Kobo Writing Life Podcast

KWL was recently in Atlanta, Georgia attending RT Booklovers Convention. Considered the Book Lover Event of the year, RT (Romantic Times) Booklovers brings more than 3,500 fans and between 600 to 800 authors together for a celebration of romance novels. Mark Lefebvre, Director of Kobo Writing Life, was on site interviewing authors and industry folks about various topics on writing, reading and pro...

KWL Director Mark Lefebvre speaks with former college professor Gilian Baker about her new novel Blogging is Murder . In the discussion, the two explore: The transition from teaching academic writing and literature for twenty years to the challenge of writing; first approached through blogging and ghost-writing Her original blogging experience, which was created for college students who were reluc...

Kobo was delighted to recently host Emily Schultz in a "Kobo in Conversation" chat in the Kobo Café a few weeks ago while she was coming through Toronto on a book tour. Kobo Merchandiser Nora Parker interviewed Emily. In the interview, Emily and Nora talk about: The fact that Emily had started working on this novel before her previously released novel The Blondes The rum-runner history in Emily's...

Julie Czerneda , an international bestselling science fiction and fantasy author from Canada, was one of the Author Guests of Honour at the 2016 When Words Collide conference which takes place in Calgary each year in late summer.   When Words Collide is an annual non-profit festival designed to bring readers and writers together in a celebration of the written word. Up to 10 tracks of programming,...

Mark Lefebvre, Director of Kobo Writing Life, interviews Young Adult Fantasy and Chicklit author, Katie Cross as she shares strategies about how she was able to keep writing, with even more productivity, in her transition from full time author to full time Mom. In the chat, Katie and Mark discuss: Her lifelong passion of writing and her recent passion of becoming a mother (which happened about a y...

From his role as a guest faculty member at Superstars Writing Seminars, Kobo Writing Life director Mark Lefebvre interviewed professional photographer Lauren Lang who was on site to help attending authors get a professional author photo. In the interview Mark and Lauren discuss: Lauren's start in the industry in journalism and her desire to use a visual medium as her preferred method of telling an...

On site at Superstars Writing Seminars, Kobo Writing Life Director Mark Lefebvre interviews Joshua Essoe , freelance editor. In their discussion Mark and Joshua discuss: What led him to writing (the author's notes at the end of a Piers Anthony novel he had picked up at an early age) and then, more specifically, what led him into editing The role that Brandon Sanderson played, at the very first Sup...

Instead of the regular interview with an author or industry person, episode 75 of the podcast features Kobo Writing Life Director Mark Lefebvre pausing to look at some of the most successful Kobo Writing Life authors on Kobo for 2016. He compiles a list of the top 5 things that the most successful authors in terms of both unit sales and net sales all have in common, and tries to break them down in...

Mark Lefebvre, Director of Self-Publishing and Author Relations for Kobo is the host for this episode, and introduces a memorable clip from Episode 279 of The Creative Penn Podcast where Joanna Penn talks compares walking the 100KM " Race to the Stones " with writing. In her talk, Joanna goes into the details regarding 9 Lessons Learned About Writing from Walking 100K in a Weekend: Deadlines and s...

Colson Whitehead, is the author of Zone One ; Sag Harbor ; The Intuitionist , a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway award; John Henry Days , which won the Young Lions Fiction Award and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize; and Apex Hides the Hurt , winner of the PEN Oakland Award. Colson is interviewed by Kobo's Nora Parker about his latest book, The Underground Railroad , which is an Oprah's Book Clu...

Described as "One of the most harrowing, powerful, and imaginative books of the year" Affinity Konar 's MISCHLING is a novel about twin sisters fighting to survive the evils of World War II. As part of the experimental population of twins known as Mengele's Zoo, the girls experience privileges and horrors unknown to others, and they find themselves changed, stripped of the personalities they once...

Executive Vice President of Publisher Relations and Content at Kobo , Pieter Swinkels introduces a live on stage at Kobo "Kobo in Conversation" interview of Robert Harris about his latest book, Conclave. (As an interesting aside, Pieter was, at one time, Robert's publisher in the Netherlands). Robert is interviewed by Toronto pop culture columnist, film journalist and television personality, Johan...

In episode 70, Christine Munroe interviews bestselling romance author Melissa Foster. Over 7 years of self-publishing, Melissa has tons of insightful advice to offer, including why authors should stick to their passion instead of chasing trends, and why she will always manage her own social media and all public-facing marketing efforts. Tune in to hear them discuss: Melissa published her first boo...

