Kobo Writing Life [7], the do-it-yourself e-book publishing platform, is sponsoring events to bring customers and aspiring writers through the doors of independent bookstores to learn about the self-publishing opportunities available through Kobo.

A recent event at Toadstool Bookshop [8] in Milford, New Hampshire, welcomed attendees for an educational session about Kobo Writing Life and treated them to a meet-and-greet with authors Sylvie Kurtz (Broken Wings), Pamela Kelley (Six Months in Montana), and Lorrie Thomson (Equilibrium, Kensington).

Sylvie Kurtz, Pamela Kelley, Lorrie Thomson, and Christine Munroe

Attendees at Toadstool’s event learned from Christine Munroe, Kobo Writing Life’s U.S. manager, how to turn a manuscript into an e-book through Kobo Writing Life while at the same time building a relationship with their local independent bookstore.

“These events are a perfect way for bookstore owners to encourage customers to continue supporting them if they choose to buy e-books,” said Munroe. “The events have been wonderful, and I love fostering a connection between booksellers, customers, authors, and Kobo. Any booksellers interested in hosting an event shouldn’t hesitate to get in touch with me directly [9].”

The Kobo Writing Life portal allows authors who want to publish their works as e-books to manage the process by entering the book’s details, uploading the manuscript, choosing content rights, and setting a price. Upon publishing, users can monitor sales through the site’s dashboard.

Earlier this year, Housing Works Bookstore Café [10] in New York City hosted an event featuring a panel of digital publishing experts, and Village Books [11] in Bellingham, Washington, saw success with its Kobo Writing Life event that featured digitally published local authors. Each event sponsored by Kobo Writing Life is tailored specifically to the host stores.

Fiction Addiction [12] in Greenville, South Carolina, will be hosting a Kobo Writing Life event later this month. It will feature Kobo’s Munroe as well as local authors Susan Boyer (Lowcountry Boil: A Liz Talbot Mystery), Carl T. Smith (Lowcountry Boil: The Sam Larkin Tribology Book 1), and Jim McFarlane (Penelope: A Novel of New Amsterdam). Attendees will have the opportunity to snag free and discounted e-books and will also be entered into a drawing to win a Kobo Aura HD e-reader.

Booksellers interested in hosting a Kobo Writing Life event in their store should contact Munroe at (646) 943-8200, ext. 52533, or via e-mail [9].