Kobo Unveils Self-Publishing Program

By Dianna Dilworth 

Canadian eBook company Kobo unveiled a self-publishing platform today at BookExpo America. Kobo Writing Life will be available for writers by the end of June.

Check it out: “Unlike competitive self-publishing tools, Kobo allows authors to set their book price to ‘FREE’ at any time without restrictive exclusive agreements, in addition Kobo pays 10% higher royalties on sales in many growing international markets and allows authors much more freedom on pricing. The company’s focus on Social Reading will also give authors the opportunity to connect with readers through its Kobo Author Notes program enabling writers to provide commentary within the book for readers to enjoy as well as through Kobo’s free apps, integrated with Facebook Timeline.”

On Monday, the company reported that eBook downloads grew by 400 percent and eReader sales grew 160 percent. In addition, the number of people reading with Kobo internationally has grown by 280 percent year-over-year.

Michael Serbinis, CEO of Kobo, stated: “Strong eReader growth is projected by IDC for the European market; with sales increasing over 400% to 9.6-million devices expected in market by 2015. We expect Kobo’s trajectory for international growth and user adoption to quickly meet and exceed market projections.”

AppNewser has more: “the company also reported its new open reading platform, ‘Read Freely.’ The company’s website explains how it works: “The eBooks you buy with Kobo are yours. You’re free to read them on the most popular open devices. Or, you can buy books from other eBook retailers and read them with Kobo.”