Kobo knows that there is a large demographic of writers that are not very tech savvy. Writing your book is the first step, but there are lots of hurdles to overcome, such as finding an editor, cover artist or just getting your table of contents formatted correctly. To this end, Kobo has just posted a list of recommended services for anyone wanting to self-publishing with Kobo Writing Life.
Cover Design
AcePub – www.acepub.com
Although “don’t judge a book by its cover” is a general rule of thumb, it doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be beautiful. Acepub offers a multitude of eBook creation services, including cover design. Buyers have thousands of books to choose from, and working with a trained designer to create a compelling cover can help authors cut through the clutter to find their audiences.
ePub Conversion
Diving into a great read is an age-old, beloved pastime, and just like a well-designed book, a properly formatted eBook is a beautiful thing. Kobo Writing Life offers its self-published authors conversation services at a great rate to achieve just that.
Aptara – www.aptaracorp.com
Making content widely accessible, searchable, and portable means making it digital. Different mobile devices, media platforms, and industries require different content formats and standards, and this can form a tangled web of specifications. Aptara provides authors and publishers with services that include ePub conversion from Word or Print PDF to reflowable ePub, and from Word, Print PDF or InDesign to fixed-layout ePub.
Newgen – www.newgen.co
Newgen provides post-print, eBook and enhanced electronic production, and backlist conversion services. They convert content from hard copies, microfilm, microfiche, application files, and PDFs very accurately to text files. They tag, index, style, and label data to provide web-enabled HTML/DHTML files, XML/SGML formats, and all popular eBook formats such as ePUB, ePDF, and MOBI. They use the tagged, indexed, and labelled data to make the electronic information searchable and easily retrievable.
Copyright
Digi-Rights – www.digi-rights.com
Understanding copyright law is key. Digi-Rights offers authors and publishers copyright registration, assessments, permissions acquisition, copyright clearance and rights sublicensing services. A copyright provides protection against illegal copying, theft or plagiarism of precious work.
Pre-Press Composition
Nord Compo – www.nordcompo.com
Writers thinking of turning their stories into a printed book need look no further. Nord Compo offers the most complete selection of pre-press, production, and design services. Their solutions can be designed to match the complexity and unique requirements of any publishing needs. Nord Compo can help authors produce affordable print versions of their books.
ISBN (U.S. Authors Only)
Bowker – www.bowker.com
The most important identifier a book can have is its ISBN, to provide unique identification and simplify distribution throughout the global supply chain. Kobo Writing Life authors who live in the United States can purchase a single ISBN for USD $100 (a $25 discount off the full price). R.R. Bowker LLC is the exclusive ISBN Registration Agency for the United States.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
