Kobo Writing Life vs Lulu
February 02, 2026 | Author: Laura Candler
Kobo Writing Life and Lulu are both online services that allow authors to publish books online in digital format (without upfront printing costs). Both allow authors to set their own prices, offer sales tracking tools and audience statistics. Both are aimed at independent authors and small publishers.
However, Kobo Writing Life is a dedicated service for Kobo ecosystem, which includes the store, apps and e-Ink readers. The service accepts book uploads in EPUB format without any additional requirements, automatically (and quite quickly) validates them and formats into its own format. It also offers additional marketing tools, such as participation in promotional programs in Kobo Store and flexible pricing by region. But Kobo's platform charges relatively high royalties on book sales.
Lulu also has its own store but basically distributes books through third-party retailers, including Amazon and Barnes & Noble. The service offers comprehensive (paid) manuscript preparation services. It also provides authors with tools for creating a printed version of a book (Print-on-Demand), offers a wide range of printing and binding formats.
However, Kobo Writing Life is a dedicated service for Kobo ecosystem, which includes the store, apps and e-Ink readers. The service accepts book uploads in EPUB format without any additional requirements, automatically (and quite quickly) validates them and formats into its own format. It also offers additional marketing tools, such as participation in promotional programs in Kobo Store and flexible pricing by region. But Kobo's platform charges relatively high royalties on book sales.
Lulu also has its own store but basically distributes books through third-party retailers, including Amazon and Barnes & Noble. The service offers comprehensive (paid) manuscript preparation services. It also provides authors with tools for creating a printed version of a book (Print-on-Demand), offers a wide range of printing and binding formats.
