How to Publish a Book on Kobo

You publish an ebook on Kobo through Kobo Writing Life, a free self-publishing portal. You need an account, your bank details (Kobo requires them before you publish), a manuscript as an EPUB or Word file, a cover image and your book details. Kobo pays authors 70 percent of the list price on books priced at $2.99 or more, and says new books usually take one to three business days to publish.

This guide walks through each step, what Kobo asks for, and the reasons it rejects books. Kobo’s help pages show their own update dates, and most of the pages we used were updated in 2026. We checked them in October 2026, and we say where a page was unclear.

Who can publish on Kobo Writing Life

• You must be over 18 and either own the digital rights to the book or be authorized to represent the owner.
• Kobo Writing Life takes ebooks and audiobooks only. It does not take print books.
• It does not require exclusivity, so you can sell the same ebook elsewhere.
• Authors in Japan cannot use Kobo Writing Life. Kobo’s help says it is not set up to pay Japanese banks, and Japanese authors register through Rakuten Kobo Writing Life instead.
• We could not find a full list of the countries authors can publish from. The sign-up asks for a mailing address, and Kobo does not accept PO boxes.

Kobo describes its store as reaching “over 190 countries” on some pages and “over 200” on others, so treat that figure as approximate.

What you need before you start

Your file. Kobo accepts EPUB, DOC, DOCX and ODT files, plus MOBI. If you upload anything other than an EPUB, Kobo converts it to EPUB for you. Kobo says the file cannot be larger than 100 MB. Its help page on file types is dated 2021, so confirm in your dashboard.

Kobo tells authors to validate an EPUB so it has no errors. Critical errors block publishing, and smaller errors can block library distribution through OverDrive. Kobo recommends testing on at least two reading platforms. Our free EPUB checker checks your file in your browser before you upload.

Your table of contents must be built inside the document, not added in the dashboard.

If you upload a Word file, Kobo’s conversion guide says to:

• Format chapter titles as Heading 1.
• If you build a table of contents, delete the page numbers.
• Avoid columns, headers, footers and page numbers.
• Use JPG or PNG images only, up to 3 MB each.

Our free Word to EPUB converter gives you more control than automatic conversion.

A cover. Use a portrait image, JPG preferred and PNG accepted, under 5 MB. Kobo recommends 300 DPI and a 3:4 width-to-height ratio. Covers cannot show graphic nudity, 3D box-set images or the original publisher’s information. Our ebook cover size guide lists sizes for each store.

Bank details. You need an account that can receive an electronic transfer. Kobo does not support PayPal or Payoneer.

Book details. Title, subtitle, author name, language, a release date, a description, publisher name and up to three categories. Kobo’s metadata rules say the title and subtitle must match your cover exactly. Do not put taglines or keywords that are not on the cover into those fields, do not put series names or numbers in them, and do not put website links or contact details in any metadata field.

An ISBN is optional. More on that below.

Step by step: publish on Kobo

1. Create your account

Go to Kobo Writing Life and choose Get Started. Enter your email and password, then your name, an optional publisher name, your mailing address and an optional phone number. Accept the terms of service, then confirm your email. Kobo asks you to avoid special characters, such as accents or non-English letters, in text fields.

2. Add your bank information

You must do this before you publish your first book. In My Account, open Payment Information. Choose the country of your bank. Kobo says you cannot change this later. Then enter a bank code (the code type depends on the currency, such as an IBAN for euros or a routing number for US dollars), pick the branch and enter your account number and the account holder’s name. The name must match your bank’s record exactly.

Kobo pays in USD, CAD, GBP, EUR, JPY, AUD, NZD or HKD. If your local currency is not on the list, payments default to USD. Transfers are electronic only.

Tax. We found no tax interview in Kobo’s setup. Kobo says it is a Canadian company under Canadian tax laws, and that it does not issue US forms such as 1099 or W-8BEN. Authors report their income in their own country. Kobo suggests you talk to a tax professional.

3. Create a new ebook

In your dashboard, go to eBooks and choose Create new eBook. Kobo lists four required steps before a book can go to review: Describe the eBook, Add eBook content, Rights and Distribution and Set the price.

