Kobo Writing Life

Kobo Writing Life is Rakuten Kobo's free self-publishing platform for ebooks and audiobooks that sells direct to the Kobo store, Kobo Plus and OverDrive libraries.

Visit Kobo Writing Life

At a glance

Price: Free (Free to publish. Ebooks 70% of list price at $2.99 USD or more, 45% below, 20% for public domain. Audiobooks 45% a la carte (35% below the threshold), 32% for subscription tokens.)
Platforms: Web
Outputs KDP-ready files: Not stated
Touches your KDP account: No
Categories: Print & Distribution, Audiobooks
Last checked: 2026-11-09

Summary

Kobo Writing Life lets you upload ebooks and audiobooks directly to Kobo, with optional OverDrive library distribution and Kobo Plus, which Kobo says is non-exclusive. It is free to use. Ebooks earn 70% of list price at $2.99 USD or more and 45% below that; audiobooks earn 45% a la carte. Selling the same ebook here conflicts with KDP Select, which requires the enrolled ebook to be exclusive to Amazon.

Best for

Wide authors adding Kobo direct for higher control over promotions

Pros

No exclusivity, and Kobo Plus is non-exclusive too
OverDrive library distribution from the same dashboard

Cons

Ebooks priced under $2.99 USD earn 45%, not 70%
Reaches Kobo and its partners only, not other ebook stores

Alternatives

Apple Books for Authors: Apple Books for Authors is Apple's free portal for self-publishers that puts EPUB ebooks on Apple Books through an iTunes Connect account.
Google Play Books Partner Center: Google Play Books Partner Center is Google's free portal for publishers and authors that sells EPUB or PDF ebooks on Google Play in 75+ countries.
PublishDrive: PublishDrive is a subscription ebook, print and audiobook distributor for self-publishers that sends one upload to 50+ stores and takes no royalty commission.

Sources

Facts on this page come from the vendor and these pages. Prices change; confirm on the vendor site.

Something wrong or out of date? Send a correction. Plain-text version.