As one of the world’s leading eBook retailers, Kobo recognizes reading isn’t just an activity people do while hidden away in their homes. To them, reading is more of a social activity that readers share.
As part of its emphasis on social aspects of literature, Kobo encourages users to share recent reads with other Kobo users. Through an activity feed, Kobo users can tap on the shared book cover to purchase books recommended by friends. Therefore, almost every time someone buys and reads your book on Kobo, it can be seen by thousands of people.
There are over six million eBooks available on Kobo, with customers in 190 countries. So, whether you’re just about to publish your first novel or even an established author, Kobo can help you get your book distributed across the globe in numerous bookstores. Today we will explore exactly what countries and stores are covered by Kobo, as well as show you exactly how your book will benefit from utilizing their platform.
So, Who Does Kobo Distribute To?
As part of its global expansion strategy, Kobo has partnered with several local and international eBook retailers. They currently collaborate with the following companies:
| USA | Rakuten (www.rakuten.com)Multiple Participant Websites Of The American Booksellers Association (www.indiebound.org/ebooks) |
| Canada | Chapters Indigo (www.chapters.indigo.ca) |
| Turkey | Idefix (www.idefix.com)D&R (www.dr.com.tr) |
| Taiwan | PChome (www.shopping.pchome.com.tw) |
| Spain | La Central (www.lacentral.com)FNAC Spain (www.fnac.es) |
| Portugal | FNAC Portugal (www.fnac.pt) |
| Philippines | National Book Store (www.nationalbookstore.com) |
| New Zealand | National Book Store (www.nationalbookstore.com) |
| Netherlands/Belgium | Bol (www.bol.com) |
| Mexico | Librería Porrúa (www.porrua.mx)Gandhi (www.gandhi.com.mx) |
| Japan | Rakuten (www.rakuten.co.jp) |
| Italy | Mondadori (www.librimondadori.it)La Feltrinelli (www.lafeltrinelli.it) |
| France | Rakuten (https://fr.shopping.rakuten.com/)FNAC (www.fnac.com) |
| Brazil | Livraria Cultura (www.livrariacultura.com.br) |
| Australia | Booktopia (www.booktopia.com.au)Collins (www.collinsbooks.com.au)Angus & Robertson (www.angusrobertson.com.au) |
Important Note: You can make your eBooks available in Kobo’s partner stores if you provide them with the rights to distribute your content worldwide. However, certain factors, such as the language, may prevent the books from being distributed through these channels.
What Should I Know About Kobo Before Distributing My Book Through Their Platform?
Kobo distribution has been made very straightforward. For starters, the website itself has a simple, easy-to-navigate web interface for consumers and publishers on Writing Life. Before you begin distributing with Kobo, you should consider the following:
- The Kobo Plus Service Doesn’t Force You Into Exclusivity.
Unlike Kindle Unlimited, you can also sell your eBook on other sites as well as enroll in Kobo Plus. After opting in, your book will need to remain enrolled in the program for at least 90 days.
- It Is Possible To Participate In A Kobo Promotion With Your Book.
You can choose to pay for the promotion either with a flat fee or a percentage of sales. Kobo offers sales that include percentage discounts by promo codes, price drops, and buy more save more sales (buy 2, get 1 free, etc.). It is a great way to increase your sales! Offering discounted books is a great way to increase your sales!
- Kobo Must Approve Your Book.
When you have uploaded your text and cover, then fill out all relevant information, you need to submit this for quality assurance. Unfortunately, not every book will be approved.
Make sure your book cover is approved by Kobo and check if you need to submit it as “erotica” (they’re very strict about this) as well as make sure all metadata (title, subtitle, etc.) is entered correctly.
- You Will Need To Be Familiarized With Kobo’s Writing Life’s Author Platform
If you are not already acquainted with Kobo Writing Life, you will need to hop on that and familiarize yourself with the platform. Kobo Writing Life’s author dashboard allows you to do a myriad of professional services, including, but not limited to, buying a predesigned book cover for as little as $69, getting ISBNs, submitting your book for professional reviews, and much more. Consider it your one-stop shop for making your book appeal to more readers!
- Kobo Recommends That You Upload Text As Epub Files
Despite accepting .doc, .docx, .mobi, and .odt files, Epub is their preferred upload format. A free EPUB conversion tool is also available during the book uploading process in case you have your book in another format.
What Are The Benefits Of Distributing Your Book Through Kobo?
Outside of having your book distributed across the globe, in over 15 countries, you will also enjoy these unique benefits:
- Your eBook will be available on both the Kobo site and the Kobo tablet.
- Having your book in Walmart. Kobo tablets are available at one of the world’s largest chain stores. It means that your book can be targeted specifically to Walmart’s global stores, which serve an estimated 275 million customers every week.
- Appeal to all Kobo customers – Kobo has customers in 190 countries and offers more than six million eBooks.
- There is no exclusivity requirement for self-publishing on Kobo. Books published there can be published elsewhere as well.
- There is no fee for publishing on Kobo.
- Similar to Kindle Unlimited, Kobo Plus offers eBooks via subscriptions. If you publish your eBook with Kobo, you have the option to enroll it in Kobo Plus.
- Your book can be enrolled in a Kobo promotion. You will have to pay for the promotion, and your book must be approved by Kobo, but it’s a great way to increase interest in your eBook!
My Book Has Been Submitted To Be Distributed Through Kobo — What’s Next?
Congratulations! You accomplished your goal! Now that you have uploaded your book to Kobo, you can start seeing sales. Don’t forget, that there are plenty of tools available to you exclusively for the improvement of your book. On your author dashboard, you will be able to track how your book is doing after your first sale. Kobo also provides an easy-to-read summary of your book statistics.
At any time, you can remove your book from Kobo, update your book price, or make changes to your text or information through the “ebooks” section of the website. Bear in mind, however, that Kobo.com may not reflect changes for up to 72 hours.
