Public Speaking for Writers
By Sally Jenkins, author of Public Speaking for Absolute Beginners Editor’s Note: We know that most in person events have been put on hold for…
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.
The 5 Traits That All Successful Authors Share
Great authors are seldom born; instead they’re moulded, sculpted and polished over time.
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.
Empowering Women Writers Through Self-Publishing
Suddenly, the freedom of self-publishing and my empowerment as a female author were inextricably linked. There was no one to tell us we were unworthy or incapable or shouldn’t do a thing because that thing had never been done.
Indie Author 101
Thinking about publishing independently? Our latest #KWLWonderWoman gives her top tips for new authors!
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.
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…
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.…
Publishing on KWL: A Step-By-Step Guide
Once you have a Kobo account, you can create your author account here. Remember that you…
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?
How Kendall Ryan Became a Bestselling Kobo Author
I wanted to pass along a few of the things I do at Kobo, specifically, that I believe have helped me to driving success on the platform.
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…
How to Grow Sales in France
If you write in English and have translated your books into French or some other foreign language, you’ve undoubtedly found yourself faced with the unique challenge…
The 5,000 Word Reward
“I hate writing. I love having written.” – Dorothy Parker Few things are as sweet as “having written” and therefore we recommend celebrating milestones if for…
The Author Website: Not Just a Digital Business Card
by Chris Mandeville An “official author website” is, like a business card, a tool for providing customers (readers) with information about you. But unlike a…
Prose Pointers
There’s a lot of misunderstanding as to the proper usage of some words in the English language, and many mistakes even make it onto the page,…
How Well Do You Know Your Spouse?
By Eva Lesko Natiello Do you ever wonder this? Have you ever asked yourself in the middle of the night, as you turn to look at…
Prose Pointers
By Pam McCutcheon There’s a lot of misunderstanding as to the proper usage of some words in the English language, and many mistakes even make it…
“What I did on my summer vacation,” aka How to Craft a Compelling Travelogue
By Carla King Most travelogues, whether in short story or book form, follow the narrative archetype defined by Joseph Campbell as the Hero’s Journey or Quest.…
The Most Common Editing and Proofreading Mistakes That Writers Usually Make
By Gloria Kopp In today’s marketplace, getting your work out there is often considered more crucial than checking it for errors first. As good as it…
The Author Bio: a Tool for Boring…or for Bonding
by Chris Mandeville An author bio can be a valuable tool for connecting with readers. Or it can bore them to death. Too much info,…
Tips For Creating Great Audiobooks
By Jason Brenizer Wherever your potential fans live on planet earth, they hold an infinite library in their hands. And that audience is on the move…
Essential Editing and Proofreading Tips & Tricks to Become a Better Writer
By Julie Peterson If you’ve ever tried to edit your own work, you know how challenging it can be. You end up missing way more mistakes…
Down the Rabbit Hole? Tips and Tools for Naming Characters Quickly
By Chris Mandeville Some writers don’t worry much about naming. They slap a label on a character and run with it. Other writers dive down the rabbit hole…
Q&A: Renee Knight
With her debut novel Disclaimer, earning comparisons to both Gone Girl and The Girl On The Train, Renee Knight’s writing career is off to a promising start. Of…
He Said, She Said: Comments on Dialogue in Fiction
By Nathan Dodge (A slightly different version of this article originally appeared in the eZine Reflection’s Edge) What makes a writer effective in writing fictional dialogue?…
Q&A: Tanya Anne Crosby
On April 19, 2016 New York Times bestselling author Tanya Anne Crosby will release The Girl Who Stayed, a novel that charts a new high point in an…
Going wide? Absolutely!
By Ethan Jones You have heard the old saying, “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.” It is cliché, but it is also true. Every…
New Year’s Writing Resolutions? This S.M.A.R.T. Tool’s for You!
By Chris Mandeville This time of year, regardless of our religious beliefs and holiday traditions, most of us spend a few moments looking back at the…
How To Use Foreshadowing As A Writing Tool: Part One
By Terry Odell When you write, you’re likely to be throwing a lot of obstacles in the paths of your characters. You’ll be giving them skills…
Top Self-Editing Tips from Professional Reedsy Editors
By Ricardo Fayet We all know that writing your novel is hard. It’s just you and the blank page and your endless font of ideas. But…
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…
Custom Notifications Settings
The Kobo Writing Life team has recently added two types of NOTIFICATIONS to the KWL Dashboard. The first type of notification involves basic systematic information that…
Birth of a Novel
By Sally Jenkins Two things happened in October 2013 which made that year’s NaNoWriMo particularly productive. I went on a weekend writing course, ‘How to…
Does Your Author Site Convert? —and other questions your website data can answer
By Monique Sherrett Having an author website is one component of your overall marketing mix. In addition to social media, email newsletters, online ads and contests,…
What Can A Review Do For You?
By BlueInk Review Last year, more than 200,000 books were self-published. Imagine a reader standing in front of a bookshelf with that many titles. Now imagine…
How Pinterest Helps Me Research That Next Book AND Build My Author Brand
Bestselling historical romance author Lucinda Brant has become an all-star Pinterest user. Over the last four years, she has gained almost 15,000 followers by pinning everything…
NaNoPlanno: Tools for NaNoWriMo Prep
By Chris Mandeville 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…
Advice From The Master
By Caro Ness The first real job I landed was helping to look after Roald Dahl, can you believe it? When I left university many…
Need A Review? Just Ask!
By Mary Chris Escobar Recently, I was explaining to a fellow writer friend that I had reached out to a few pretty high profile authors about…
My Writing Life – William Hertling
When did you first discover a love of writing? When I was in college, I helped coauthor a series of four handbooks on using computers. I…
Does The Thrill Go Away?
By Maria Schneider I am often asked if releasing a new book after having published so many is still a thrill. Yes, yes it is. It’s…
My Writing Life – Chris Taylor
When did you discover a love of writing? I’ve always loved to write stories, even from a small child. I would write ten and twelve pages…
How Kobo Promotions Helped Boost My Sales
by Cheri Allan If you’re a busy writer whose idea of due diligence is analyzing the relative hotness of random shirtless fireman memes on Facebook, I’ll…
You Are Not Alone
By Sherry Peters A few months ago my teen-aged niece decided she wanted to write a novel. Being the auntie I am, I encouraged her to…
My Writing Life – Julianne MacLean
When did you first discover a love of writing? I never imagined I would make writing my career when I was young. I didn’t figure that…
The Plotting Grid: a Tool for Plotters and Pantsers
by Chris Mandeville A “plotting grid” is a physical chart used to lay out the components of a story in a visual way. It often looks…
Writing your novel this summer? Here are 6 no-fail tips for self-publishers
By BlueInk Review As summer kicks into full gear, many are taking the time to write that novel or memoir they’ve been planning to get to…