How To Win NaNoWriMo
NaNoWriMo is a fun way to connect with a global writing community and a great way to focus on really prioritizing your writing for 30 days
KWL EP 119 – Sasha Cottman
KWL EP 119 – Sasha Cottman In this week’s episode, Chrissy sits down with Australian author Sasha Cottman. Sasha talks to us about her first-year…
Writer in residence: Learning the Difference Between a café and a cabin
By Vannessa Barnier After working 9-5 for six months, I was itching to get into the woods and wash my hair with dirt. I organize poetry…
How I Found My Story and Made Sense of My Early Drafts
By Mackenzie Belcastro For eight months, my novel went through a series of identity crises. My high fantasy morphed into magical realism, as I killed my…
KWL EP 115- Rachael Herron and J. Thorn
KWL EP 115 – Rachael Herron and J. Thorn In this episode, Chrissy chats with authors Rachael Herron and J. Thorn from the Writer’s Well podcast…
Where Did Your Writing Journey Begin?
I believe that everyone has a story to tell. Mine began in a library.
Promoting Your Books (and Career!) Through Multi-Author Boxsets
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…
Ten Great First Lines
The opening of the novel is so important. It’s your pick-up line; you need to catch your reader’s attention, and hold it.
KWL Podcast – Ep 109 – Katja Meier
KWL EP 109 – Katja Meier In this episode, Stephanie and Joni interview author Katja Meier about her memoir Across the Big Blue Sea. Katja discusses…
Now is the Time to be the Writer You Want to Be
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.
How I Became an Author in Retirement
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.…
The Lasso of Truth About Entrepreneurial Publishing
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.
Looking For Inspiration?
This week we’re announcing our upcoming takeover of the Reedsy short story contest!
Turning My Instagram Followers into Book Buyers—and a Movie Deal
Today’s #KWLWonderWoman is seriously inspiring. Katja Meier is a social worker at a refugee camp in Tuscany, working with women who are survivors of human trafficking. She wrote and self-published a memoir about her experiences which has now been optioned for a movie adaptation. Here Katja explains how she used her favourite social media platform, Instagram, to reach out to her audience and market her book.
The Queer Eye: LGBT+ Voices in Fiction
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.
Not Taboo Anymore: The Rise of Self-Publishing in the Netherlands
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.
What Makes Your Story Unique to You?
I’m talking about writing a book for genre readers that meets trope expectations, elicits emotional reactions, and satisfies the cravings of romantic suspense and thriller readers, but also brings something new that’s missing from the market. A way to make a space for me at the table.
Becoming Sophie: A Unique Way To Engage Your Readers on Social Media
We know that social media is a great way to engage with your readers as an author. But have you ever thought about engaging with your readers as a character in your novel?
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…
Exclusive Sneak Preview of J. Robert Kennedy’s New Book!
The Kobo Writing Life blog is getting the first look at bestselling author J. Robert Kennedy‘s upcoming title, The Templar Detective and the Parisian Adulteress,…
The KWL Best Cover of 2017 Finalists!
Huge thanks to everyone who voted so far! We started with thirty incredible covers and asked you to vote for the finalists. Now we’ve whittled…
What Makes Scotland So Romantic?
In honour of Book Week Scotland, we hear from three American indie authors on why they were inspired to set their books in Scotland.
Team KoboWriMo 2017: Fifteen Days In
Today, I wanted to know where everybody has set their novels, and what inspired them to choose that setting?
Team KoboWriMo 2017: Seven Days In
So how’s it going so far? I wanted to find out the challenges and triumphs our writers have experienced over the past week.
Once Upon A Time . . . Retelling Classic Fairytales
Fairytales are stories that never die. Storytellers breathe new life in them, but the essential tale is the same, because we love those stories so much.
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.
Team KoboWriMo 2017
Aaaaand the big day is here at last! Here at Kobo we have an intrepid team of fifteen staff members (our biggest yet!) attempting the…
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…
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.
Kobo Writing Life Podcast – Episode 86 – Catherine Coulter
Episode 86 features an interview with international bestselling author Catherine Coulter, about one of her most recent titles, Insidious. Catherine Coulter is the author of 75…
Silence Your Inner Critic With Improv Writing
By Chris Mandeville Nothing banishes a writer’s critical inner editor like improv writing. Just like improvisational acting, improv writing is off-the-cuff, unplanned, uncorrected artistic expression, and it…
Supporting The Survival Instinct
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…
Best-Selling Books That Started From NaNoWriMo
It’s the end of week 3 of NaNoWriMo and anyone participating might be hitting a slump. But keep your chin up and your hands on the…
6 books that made me who I am: Nomadic Matt
“How do I find the money to travel?” “How do I plan my trip?” “How do I stay safe and healthy on the road?” Over the…
The World of Writing
If it weren’t for writing assignments, my house would never get clean. If that sounds remotely familiar, you know the inexorable agony of pencils and the…
NaNoWriMo Is Blasting Off! Are you?
NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) began today. Wishing all you NaNoNovelists a fantastic month of writing. If you haven’t started yet, don’t worry. There’s no better…
My Daily Routine: John Birmingham
By Malcolm Neil John Birmingham is prolific. He is also smart, funny and a real pleasure to spend time with. We first discovered him all the…
Q&A: Karin Slaughter on everything that is golden
The queen of crime Karin Slaughter has written a new book. And not just any book, a new Will Trent-book,The Kept Woman. To celebrate its Dutch release, she came to…
Got a Minute? 15 Uses for a Kitchen Timer
By Chris Mandeville One of my favorite tools is the kitchen timer. It’s so simple yet has so many uses in everyday life as well…
Kobo In Conversation: Sylvia Day
We caught up with Sylvia Day on her “One With You” book tour to talk about reading and writing—and then we got a bit more personal……
Top Ten Tips and Tools to Help You Complete NaNoWriMo (or any writing project)
By Chris Mandeville 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…
My Writing Life – Tanya Anne Crosby
When did you first discover a love of writing? Somehow, I think I’ve always known I would be a writer. I remember being 12 and getting…