I’ve been getting multiple requests recently to share a list I crowdsourced last year for MM authors on Kobo.
Click here for the Google Spreadsheet “MM Authors on Kobo”.
I haven’t hand-checked everything. The sheet is open for other people to add authors as they find them. Email me at ciaradarren@gmail.com if you find an author has left Kobo and is incorrectly listed.
Also, Kobo has the Kobo Plus reading and listening subscription program. And services MORE countries than Amazon. Here’s the linked for the U.S: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/plus
For unlimited ebook and audio book listening, Kobo+ is $9.99 in the U.S.A. I’m not seeing Canadian and Australian prices, but if you’re from that region, search “Kobo Plus (insert region)” in a search engine and you should find it really easily.
Kobo+ is in so many more countries and offers books in so many more languages: Do you see your flag below? Then Kobo+ is available in your region.
And for those who need text based: Kobo Plus is available in: Canada, United States, India, South Africa, Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovak Republic, Slovania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Columbia, Mexico, and Peru.
Pros of Kobo+:
- Affordable
- Does not stop authors from publishing their books elsewhere. Yay!!
- Serves a wide range or regions and languages.
- The Kobo reading app combines ebooks and audio books in one place. Very easy to use.
- The app will remember your books, let you make lists, and helps you find new books.
- Kobo has their own e-reading device. You don’t have to get it but it’s well liked.
Cons of Kobo+
- If you’ve only been in KU, your favorite authors will probably not be here. You will need to find additional favorites.
- Most big FB author groups are full of readers who only read in KU, and therefore only recommend KU. This can make you feel socially isolated as a reader.
- The web store for Kobo is not as granular as Amazon, so finding books organically is harder.
- With fewer readers than Amazon, there are fewer reviews. Most services to help authors get reviews are Amazon-focused, so Kobo can feel like the frontier. Dig back into the old days of reading fanfic and never knowing if it will be good or crazy, or just plain odd. But with a subscription, it doesn’t matter too much. You can just send it back after a page or two.
Helpful new habits: things I learned after going 11 months in Kobo+ and not using KU.
- Sign up for book deals on sites like Bookbub, and BookCave AND change your store preferences to Kobo. This means when you get offered deals, you can actually buy/borrow them.
- Join the baby groups on FB like MM Books for Kobo Readers to share and talk to other Kobo readers.
- You will miss your favorite authors. So:
- Write them and tell them where you are reading. Most don’t believe they can leave KU and still afford to write.
- Buy your favorite authors that are stuck in KU in paperback on other stores, direct from their websites, and sign-up for their newsletters if they are willing to offer direct sales of their ebooks for a week or two before publishing onto Amazon.
- Work on finding new favorites while still supporting your already favorite authors.
- Recommend Kobo published books to others and direct fellow readers there. The more people read on Kobo, the richer the environment gets.
Kobo has real people behind the scenes. If enough readers ask for something, like nuanced search abilities, it can happen. So don’t be afraid to reach out and ask Kobo to change things or improve your experience.
Do use the app. It does make reading Kobo books and starting to create a curated recommendation list of Kobo published books so much easier.
And remember, you have this whole list of over 300 MM authors on Kobo to explore, just to get your started.
Ciara Darren 