Growing an audience
Running the business
Both cover self-publishing. Here is what separates them on price, billing, what you can take with you, and coverage.
| BookFunnel | Kobo Writing Life | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | From $2.50 | Free |
| Pricing model | Paid subscription | Free |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Billing | Annual only | Usage-based |
| Free trial | Not stated | Not stated |
| API | Not stated | Not stated |
| Data export | Not stated | Not stated |
| Their cut | Not stated | Not stated |
| Runs on | Web | Web |
| Covers | Self-Publishing, Digital Products & Storefronts | Self-Publishing |
| Works with | Nothing in particular | Nothing in particular |
| Founded | Not listed | Not listed |
| Reader rating | No reviews yet | No reviews yet |
| Live deals | None right now | None right now |
Ebook delivery and reader magnets for authors
BookFunnel solves the unglamorous half of giving a book away: getting the file onto a stranger's e-reader without a support email, and adding them to a mailing list on the way. Group promotions with other authors are built in and are where most of its users find readers. Everything is priced by downloads a month rather than by titles.
Only on this side
Publish to Kobo and keep your rights
Kobo Writing Life puts a book in front of Rakuten Kobo's readers, and through OverDrive into public libraries, without asking for exclusivity in return. Publishing costs nothing and the author sets the price. For anybody whose first shelf is Amazon this is the obvious second one, and the library route is the part Amazon has no answer to.
Our note
There is no reason not to be on it if you are already selling elsewhere, since it costs nothing and asks for nothing in return. Treat it as a second channel rather than a first: the reader numbers are Amazon's game, and the library route is where Kobo earns its place.
Ratings are the average of reviews readers left. The facts are stated by each tool’s own listing and are not verified by CloutStack. How we make money.