Kobo Writing Life Podcast

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 marketing, a look behind the scenes of audiobook recording, and much love for and enthusiasm about audiobooks overall! And be sure to follow Karen on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. Find more information about our podcast here. If you're ready to start your publishing journey, visit kobo.com/writinglife. 

In this episode, we heard from award-winning author and professional speaker Carol Van Den Hende, whose second book, Orchid Blooming, was published this year. Orchid Blooming is the prequel to her acclaimed debut, Goodbye, Orchid, and a continuation of a trilogy. We spoke to Carol about her path to writing, releasing a debut novel during the pandemic, crafting compelling characters, the importance of research, writing emotional narratives that affect her readers, tips on public speaking, and more. Follow Carol on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook! Find more information about our podcast here. If you're ready to start your publishing journey, visit kobo.com/writinglife. 

In this episode, the KWL team celebrates 300 episodes of the Kobo Writing Life podcast! With 300 episodes and 9 years of podcasting under our belts, we wanted to release this special episode featuring members of the KWL teams and Kobo teams that make publishing your eBooks and audiobooks possible. We learn more about their roles, what they read, and how they help in the journey of your publications! Find more information about our podcast here. If you're ready to start your publishing journey, visit kobo.com/writinglife. 

In this episode, we are joined by Alex de Campi, author of prose novels, graphic novels, screenplays, and more, as well as director of music videos.  We chatted about Alex’s debut prose novel, The Scottish Boy, her writing style, got some great advice for writing fight scenes and sex scenes, and learned more about her researching and world-building process regarding her historical fiction writing – and heard, overall, a fantastic and frank recounting of her experiences in the traditional publishing industry. Find more information about our podcast, including links to our guests' books here. If you're ready to start your publishing journey, visit kobo.com/writinglife. 

In this episode, we are joined by Alison G. Bailey, award-winning author of contemporary romance and new adult novels that are full of emotional narratives with a focus on love, laughter, and romance. Alison’s latest novel, Forever Perfect, is the latest instalment in her Perfect Series, released earlier this year. We chatted with Alison about her writing career, her life in Charleston, how she got started right at the beginning of the indie publishing boom over a decade ago, her success via word-of-mouth marketing, her background and experience writing for the stage, and much more. Find more information about our podcast, including links to our guests' books here. If you're ready to start your publishing journey, visit kobo.com/writinglife. 

In this episode, we are joined by Nana Malone, Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author of sexy, feel-good romance novels and creator of the #BrownNippleChallenge. We learned more about Nana’s experience writing not one, but two novels for Kobo Originals, her writing process regarding dictation, modelling for her own covers, the importance of Black women and women of colour on the covers of romance novels, the #Brown Nipple Challenge, judging a literary contest, and more! Find more information about our podcast, including links to our guests' books here. If you're ready to start your publishing journey, visit kobo.com/writinglife. 

In this episode we’re showcasing a live event that we held earlier this year on the KWL Facebook and YouTube pages. KWL Director Tara Cremin chatted with the wonderful indie author titan, Penny Reid. The universe that Penny has created, the "Pennyverse," is hugely popular with readers but also with writers. After several authors expressed interest in writing in her worlds, Penny opened it up and created the collaborative universe Smartypants Romance. Find more information about our podcast, including links to our guests' books here. If you're ready to start your publishing journey, visit kobo.com/writinglife. 

In this episode, we are joined by Samantha M. Bailey, USA Today and #1 nationally bestselling author of Woman on the Edge. We discussed Samantha's next thriller, Watch Out for Her, her experiences finding a traditional publishing platform, following up a successful debut during a global pandemic, how curiosity can drive the creative process of writing a thriller, the importance of editing, of community, of her readers, and much more! Find more information about our podcast, including links to our guests' books here. If you're ready to start your publishing journey, visit kobo.com/writinglife. 

In this episode we’re showcasing a live event that we held earlier this year on the KWL Facebook and YouTube pages. KWL Director Tara and Author Relations Manager Joni, got together to talk about everything you need to know to become a Kobo bestseller.

In this episode, we are joined by Swedish author and entrepreneur, Marcus Tallberg. Tune in for a discussion on authentic representation of marginalized characters in fiction, why Marcus felt compelled to write from such a young age, and why it's so vital for everyone to have the opportunity to see their experiences represented. Find more information about our podcast, including links to our guests' books here. If you're ready to start your publishing journey, visit kobo.com/writinglife. 

In this episode, we are joined by USA Today bestselling romance author and trauma therapist Adriana Herrera (author of Finding Joy, A Caribbean Heiress in Paris, and more) who spoke to us about her writing journey, representation in genre fiction, and more.   Find more information about our podcast, including links to our guests' books here. If you're ready to start your publishing journey, visit kobo.com/writinglife. 

In this episode, we are joined by psychological fiction author and Ph.D. candidate Sara Foster (author of You Don't Know Me, The Hidden Hours, and more) who spoke to us about her recently released speculative fiction novel, The Hush.   Find more information about our podcast, including links to our guests' books here. If you're ready to start your publishing journey, visit kobo.com/writinglife. 

In this episode, we are joined by Canadian journalist, author, and filmmaker Zarqa Nawaz (creator of Little Mosque on the Prairie) who spoke to us about her recently released novel, Jameela Green Ruins Everything. Find more information about our podcast, including links to our guests' books here. If you're ready to start your publishing journey, visit kobo.com/writinglife. 

Tune in to our conversation with Clayton Noblit and Grant Shepherd of Written Word Media. They gave us lots of insight into successful marketing as an indie author, and the various services they offer to help authors sell books, including the newer Reader Reach program. We also talked about the results of the 2021 indie author survey. Find more information about our podcast, including links to our guests' books here. If you're ready to start your publishing journey, visit kobo.com/writinglife. 

Our guest this week is Renee Harleston, founder of Writing Diversely, which offers sensitivity reading services that provide authors, writers, and content creators the tools and support they need to tell diverse and inclusive stories. Find more information about our podcast, including links to our guests' books here. If you're ready to start your publishing journey, visit kobo.com/writinglife.   

This week on the podcast, we're speaking with Lila Dubois and Jayne Rylon all about TikTok, and how they are using the platform to sell more books than ever before. https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/p/kwlpodcast  

Happy International Woman's Day to our KWL community! We wanted to celebrate by releasing a bonus episode this week - we hope you enjoy it! We spoke with author Anat Deracine about her novel, Driving by Starlight, her experience growing up in Saudi Arabia and why writing about female friendship is so important to her. https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/p/kwlpodcast

This week on the podcast, we're sitting down with Catherine Spader to chat about her career trajectory from ER nurse to journalist to fantasy writer. Catherine explains how her medical background brings realism to her writing, and talks about the tips and tricks she learned as a journalist that shape her fiction writing.

We are joined on the podcast by Rachel Krantz who spoke to us about her recent memoir, Open: An Uncensored Memoir of Love, Liberation, and Non-Monogamy. Rachel discussed the process of writing her memoir, why she felt she needed to tell this story, and she also shares tips on how to write about polyamorous relationships in fiction.

This week we're featuring author and podcaster, Matty Dalrymple, host of the The Indy Author Podcast. Matty shares insights she has learned from her podcasting career, how she has found success in publishing short fiction, and why she loves writing about the supernatural.