KWL – 213 – Selling a Series with Laurelin Paige
Internationally bestselling author Laurelin Paige joins us on the podcast this week. Laurelin has a background in musical theatre and marketing, making her an expert in…
5 Things to Know About Going Wide
“Publishing wide is an attitude, not just a technical choice”– Joanna Penn One of the biggest questions indie authors face is, “should I go wide or…
KWL – 209 – Collaboration in Self-Publishing with Tim McConnehey
Author and founder of Izzard Ink Tim McConnehey joins us on the podcast this week. Tim has spent almost a decade working with indie authors and…
KWL – 207 – Assembling a Street Team with Nick Thacker
Bestselling author Nick Thacker joins us on the podcast this week to discuss utilizing street team marketing to grow your readership. Nick explains how to use…
KWL – 203 – Establishing Your Author Brand with Dana Kaye
Veteran Publicist, social media pro, and brand manager Dana Kaye joins us on the podcast this week to discuss all things marketing, publicity, and branding. Dana…
KWL – 200 – Marketing Your Books on a Global Scale with Cristina Mendes
Kobo’s CRM and Marketing Manager, Cristina Mendes, joins us for our 200th episode to give insight into the Kobo customer and how to effectively market your…
KWL – 198 Incorporating Mythology and Folklore into Your Writing with Skye MacKinnon
Skye MacKinnon is an international bestselling author who writes across multiple genres, from science fiction to fantasy to paranormal romance and even children’s books. Skye joins…
KWL – Ep 186 – The Importance of a Pen Name with Tawdra Kandle
Tawdra Kandle, a USA Today bestselling romance author, writes across multiple genres using just as many pen names. She tells us why she decided to utilize…
KWL – Ep 185 – Getting Creative with your Book Marketing with T S Paul
Bestselling Science Fiction and Paranormal author TS Paul joins us to discuss how he went from a reluctant writer to an author who puts out over…
KWL – Ep 183 – Writing Great Romance with Jennifer Probst
New York Times Bestselling romance author Jennifer Probst discusses her experience in publishing and how she found her success in an evolving industry. Jennifer tells us…
KWL – Ep 179 – How to Plot a Mystery with Sara Rosett
Sara Rosett, USA Today bestselling author, gives her tips for plotting mystery novels, discusses the psychology of why readers choose cozy mysteries, and explains the challenges…
How Adam Croft Supercharged his Writing Career
Hooks and blurbs can literally make or break careers so I can’t overstate the importance of getting them right.
KWL EP 145 Adam Cushman on Book Trailers
Have you ever wondered if a book trailer would be right for your next novel? This week on the KWL podcast, Marina and Stephanie chatted with Adam Cushman, the founder of Film 14, about the benefits of creating a cinematic book trailer.
5 Pinterest Tips for Authors
Pinterest is the single-biggest traffic driver to my website, and my click-through rate on my book-related pins is higher than anything I’ve ever seen on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Here are some of my key learnings on how authors can better use Pinterest.
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.
Carrie Ann Ryan is Taking Over!
The Kobo Writing Life team is excited to announce our latest author takeover on September 21st 2018. From 1:00 pm-2:00 pm EST, our author takeover host,…
KWL Podcast EP 117 – Kevin Tumlinson
KWL EP 117 – Kevin Tumlinson In this episode Chrissy interviews award-winning and bestselling author, Kevin Tumlinson. Kevin talks to us about overcoming the stigma of…
How Generating a Super-Marketable Hook Has Transformed My Career—Twice
By Adam Croft As authors, we’re all looking for that one change or shift in focus which will take our careers to the next level. I…
Indie Publishing: Making Time and Everything Else Your Friend
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
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?
Indie Author 101
Thinking about publishing independently? Our latest #KWLWonderWoman gives her top tips for new authors!
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…
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?
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.
Distribute to OverDrive via KWL
Did you know that you can distribute your eBooks to OverDrive with one click, right in your Kobo Writing Life dashboard? Reaching millions of library readers—and receiving the best royalty rate you’ll find anywhere—is as easy as opting your eBooks in and setting a Library price.