4. Describe the eBook

Enter your title, subtitle and author name. Pen names are fine, and you can list up to 50 contributors. Set the language and the release date (both are required). If the book is part of a series, enter the series name first, and the number field then appears. Self-published authors enter their own name as the publisher.

Kobo recommends choosing all three subject categories. It does not offer every standard category code, so you pick from its own list. The description box supports basic formatting such as bold, italics and lists. We found no keyword field in Kobo’s help pages.

5. Upload your manuscript and cover

Under Add eBook content, upload your file. Upload your cover image in the covers section. If a cover does not update on the site within 24 hours, upload it again. For books made from a Word file, the cover shows on the product page, but it is not built into the EPUB.

6. Set rights and distribution

In Rights and Distribution, choose the territories where you can sell. Worldwide rights are needed for Kobo’s worldwide store and for its partner stores, such as Chapters Indigo in Canada, FNAC in France and Spain, Bol in the Netherlands and Belgium, and Rakuten in Japan. If you opt out of territories, the book is removed from partners there.

You also choose some optional programs:

• OverDrive library distribution is opt-in. You earn 50 percent of the library price you set, and the minimum is $0.99. It can take up to a week to appear.
• Kobo Plus is Kobo’s all-you-can-read subscription, available in 34 countries and territories. You opt in with a toggle. It does not require exclusivity.
• DRM. You can switch DRM on or off for each book. We could not confirm Kobo’s default setting, so check the setting before you publish.

7. Set the price

Set your price in your default currency. Kobo suggests converted prices for other currencies, and you can change them. Kobo advises using prices ending in .99 in the major English-speaking markets, and says this is needed to take part in promotions. For a free book, enter 0. Pre-orders cannot be free.

8. Publish and wait

Choose publish. Kobo says a new book takes one to three business days to publish, and may show on the site within 24 to 72 hours. Kobo warns against uploading the same file again while you wait, because that sends your book to the back of the approval queue.

Pricing, royalties and payments

Kobo pays by the list price, which is the price the customer pays without taxes. VAT is removed before your royalty is worked out.

• 70 percent when the price is at or above Kobo’s minimum for the currency: $2.99 USD, $2.99 CAD, £1.99 GBP or €1.99 EUR, with other currencies listed on Kobo’s earnings page.
• 45 percent when the price is below that minimum.
• Kobo’s terms of service also say the 70 percent rate needs the ebook to be priced at least 20 percent below the print edition. The help pages we read do not mention this rule, so read the terms in your dashboard.

Payments. Kobo pays 45 days after the end of each monthly period, once you reach CAD $50 across all sales. Smaller amounts roll over. Kobo’s example: January sales are paid on March 15, and your bank may take another 5 to 7 business days.

Kobo Plus pays differently. Kobo divides each month’s subscription revenue by the minutes read to get a value per minute, and authors get 60 percent of that. Kobo’s own example is 100 subscribers paying $9.99, which comes to about $0.29 for a book that takes three hours to read. The rate changes each month.

If you also sell on Amazon, our free KDP royalty calculator shows what you keep per sale there.

ISBNs on Kobo

An ISBN is optional on Kobo. If you leave it blank, Kobo gives the book its own identifier. Kobo says this identifier is not accepted by some of its partner sites, such as Indigo and FNAC, so an ISBN may help if you want those. The ISBN must be unique to the ebook (not the print edition’s number) and you cannot change it after upload. Enter it without dashes. Our guide on whether you need an ISBN for an ebook explains your options.

Promotions

Kobo Writing Life has a Promotions tab where you can offer a book for a sale. Kobo calls it a beta tool. You choose a title and dates and confirm your prices. Eligibility depends on genre, country and price. Costs vary: Kobo either charges a flat fee or keeps an extra share, most often 10 percent. Kobo’s list of reasons for rejecting a promotion includes poor cover quality, a price that does not end in .99, and a similar sale recently run. Kobo also says authors must make sure submitted works were not written by large language models.

