Event

When my debut mystery novel, The Hanged Man’s Noose, was published in 2015, one of the first things I did was set up a bookstore event at my local Chapters. Visions of eager customers lining up outside the door danced through my head.
The reality was considerably different.

10 Steps to a Bestselling Novel

By Sierra Delarosa Are you aiming for your next book to become a bestseller? Why do some books become more popular than others? While there’s no surefire…

Building Your Street Team

Folsom is one of the many indie authors who has the benefit of a secret weapon—a street team of ardent fans who are devoted to her and, perhaps more importantly, to her ongoing success as a writer.

KWL Podcast – Ep 110 – Sean Platt and Johnny B. Truant

KWL EP 110 – Sean Platt and Johnny B. Truant Join Chrissy and Stephanie as they sit down with Sean Platt and Johnny B. Truant, the…

5 Ways Travel Writers Earn Money From Their Craft

The most successful travel writers today are not writing for magazines on the newsstand or books on a store shelf.

Kobo Writing Life Podcast – Episode 106 – Maxwell Alexander Drake

In this episode, Chrissy Munroe interviews award-winning author and creative writing instructor Maxwell Alexander Drake.

Marie Force: Building a Self-Publishing Empire

My life was changed forever by self-publishing, and I’ll always be thankful for the opportunity to take control of my career.

10 Things Top Kobo Authors Have in Common

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.

What Makes A Good Author Bio?

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.

From Chaos to Success: My First Twelve Months as an Indie.

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…

How to Reach Readers on Kobo

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…

Are You Using Kobo Affiliate Links?

By Nicole S., Assistant to Vivian Arend Affiliate income can be an integral part of any author’s income. Finding a system that works best for each of…

Plan To Succeed: How To Give Yourself The Best Start As An Indie Author

by Rachel Amphlett Rachel Amphlett decided to strike out on her own in 2011 after being told by a Big 5 publisher that there was no…

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?

You’ve Got One Chance

I made many mistakes with the original cover of my debut novel, The White Raven. This self-publishing journey has been a series of learning experiences. No matter how much research you do, you’re going to screw up along the way. And that’s okay.

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.

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.…

Making the Group Effort

By Michelle M. Pillow I’m considered a hybrid author. I’ve been with big publishers, smaller e-first presses, and now indie. In my experience, the only certainty…

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?

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.

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…

Posts from the ‘The Business of Writing’ category

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