Kobo backs ALLi petition

Kobo has backed the Alliance of Independent Authors’ (ALLi) campaign to encourage more bookshops, libraries and literary events to include self-published authors.

The e-reading company has partnered with ALLi to publish Open Up to Indie Authors, a guidebook for authors and the publishing industry. It will address how the publishing industry can “open up” to self-published authors, as well as explaining to authors the constraints that the industry must operate within, said Orna Ross, director of ALLi.

The book will be available in digital format exclusively through the Kobo store for the duration of LBF (8th–10th April) at 50% off its £4.99 r.r.p. After the fair, the book will be available from other e-book retailers and later as a print edition. In addition to the LBF launch, Kobo is co-ordinating with its global retail-partner network—a potential 17,600 locations—to help to organise e-launches in bookshops across the globe, including W H Smith in the UK.

ALLi previously sent a petition to the Booksellers Associations of America, the UK, Canada and Australia, calling on libraries, literary events, reviewers and bookshops to incorporate more self-published authors. The petition now has more than 9,000 signatories. Ross said she had not yet received a response from the UK BA, but added, “we would love to open a dialogue with them.”