Barnes and Noble Press vs Kobo Writing Life
February 06, 2026 | Author: Laura Candler
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Barnes & Noble Press (formerly NOOK Press) is B&N's self-publishing platform, which allows to sell books to Nook e-readers and app users, as well as print versions in B&N bookstores in the United States. The latter option is more attractive, as the Nook e-reader platform is no longer very popular. B&N Press is available to authors in only a dozen countries and is slow to review books. Authors receive 70% royalties on e-book sales, regardless of the book's price, and 55% of the retail price of a printed book after printing costs. There is a minimum retail price, depending on the length of the printed book, the color options chosen and the cover type. Barnes & Noble (for a fee) promotes books through its extensive mailing list and runs special sales and promotions.
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Self-publishing platform for the world's second-largest book ecosystem, spanning 190 countries. It allows to publish ebooks and audiobooks, which can be distributed not only through the main Kobo store, but also through OverDrive (in public libraries), Kobo Plus subscription service and online stores of leading retailers. Authors earn up to 70% in royalties (sent directly to your bank account), own the rights to their books, set prices, and run their own advertising campaigns. Kobo doesn't require exclusivity, so you can self-publish your books anywhere. You can track updates in real time with detailed sales analytics (by country, date and reading activity of Kobo Plus subscribers) in a convenient dashboard.
Barnes and Noble Press vs Kobo Writing Life in our news:
2014. Nook Press adds Print on demand service
Barnes & Noble announced that they are now going up against CreateSpace, Lightning Source, Blurb, and other competitors in the POD (Print on demand) market with the new Nook Press print service. It provides a complete do-it-yourself experience for creating a hardcover or paperback book. The new service offers black and white or color printing, high-quality paper choices, multiple trim sizes and cover treatments. With print costs starting at $4 per copy for a 5x8 paperback, Nook Press POD can handle both color and B&W; hardback and paperback. Unfortunately, there is no distribution option yet, given that Lightning Source and Createspace both offer distribution to bookstores.
