How to publish an eBook on Kobo Writing Life

Kobo Writing Life is Rakuten Kobo's free self-publishing portal. It puts your eBook in Kobo's stores around the world and can include it in the Kobo Plus subscription service. Kobo is strong in Canada and parts of Europe and Asia, where Kindle's share is smaller.

Is Kobo Writing Life right for your book?

Authors who want international reach outside Amazon.
Anyone using Draft2Digital should deselect Kobo there if publishing directly on Kobo Writing Life.

Kobo Writing Life at a glance

Kobo stores worldwide plus Kobo Plus subscriptions.

Formats accepted: EPUB, DOCX
Cover: JPEG or PNG, at least 1400 px on the short side recommended (1600 × 2560 works).
ISBN: Not required.
Royalty: 70% for list prices of $2.99 or more, 45% below (estimate — verify in Kobo Writing Life).

Files you need to upload

eBook file
EPUB ebook — Reflowable EPUB 3 manuscript
Cover image
eBook cover JPG — 1600 × 2560 px, 1.6:1 — KDP's ideal size

Step by step

Steps

1
Open Kobo Writing Life
2
Create new eBook
3
Describe your eBook
Title, subtitle, series, contributors, synopsis, publisher, language, categories.
4
Add content & cover
Upload the EPUB and the cover JPG.
5
Rights & distribution, DRM
6
Set price (and Kobo Plus, optional)
7
Publish
8
Record the Kobo link here

Open Kobo Writing Life

Kobo Writing Life: frequently asked questions

Does Kobo Writing Life require an ISBN?+

No, an ISBN is not required to publish an eBook on Kobo.

What royalty does Kobo pay?+

Kobo's published tiers are 70% for list prices of $2.99 or more and 45% below that. Confirm the current terms in Kobo Writing Life — rates can change.

What files does Kobo accept?+

EPUB or DOCX for the book, and a JPEG or PNG cover — at least 1,400 px on the short side is recommended; 1600 × 2560 works.

Get Kobo Writing Life-ready files from one idea

Inkora writes your book, designs the cover and exports exactly the files listed above — then tracks this checklist for you in its Publishing Hub.

Start your book free