Kobo has announced a new self-publishing service offering independent authors and publishers a simple way to make their content available to readers.
Kobo Writing Life allows books to be published in the ePub format “at no cost” and allows writers and publishers to set prices and manage advertising and marketing.
It also offers “key reader insights and marketing tools to engage with readers” and allows authors “to set their book price to “FREE” at any time without restrictive exclusive agreements”
The firm also says content creators are free to sell the ePub file created with Kobo Writing Life elsewhere.
“When we started working on Kobo Writing Life, the first thing we did was ask authors what they felt was most important in a self-publishing platform,” said Michael Tamblyn, EVP Content & Merchandising, Kobo.
“They were incredibly clear: openness, control, great royalties, incredible reporting and global reach. It should be powerful but drop-dead simple. And there should be people running it who care about writers — not like dropping your treasured manuscript into a machine. We can’t wait to see what authors will do with this.”
“Self-publishing is an important way for even established authors to strengthen a personal relationship with fans by offering them new or backlist titles that might not be suitable for large-scale print publishing,” said Kevin J. Anderson, New York Times bestselling author.
“The technology behind platforms like Kobo Writing Life is offering ways for writers to reach specific audiences easily. Some books are suitable for release by a major publisher, while others are better suited to a targeted approach.”