Update or remove a book

You can change a published book at any time. Upload a new file, edit the details or change the price, then publish again. Kobo says updates appear within 24 to 72 hours. Kobo’s pre-order guide says people who already bought the book keep the version they bought, and only new buyers get the new file.

To remove a book, open it and scroll to De-list the eBook. Kobo discourages delisting and relisting, because it says you lose your search ranking and placement. Kobo does not offer permanent deletion of books, including drafts.

Why Kobo rejects books

Kobo’s help pages list these reasons:

• Low quality or too little content, including poor translations, bad formatting and prices Kobo considers too high.
• Duplicates. Kobo rejects a book if a version is already on its site, including copies sent by Smashwords, Draft2Digital or Ingram. To fix this, turn off Kobo in the other distributor and resubmit through Kobo Writing Life.
• Private label rights (PLR) content. Kobo does not accept it.
• Study guides, summaries and analyses of other books.
• Deceptive or stuffed titles, descriptions and covers, and explicit content in a cover or description.
• Public domain works. Kobo’s royalty table lists a 20 percent rate, but its public domain page says it no longer accepts new public domain works.
• AI-generated content. See the next section.

If your ISBN is “already in use”, Kobo says an ISBN cannot be reused, even from a draft or delisted title. Finish publishing from the original draft, or publish without an ISBN. If you hit the 100 MB limit, compress or remove images.

Kobo’s rules on AI-written books

Kobo is stricter than the other big stores. Its page on rejected books says it declines books that are “wholly or partially AI generated”. Its content rules also rule out content “generated primarily by automated tools” that lacks genuine human effort. We found no author disclosure form for AI on Kobo’s pages, so the rule is about what you publish, not what you declare. Kobo also says in its terms that it will not use authors’ works to train generative AI.

If you used AI to help with your book, read Kobo’s current rules before you upload, and keep your own writing at the center. Our guide to publishing a book written by AI compares the stores.

Publish direct or through an aggregator?

Kobo’s own page recommends publishing directly. It says direct authors get the promotions dashboard, OverDrive distribution, selective Kobo Plus opt-in, and the ability to make changes without a third party. It also notes that aggregators take a cut of your earnings. If you publish to Kobo through an aggregator, make sure you do not also upload the book directly, or Kobo may reject it as a duplicate. Our guide to self-publishing an ebook compares all the routes.

Quick checklist

FAQ

Is it free to publish on Kobo?

Yes. Kobo does not charge a fee to distribute your ebooks. Kobo takes its share when the book sells.

Do I need an ISBN to publish on Kobo?

No. If you do not enter one, Kobo gives the book its own identifier. An ISBN may help with partner sites that need one.

How long does it take to publish on Kobo?

Kobo says one to three business days, and the book may appear on the site within 24 to 72 hours. Do not upload the same file again while you wait.

How much do I earn on Kobo?

70 percent of the list price at or above Kobo’s minimum for the currency ($2.99 in US dollars), and 45 percent below it, according to Kobo’s earnings page. Read the terms of service in your dashboard for the full pricing rules.

Can I publish a free ebook on Kobo?

Yes. Enter 0 as the price. For a temporary free period, schedule a sale at 0. Pre-orders cannot be free.

Can I upload a Word document?

Yes. Kobo accepts DOC, DOCX and ODT files and converts them to EPUB. Follow its Word guidelines, such as Heading 1 for chapter titles. For more control, convert it yourself with our Word to EPUB tool.

Can I publish a book written with AI on Kobo?

Kobo’s rules say it declines books that are “wholly or partially AI generated”. Read its current policy before you upload.

Can I update my book after publishing?

Yes. Upload a new file or change the details and publish again. Updates show within 24 to 72 hours.

Where Koobe fits

If you already have a finished manuscript, Koobe can design the cover and export a clean EPUB and a PDF for you. Run the EPUB through the checker, then upload it to Kobo. Because Kobo declines AI-generated books, use Koobe on your own writing for Kobo, and check each store’s rules for anything drafted with AI. Your first book is free to create and preview, and plans start at $23 a month billed yearly.

Have a finished manuscript? Import it into Koobe to design the cover and export an EPUB and PDF. Start free.