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 094 – Heather Tucker
It’s never too late to start writing.
Find your next read and promote your books with Helloreads
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…
6 Social Media Tips Just for Authors
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…
Kobo Writing Life Podcast – Episode 093 – Interviews from When Words Collide
Episode 93 includes a series of short interviews that KWL Director, Mark Lefebvre conducted at the 2017 When Words Collide conference in Calgary, Alberta. Mark speaks…
How My Self-Published Book Sold 180,000 Copies And Nearly Doubled My Revenue
[This is an abbreviated excerpt of a longer article written by Michael Bungay Stanier on GrowthLab.com. There are links within this excerpt that link to the…
Are you a KWL Affiliate yet?
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…
Let’s Get Social
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…
Attention Marketing: Planting Seeds With Readers
You might recognize Chris Mandeville from the inspiring and engaging monthly articles she shares on this website. But readers will likely remember Chris because of the…
Author Experience: Jason Currie on Cover Design
KWL author Jason Currie discusses his experience using Kobo Writing Life’s cover design service.
ATTENTION MARKETING: Red Hot Romance
Patricia W. Fischer writes Red Hot romance. It’s true. We found that out when we met her at the Romance Writers of America annual conference in…
ATTENTION MARKETING: Bookish Swag – Glynnis Campbell
Glynnis Campbell is one of those writers who not only really knows her audience and writes books that her readers love, but she also really knows…
The Creative Penn Podcast Celebrates 300 Episodes
Kobo Writing Life is a proud sponsor of The Creative Penn podcast for a very good reason: Because of the incredible value that Joanna Penn brings…
ATTENTION MARKETING: Packaging Print Books
Standing out in a crowed marketplace is something that smart authors and publishers do. We have raved about it in the past, and here’s another example…
Kobo Writing Life Podcast – Episode 064 – Robyn Baldwin
In Episode 64 of the Kobo Writing Life Podcast, KWL Director Mark Lefebvre interviews Robyn Baldwin, author of Love Lost, Life Found: 8 Practical Steps to…
Kobo Writing Life Podcast – Episode 060 – Book Blogging with Vilma Gonzalez
In this week’s episode, we’re focusing on book blogging. Vilma Gonzalez, the all-star blogger who runs Vilma’s Book Blog, was kind enough to share her journey…
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…
Best Practices for Building Sales
By Toni Anderson I was a little taken aback when asked to write a blog about how I’ve grown my sales on Kobo over the last…
Get Your Reader Hooked With These 8 Tips
By Linda Craig Readers think it’s easy for a writer to complete and publish a new book, so they are usually impatient when waiting for a…
How I Doubled My Annual Kobo Sales in 2015
NYT bestselling author Cristin Harber recently blogged about her efforts over the last year to expand retailer market share at Kobo. We loved the story and…
Successful Self-Publishing Advice From A Pro
Joanna Penn, one of the world’s leading authorities on indie publishing, proprietor of The Creative Penn Blog and Podcast (a place to learn all about writing,…
Kobo’s First Viber Author Chat: J.F. Penn
On October 7, we hosted our first-ever Viber Author Chat, featuring bestselling author J.F. Penn. In case you missed it, here’s a recap!. You might be…
Kobo Writing Life Podcast – Episode 040 – Bryan Cohen
While every author has heard the age old advice that it’s important to have a professional looking and beautiful cover that appeals to the book’s target…
Kobo Writing Life Podcast – Episode 036 – Nancy L. Baumann from Bookarma
KWL Director Mark Lefebvre interviews Nancy L. Baumann, CEO of Bookarma, a platform that allows authors to leverage the community in their social media endeavors. In the…
Kobo Writing Life Podcast – Episode 026 – Important Things To Know About eBook Publishing
Kobo and Kobo Writing Life have long been known for being open, social and collaborative. And this episode of the Kobo Writing Life podcast is no exception.…