Kobo Writing Life is Kobo's direct self-publishing platform. Like B&N Press, the channel choice matters: publish directly through KWL, or distribute through Draft2Digital (which routes books to Kobo through Kobo's wholesale channels). You cannot do both for the same book without creating a duplicate listing problem.

The case for publishing directly on KWL: direct access to Kobo's promotional programs (promotional placement opportunities, Kobo Plus enrollment, featured spots in the Kobo store), faster metadata updates, and no aggregator percentage between your royalties and you. Mark Leslie Lefebvre — who built Kobo Writing Life and now works at Draft2Digital — has long noted that direct KWL publishing gives authors more promotional visibility than D2D-routed books.

💡 TIP:  Authors who want both D2D's convenience and KWL's promotional access typically split their strategy: publish directly on KWL for books they actively want to promote on Kobo, and use D2D for the rest of their catalog where promotional placement is less of a priority.

Uploading Your Book to KWL

KWL accepts EPUB files. It does not accept Word documents or PDF for ebooks. Log into kobo.com/writing-life, click 'Add a New Book,' and work through the tabs.

EPUB requirements for Kobo

• EPUB 2 or EPUB 3 — Kobo supports both but EPUB 3 is preferred for newer features

• Maximum file size: 100 MB

• Your cover image must be embedded inside the EPUB file (minimum 600 x 800 pixels, 72 DPI is acceptable)

• DRM: Kobo offers to apply their own DRM — most wide-publishing authors leave this setting off

Metadata — categories and keywords

Kobo's category system is different from Amazon's. Kobo uses BISAC codes (industry-standard book category codes) rather than a custom taxonomy. When selecting categories, choose the most specific BISAC code that fits your book — generic categories like 'Fiction > General' are far less effective than 'Fiction > Romance > Contemporary.'

The Kobo audiobook upload

KWL now accepts audiobook uploads directly through the dashboard. Authors record their audiobook (or have it narrated), export as MP3 files, and upload through the Audiobooks section of the KWL dashboard. This is a relatively new feature — check the KWL Help Centre for current file specifications.

Setting Global Prices — The Override System

When you set a price in your primary currency on KWL, Kobo auto-calculates prices in other currencies. But these auto-calculated prices may not align with appropriate local market pricing — particularly in Europe, Canada, and Australia where local purchasing power and ebook price norms differ from the US.

KWL's solution is 'price overrides' — the ability to manually set a specific price in a specific currency for any market. To access: in your book's pricing settings, find the individual market rows and click 'Override' to enter a local price instead of accepting the auto-calculated one.

📋 NOTE:  Kobo's own documentation notes that if you need to receive payments in a different default currency, contact their support at kobowritinglife@kobo.com — the default payment currency is set at the account level, not per book, and requires support intervention to change.

Kobo's Promotional Tools — What Most Authors Miss

The Promotions Tab — Editorial Placement Opportunities

Every book in your KWL dashboard has a Promotions tab. This is where Kobo lists available promotional opportunities — featured placement in genre sections of the Kobo store, promotional newsletters, and seasonal sale events. These placements are free to apply for. Most authors never click this tab.

Promotional placements are not guaranteed — Kobo's editorial team selects which books appear where. But you can't be selected if you haven't applied. Check the Promotions tab for each of your books monthly.

Kobo Plus Enrollment

Kobo Plus is Kobo's subscription reading service, similar to Kindle Unlimited but without exclusivity. Authors can enroll their books in Kobo Plus and earn a per-page-read rate (Kobo calls it 'minutes read') from Kobo Plus subscribers. Enrollment is managed per-book in your KWL dashboard.

Kobo Plus availability varies by market — it is active in Canada, the Netherlands, Belgium, Australia, New Zealand, and several European markets. Check your KWL dashboard for your book's eligibility in each market.

Price Promotions

KWL's Price Promotions tool lets you schedule a limited-time discount without permanently changing your price. Set a start date, end date, and discounted price — Kobo updates the price automatically at the scheduled times. This is the correct way to coordinate a Kobo price promotion rather than manually changing and restoring prices.

OverDrive / Library Distribution

Authors can opt into OverDrive distribution through KWL — making their books available to the library lending market through OverDrive's network (which serves public libraries in the US, Canada, Australia, and internationally). Library lending through OverDrive pays a per-checkout rate rather than a purchase royalty. The opt-in setting is in your KWL book settings under Distribution.

How ScribeCount Helps

Kobo Writing Life is one of ScribeCount's integrated platforms — your KWL sales data flows into the unified dashboard automatically. When you run a Kobo promotional placement or a scheduled price promotion, ScribeCount's Sales Dashboard shows the sales impact in real time, alongside your other platform data. The Sunburst Chart shows your Kobo income as a percentage of total income — helping you see whether your KWL investment and promotional activity are building a meaningful share of your publishing revenue.