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Kobo to set up publishing arm

28.10.11 | Charlotte Williams

Kobo is to move into publishing, its c.e.o. has announced, with plans to offer complete publishing services directly to authors, Canadian CBC News reports.

C.e.o. Michael Serbinis told the network that Kobo will roll out its programme sometime in 2012. He said: "It's part of the new market and if you expect to be a number one player in that market globally its table stakes—you have to provide it."

Kobo will offer services including book editing and design to authors, although it is currently unclear whether the e-reader company will publish print books, or just e-books. It is also unclear whether it will be a self-publishing initative or a full-service programme, such as Amazon's, where the company has hired publishers and editors with a traditional publishing background. Amazon's publishing arm now includes six imprints, including the most recent launch, 47North, a sci-fi, fantasy and horror imprint.

Meanwhile, in its reaction piece to the news, Quill & Quire reports that Canadian Booksellers Association president Mark Lefebvre joined Kobo this week in the newly created role of director of self-publishing and author relations.

The article reports Carolyn Wood, executive director at the Association of Canadian Publishers, saying: "I have no reason to think that Kobo would want to get into the highly speculative business of selecting acquisitions. I’m assuming that what they’re offering is a service for a fee and that is an option that has always been available to authors."

This follows Kobo and W H Smith's link-up in the UK, with Smith's now stocking Kobo's e-reading devices.

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By Michael Tamblyn

The CBC reporter may have taken a slightly expansive view of our plans. It has been interesting to watch this story ricochet through the industry over the last couple of days and the speed of its spread is I'm sure directly proportional to the angst felt by publishers about this issue. Just to be clear, our focus will be on building out an improved self-publishing offering to bring us in line with our competitors in that fast-growing category. We will also launch "Kobo Basics", a line of cookbooks, field and nature guides and other illustrated non-fiction available as digital exclusives on Kobo Vox, an endeavour we will embark on in cooperation with partner publishers. To the extent that we are reaching out to agents, it is for content not currently available in print or through existing publishers, such as non-book-length works. We will, for the time being, leave editing, acquisitions and the paying of advances to our friends the publishers who do that work so well.

Fri, 28/10/2011 - 20:22
By Margo Kelly

I disagree that I took an expansive view of Kobo's plans in my reporting on CBC Radio. In my taped interview with Kobo CEO Michael Serbinis he confirmed that the company will be offering a "comprehensive" publishing program, including editing and design services. I did not, in any of my radio or on-line stories, report that Kobo would be paying advances as Amazon is currently doing.

Where the Kobo publishing program begins (with cookbooks and non-book-length works) is not necessarily where it will end up in five years. Nowhere in the interview did Mr. Serbinis indicate that Kobo would attempt to offer a much more limited program than Amazon.

There is also the growing self-publishing market. Kobo now has, according to Serbinis, 10,000 authors in its stable, some of whom are continuing to sell their print books through their traditional publishers and their e-books directly through Kobo. Would it not make sense that these authors (and prospective new ones) will be informed, if not encouraged, to use Kobo's new full service publishing program?

Margo Kelly

Sat, 29/10/2011 - 14:08

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