As a self-published author, finding the right platform to publish your work is crucial for success. After hearing about the success some authors were having, I decided to give Kobo Book Publishing a try, hoping it would provide the visibility I needed. However, after six months of uploading my book to Kobo, I experienced a disappointing result: zero sales.

Kobo Book Publishing offers authors the opportunity to reach a global audience, especially with their strong presence in international markets like Canada and Europe. Their self-publishing platform, Kobo Writing Life, is user-friendly, allowing you to upload your ebook and set your pricing. The royalties offered are competitive, with authors keeping up to 70% of the sales price, which is a great incentive.

Despite the potential benefits, I found that my book’s visibility was an issue. Unlike Amazon, which has an enormous marketing and recommendation engine, Kobo Book Publishing doesn’t offer the same level of discoverability tools. While Kobo’s platform has some promotional features, it’s clear that getting exposure on the site is much more difficult without active marketing efforts.

In my case, the lack of sales was partly due to the fact that Kobo doesn’t have as large a user base as other major ebook retailers like Amazon or Apple Books. While the platform does have a loyal audience, it doesn’t seem to match the traffic and visibility that comes with other giants in the industry.

For authors considering Kobo Book Publishing, my experience has been a tough reminder that self-publishing requires more than just uploading your book—it requires an ongoing commitment to marketing, audience engagement, and persistence. If you’re willing to put in the work to promote your book outside of the platform, Kobo could still be a good option, but it’s not a guaranteed path to success without extra effort.