How to Publish on Kobo Writing Life

Kobo Writing Life (KWL) is the direct self-publishing portal for Kobo — one of the most important wide platforms for indie authors and the first anchor platform most wide authors set up after Amazon. Publishing on Kobo is free, the interface is clean, and the process is more straightforward than Apple Books.

This guide walks through every step and setting in Kobo Writing Life in the order you'll encounter them, with particular attention to the settings that most affect discoverability and income.

What You Need Before You Start

• A finished ebook file in ePub format — Kobo also accepts .docx, .mobi, .pdf, and .odt, but ePub produces the best formatting and is strongly recommended

• A cover image: JPEG or PNG, minimum 2,400 px on the short side, 6:9 aspect ratio (height:width), maximum 10 MB

• Your banking information for royalty payments (PayPal or direct bank transfer depending on country)

• Your tax information — Kobo requires completion before releasing payments

Step 1: Create Your Kobo Writing Life Account

Go to kobowritinglife.com and click Sign Up. You can sign up with your email or an existing Kobo account. After account creation and email verification, complete two things in Account Settings before publishing.

Payment Setup

Navigate to Account > Payment Information and add your PayPal email or bank details. Kobo pays monthly, in the month following the earning month. Payment threshold: $50. Without a payment method on file, earnings accumulate but cannot be released.

Tax Information

From Account Settings, complete your tax documentation. US authors provide SSN or EIN (W-9 equivalent). Non-US authors provide the applicable documentation for their country. Without completed tax information, Kobo withholds taxes from your royalties.

Author Profile

Set up your Author Profile under Account Settings. Your display name, biography, and optional website/social links populate your author page on kobo.com — what readers see when they click your name. Write your bio for readers, not for credentials.

Step 2: Add a New Title

From your KWL dashboard, click Add a Title. The book entry form has several sections — work through them in sequence.

Step 3: Book Details

Cover Upload

Upload your cover first. Kobo accepts JPEG or PNG. Recommended dimensions: minimum 2,400 px on the short side, 6:9 ratio (height:width). Maximum file size: 10 MB. Kobo displays covers across various sizes — 6:9 portrait covers display best at all sizes.

Language and Title

Select your book's language. Enter your title exactly as it appears on your cover. Kobo's content guidelines prohibit keyword-stuffed titles, same as Amazon. Title field = actual book title only.

Series Name and Number

Enter the series name and volume number if applicable. Use exactly the same series name across all books in the series and across all platforms — even minor variations break Kobo's series recommendation chain. Series linking is one of the most important metadata decisions for authors with multi-book series.

Contributors

Add your author name and role. Additional contributors (co-authors, editors, illustrators, translators) can be added. Each contributor's name is indexed for search on kobo.com.

Description

Your description appears on your Kobo product page and is indexed for search. Maximum approximately 4,000 characters. Kobo's search algorithm weights description keywords, so including natural genre-relevant terms improves discoverability. Kobo readers respond particularly well to atmospheric, emotionally resonant language — descriptions that convey how the book feels, not just what happens.

BISAC Subjects

Kobo uses the BISAC category system. Assign a primary subject and optional secondary subjects. Select the most specific BISAC subcategory that accurately represents your book — not the broad parent category. Specific subcategory selection improves your visibility in browse filters and genre recommendations.

Keywords

Kobo's keyword field is a free-text field — enter comma-separated phrases that readers might search for. Include genre terms, trope terms, mood descriptors, and setting terms. Unlike Amazon's 7-slot system with strict character limits, Kobo's field accepts more flexible input.

Step 4: Book Content — ePub Upload

Click Upload Book File and select your ePub. Kobo processes and converts the file for its reading ecosystem.

DRM Settings

DRM on Kobo is controlled in your account settings (not per individual book). If DRM is enabled in your account, all titles you publish will have DRM applied. If you prefer DRM-free publishing, disable it in your account settings — this affects all titles.

Step 5: Pricing and Rights

Territory Rights

Select which territories you hold rights for. 'All territories' gives worldwide rights. Kobo sells in over 190 countries — territory rights determine where your book is visible and purchasable.

Pricing

Set your primary price. Kobo lets you set prices in individual currencies per territory rather than relying solely on exchange-rate conversion.

One of Kobo Writing Life's most useful practical features: you can set a book to free ($0.00) directly in the dashboard without requesting a price match. For permafree series starters, this is a significant operational advantage over Amazon's price-match process.

Pre-Orders

Kobo supports pre-orders. Enable the Pre-Order toggle and set your release date. Upload your final book file at least ten days before release. Pre-orders are visible on Kobo's storefront and can attract editorial attention before launch.

Step 6: Kobo Plus Enrollment

Kobo Plus is Kobo's subscription reading service, available in Netherlands, Belgium, Canada, and other markets. Enrollment is optional and non-exclusive — you can enroll a title in Kobo Plus while simultaneously selling it at retail on Kobo and on every other platform. Kobo Plus pays royalties based on pages read by subscribers.

Enable Kobo Plus enrollment per-title from the Book Details page. For series starters and lower-performing backlist titles, enrollment is typically worth evaluating. See the Kobo Plus deep-dive guide for the full enrollment strategy.

Step 7: Publish

Once all required fields are complete, click Save and Publish. Kobo typically publishes within 24–72 hours. You'll receive an email when your title is live.

Managing Your Catalog in Kobo Writing Life

Updating Metadata

Click the pencil/edit icon on any title to update description, keywords, categories, pricing, or contributors at any time. Updates typically propagate to kobo.com within 24–48 hours.

Promotions Tab

The Promotions tab is where you access Kobo's promotional tools. Set up time-limited price reductions and submit for inclusion in Kobo's deals emails and browse promotions. Kobo's merchandising team reviews submissions and may include qualifying titles in deals communications. Active use of the Promotions tab is how authors build editorial relationships with Kobo over time — authors who never submit are invisible to Kobo's promotional infrastructure.

Kobo Content Guidelines

Kobo prohibits content that is illegal in the markets where Kobo operates, content promoting violence or hate speech, and sexual content involving minors. Adult content between consenting adults is permitted but must be appropriately categorized and labeled. Kobo may restrict adult content from some regional storefronts.

Common Kobo Writing Life Mistakes

• Uploading a Word document or PDF instead of ePub — results in suboptimal formatting across Kobo devices and apps

• Using an inconsistent series name versus other platforms — breaks series linking and damages recommendation performance

• Not using Kobo's direct free-price setting for permafree series starters

• Ignoring the Promotions tab after initial setup — active promotional participation is how editorial relationships with Kobo develop

• Not completing the tax interview and having royalties withheld unnecessarily

• Not connecting KWL to ScribeCount — losing visibility into Kobo performance as part of your total wide income

Kobo Writing Life rewards active participation — promotional submissions, complete metadata, Kobo Plus enrollment for series starters, and current catalog maintenance. The setup takes under an hour for a first title once your account is configured. Get the first one right and every subsequent title goes faster.

-Randall Wood