In a slight twist to the normal format for the podcast, Kristine Kathryn Rusch , who is interested in getting involved in podcasting interviews Mark Lefebvre, Joanna Penn and J, Daniel Sawyer about podcasting for authors. Some of the questions that Kris asks in the discussion, are: --> How did you get started in podcasting? -->What schedule(s) do the podcasts come out on? Monthly, Weekly, Daily. -...

In Episode 68, we check in with Ethan Jones , a spy thriller author who decided to go wide with his novels and focus on growing his Kobo sales. His 2015 sales were up 260% over 2014, and every month has broken his sales record from the preceding month. Kobo is now Ethan's leading retailer, bringing him healthy four figures each month and rising. How did he accomplish this? What advice does he have...

What if some of the artists we feel as if we know – Meryl Streep, Neil Young, Bill Murray – turned up in the course of our daily lives? That's the basis of this collection of linked stories that follow Rose McEwan, an ordinary woman who keeps having extraordinary encounters with famous people. Nora Parker, Merchandising Coordinator at Kobo, interviews Marni Jackson, author of Don't I Know You? Pub...

Recorded at Kobo's headquarters, this episode features Toronto-based literary agent Sarah Heller, from the Helen Heller Agency. Why did Sarah become an agent? What are some benefits to being an agent in Toronto? What are some key tips for authors planning to query an agent? Tune in as Sarah and US Manager Christine Munroe discuss all of this and more. Sarah has a background is in fine arts, but he...

Reedsy 's ambition extends beyond just being a place where authors can connect with publishing professionals; it's a place for collaborative tools and with an ultimate goal of assisting the publication process right from the first written word of an author's manuscript right through the typesetting, publishing and marketing of the final book. Mark Lefebvre, Kobo Writing Life Director, interviews M...

In Episode 64 of the Kobo Writing Life Podcast, KWL Director Mark Lefebvre interviews Robyn Baldwin, author of Love Lost, Life Found: 8 Practical Steps to Heal a Broken Heart . In the interview, Mark and Robyn discuss: Robyn's past work as a Senior Integrated Marketing Manager How the book itself has been three years in the making – first and foremost as a journaling experience; and then, later, i...

Episode 63 features NYT bestselling author Melody Anne, who began publishing in 2011 and has published forty (!) books and sold over 7 million copies since then. What strategies helped her get to where she is today, and what's working best for her now? How has becoming a bestselling hybrid author changed her life? Tune in and get inspired by Melody Anne's incredible journey, which she shares with...

In a KWL Podcast first, we checked in with an editor from a major publishing house, Tessa Woodward from HarperCollins. In her eleven years at Harper, specializing in editing romance, women's fiction, and historical fiction, Tessa has seen the industry go through the parallel changes in the emergence of eBooks and self-publishing. Tune in to her Tessa and KWL US Manager Christine Munroe chat about:...

Episode 61 features an interview with Peter James , an international best-selling British writer of crime fiction, which took place at Kobo in June 2016 in front of a live audience. Peter is interviewed by Kobo Writing Life director Mark Lefebvre. In the interview, Mark and Peter discuss: Peter's work on the Canadian television program POLKA DOT DOOR in Toronto in the 1970s where he worked as a "g...

In this week's episode, we're focusing on book blogging. Vilma Gonzalez, the all-star blogger who runs Vilma's Book Blog , shared her journey with us, along with tips for how authors and bloggers can work together to help one another succeed. Tune in to learn: How Vilma developed the aesthetic and brand of her blog. She is a marketing expert by day, so she knows the importance of a website that is...

Nathan Maharaj, Kobo's Director of Merchandising, interviews Tom Vanderbilt, the best-selling author of Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do , about his latest book You May Also Like: Taste in an Age of Endless Choice which is an interesting exploration of our personal tastes and what it says about us. During the interview, Nathan and Tom discuss: The role that red pants came to play in Tom's book...

Episode 58 features an interview with Kobo Merchandisers Liz Hilborn (Manager of Merchandising) and Sarah Smith-Eivemark (Canadian Merchandiser). In the interview, KWL Director Mark Lefebvre, Liz, and Sarah discuss: What a merchandiser is and what they do at Kobo How merchandisers work with publisher sales reps to determine which books get featured in different lists such as "New and Hot" A look a...