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We’re Rakuten Kobo’s self-publishing platform, favoured by independent authors all over the world. We’re a small, author-friendly team with a big vision—our mission is to help you reach digital readers, wherever they are, however they want to read.
We’ll make it easy for you to start online book publishing and get your books seen by millions of readers. Self-publish your own eBooks and audiobooks. If you like, distribute to public libraries through OverDrive, or add your books to Kobo Plus, our non-exclusive subscription platform. The possibilities of reaching a global audience are endless!
It’s easy to do in minutes—and FREE!
You’ll be up and running in a few minutes
Set your pricing, pre-orders, and more
Your money is sent directly to your bank
With Kobo Writing Life, you’re in charge: you own your rights, set your prices, and run your own promotions.
We’ll never ask you for exclusivity, so you’re free to self-publish anywhere else—but we promise you’ll always be in the best of hands with us.
Through Kobo’s strategic partnerships, your books will be available around the world in the online bookstores of leading retailers in over 190 countries.
See updates in real time with detailed sales analytics on our easy-to-use dashboard. Track your sales by country or by date, and reading activity from Kobo Plus subscribers. Use the Map View to see where your sales are coming from.
"I've been publishing with Kobo Writing Life for over a decade and they are an integral part of my author business. I love how they help me publish internationally and reach readers all over the world. The KWL team is friendly and helpful, and I have regular opportunities to market my books to readers. Thanks, KWL!"
—Joanna Penn,
The Creative Penn
"I have published through Kobo Writing Life for years, and highly recommend it. The process is simple, the platform is effective, and the customer service is exemplary."
—New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today best-selling author
Melissa Foster
“Self-publishing has changed my life in every conceivable way. KWL is an outstanding platform, thanks to the ease of uploading and the advanced sales data broken out into an easy-to-understand map that I love.”
—Marie Force,
NYT Best Seller
If you’re interested in publishing your book with Rakuten Kobo, visit the Kobo Writing Life Help Centre to get started. We’ll take you through the steps—it’s easy to get started. Plus, it’s free!
Yes, you can self-publish eBooks or audiobooks in virtually any language. The Kobo Writing Life interface is currently available in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese.
For tips on how to design a book cover to look as polished and professional as possible, please refer to the step-by-step guide for Publishing with Kobo Writing life.
For information on how to set pricing for your books, or to make your books free, please refer to the Kobo Writing Life Help Centre.
We provide the ability for our authors to upload their audiobooks directly through the Kobo Writing Life dashboard. Find out more in the KWL Help Centre.
Kobo Writing Life is Rakuten Kobo’s self-publishing platform for independent authors, offering multiple ways for writers to get their eBooks and audiobooks to a worldwide audience of millions of readers and listeners. No need for a traditional publishing house—with Kobo Writing Life, you’re in charge.
We make it easy for you to get your books out into the world and exposed to a wide audience, with opportunities for à la carte sales, public library loans via OverDrive, and subscription access through Kobo Plus. Thanks to partnerships Kobo has around the world, your books will be available in the online bookstores of leading retailers in over 190 countries.
Our catalogue represents a treasure trove of unique stories and perspectives, often featuring books that might not be found in traditional bookstores, including niche genres and experimental writing. This diversity offers readers the opportunity to discover stories that push the boundaries of the conventional.
Our interface is easy to use, both for self-publishing your eBooks and audiobooks for the first time, or for tracking your sales and earnings in your own dashboard.
We’ll never ask you to publish exclusively with Kobo Writing Life. That means you can publish with us and on any other platform at the same time, and earn author royalties from as many sources as you like.
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