Kobo Writing Life Podcast

In this episode, we are joined by author and book coach Mary Adkins, founder of The Book Incubator , a program for authors looking to write their best possible book. Mary spent six years writing and re-writing her first book before landing a book deal with HarperCollins, and as such, perfected her writing program! Now, she works to share this helpful information with other authors looking to reach...

In this episode, we spoke with John Gaspard, author of The Popcorn Principles: A Novelist's Guide to Learning from the Movies , an indispensable guide to implementing tips and tricks learned from film directors and film in general into your fiction writing. John is also the author of several mystery novels across two series, as well as multiple standalone novels and non-fiction titles. He also hos...

In this episode, we spoke with Halima Khatun, PR consultant, former broadcast journalist, and author of the new non-fiction title Priceless Publicity , a book full of useful information for independent writers looking to improve their publicity and media coverage output! Halima is also the author of several highly praised rom-coms, including her award-winning debut novel, The Secret Diary of an Ar...

In today's episode, we are joined by renowned indie publishing business expert, educator and author, Mark Dawson – who also happens to be a fellow podcast producer and host! Mark Dawson is the author of over twenty books across multiple series, has sold millions of copies of his titles, and is also the founder of the Self Publishing Formula and host of the Self Publishing Show podcast . Mark hardl...

In this episode, we spoke to the writing team of Jasinda and Jack Wilder (who we had the chance to meet at NINC 2022), wife and husband and parents to six kids, who write their own books as well work collaboratively. Between the two of them, they have written dozens of books, many of them best-sellers, across a multitude of genres and sub-genres. Be sure to check out their latest releases,  Dirty...

In this episode, we are joined by Jessica Ward, also known as J. R. Ward . J. R. Ward is the author of the acclaimed series, The Black Dagger Brotherhood . Over 15 million copies of her novels are in print around the world and she has been published in over 25 countries globally! Her latest release as Jessica Ward is The St. Ambrose School for Girls , a coming-of-age novel described as Heathers me...

In this episode, we spoke with Catherine McKenzie, USA Today best-selling author of "riveting domestic suspense," I'll Never Tell ,  "one of 2022's best and most-anticipated thrillers," Please Join Us , and more! After publishing more than a dozen titles since 2010, Catherine's latest, Have You Seen Her , is out today! We asked Catherine about her journey to becoming a writer, her previous career...

In this episode, we heard from Arizona Tape , author of dozens of books across multiple series, and collaborative writer on many more! We learned about Arizona's journey to becoming a full-time writer, heard more about her solo and her collaborative writing processes, asked after her favourite manga and anime series, and got some great advice for emerging writers. We also chatted about LGBTQ+ repr...

In this episode, we spoke to bestselling author Ruth Ware about her upcoming release, Zero Days , available on June 20th, 2023. Ruth's novels have been translated into over 40 languages as well as optioned for film and TV, and she has garnered numerous bestsellers internationally. Zero Days is a tech-based, fast-paced thriller wherein the protagonist finds that there is nowhere to hide, and enemie...

In this week's episode, we spoke with New York Times , USA Today and #1 internationally bestselling author, Christina Lauren – which is the pen name of two authors, Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings! We are here to highlight their latest release – The True Love Experiment , available now – and to learn more about their amazing writing career. Christina and Lauren tell us about how they got start...

In this episode, we are joined by award-winning true crime writer Kerrie Droban to discuss her latest release, Aurora , and to hear more about her amazing writing career! Kerrie's experience as a criminal and family attorney has heavily influenced her career in writing true crime narratives, and she is an expert in criminal pathology and motorcycle gangs who has written many books on both subjects...

In this episode, we talk to author Maren Cooper , writer of literary and contemporary women's fiction. We spoke to Maren about how she went from working in healthcare to having a writing career, her sources of inspiration, her story as a "second chapter" author, and her latest (and second) novel, Finding Grace , a coming-of-age story about a family struggling to come together again. Maren was very...

In this episode, we sat down with Grace Callaway, USA Today and international best-selling author of historical romances (that are often on the steamier side, with lots of mystery and adventure)! Grace's latest, Glory and the Master of Shadows , is the fourth in her series, Lady Charlotte's Society of Angels , which is, in Grace's own words, "a Victorian-era Charlie's Angels"! We were so excited t...

In this episode, we are joined by Citra Tenore , an author who wrote her first book at 11 and published it at 12! We chat about how and why she wrote her second, the start of a sci-fi epic, at 19. We heard about how Citra got into writing, her initial dislike of reading and love of film, how she wrote her first book, why she found that sci-fi was her genre of choice for her second book, and where...

In this episode, we spoke to Amy Stuart, author of A Death at the Party , out today – get your copy now! A Death at the Party is a thriller that takes place over the course of one day as one woman's plans for a party go terribly wrong, and has been aptly described as "Mrs. Dalloway with a suspense engine of Lisa Jewell!" We were very excited with this title, and are sure you will be, too. Amy disc...

In this episode, we spoke to Maria Riegger, attorney, self-help writer, and author of fiction and non-fiction titles such as the best-selling Legal Issues Authors Must Consider , a book that provides information on starting your self-publishing business, legal liability considerations, advice on how to protect your copyrights, how to safely use copyrighted material, and more. We learned a lot from...

In this episode, we spoke to Jackie Lau, author of The Unmatchmakers , The Stand-Up Groomsman , and many more titles, and we're celebrating the release of her second novel with Kobo Originals, Not Your Valentine ! We spoke to Jackie about her new release, her writing process, her favourite romance tropes, her experience working with Kobo Originals, using Toronto as a setting, what it's like to be...

In this episode, we chatted with Alexandra Shapiro, criminal defense lawyer and debut author as of 2021. We asked Alexandra about working with Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, how her career as a lawyer helped her creative writing, why so many lawyers are also amazing authors, legal thriller and sci-fi crossovers, and much more. We had a great conversation with Alexandra – if you are interested in wri...

Happy New Year, writers! In this episode, the Kobo Writing Life team gets together to discuss our indie publishing predictions, forecasts, hopes and dreams for 2023! Hear from Tara (director of KWL), Laura (author engagement manager), Rachel (promotions specialist), and Terrence (content coordinator for KWL) as they discuss everything from AI-narrated audiobooks and the Kobo Plus expansion to the...

In this episode, we're showcasing a live event that we held earlier this year on the KWL Facebook page and on our YouTube channel. Kobo Writing Life director Tara and author relations manager Joni got together to talk about everything you need to know to boost your backlist sales. For more advice on boosting your backlist, check out these previous posts and podcast episode: Looking to give your ba...

In this episode, we spoke with Meg Smitherman, debut indie author of Destroyer , the first book in a new adult, dark fantasy romance duology. Meg chatted with us about her new novel, fanfiction, finding a writing community on TikTok, her experience getting an MFA in London, England, finally writing in the ideal genre for her, and much more. Meg also offers amazing writing advice and writing update...

In this week's episode, we spoke to Daniel Paisner , ghostwriter of seventeen NYT bestselling books among many, many others. Daniel is also a podcaster and author of his own novels, the latest of which came out this year. His long-spanning career includes writing with and for Gilbert Gottfried, Whoopi Goldberg, Steve Aoki, Anthony Quinn, Serena Williams, and more. We dove into Daniel's experience...

In this episode, we talk to best-selling romance and erotica author, Jade West, about writing very spicy and often hardcore books, the elusive and surprising inner workings of the TikTok algorithm, and having your books go viral. We hope you enjoy this enlightening conversation on marketing erotica, authenticity in writing, self-publishing as a writer of spicy books, and how to write a good sex sc...

In this episode, we spoke to Lisa M. Lilly , author, lawyer, and fellow podcaster! Lisa M. Lilly hosts Buffy and the Art of Story , a podcast wherein Buffy the Vampire Slayer is discussed and analyzed for its storytelling techniques and how those techniques can help writers improve their craft. We talked to Lisa about her podcast, how she prepares for the show, her writing process, and her work re...

In this episode, we spoke with Karen White , an award-winning audiobook narrator who recently began writing and publishing her own works under the pen name of Karen Grey . We chatted about Karen's career as an audiobook narrator, her transition into publishing as an indie author, and much more.  We hope you enjoy this great conversation on the dos and don'ts of narrating audiobooks, tips on market...