If you publish straight to Kobo through Kobo Writing Life, you can now set up an ebook pre-order before your book is finished. That gives you more time to list the book. It also gives you three dates that matter more than release day.

The lesson this week: before you tick the pre-order box, write those three dates on your calendar.

What Kobo says

Kobo Writing Life announced on 21 August 2026 (checked 30 October 2026) that authors can now publish pre-order titles without an ebook or audiobook file, and without a placeholder file.

The rules are in the KWL Guide to Pre-Orders (updated 18 September 2026, checked 30 October 2026). To set one up, you choose a future release date in the Other metadata section and tick "Allow pre-orders".

The three dates

  1. File due: 3 business days before release. Kobo asks you to upload the final file at least 3 business days before the release date.
  2. Reminder: 7 days before release. Kobo emails you a reminder to upload your final file.
  3. Delisting: 14 days after release. If there is still no file, Kobo sends another reminder 7 days after release. In the guide's words: "Books that are still missing content 14 days after release date will be automatically delisted."

Kobo's own reminder comes only a week before. Set your own, earlier.

Three smaller rules worth knowing

  • A pre-order cannot be free. You can make a book free later, but not while it is on pre-order.
  • A 5% preview is on by default. Every book in the store, pre-orders included, shows the first 5% of the file. To turn that off, you contact Kobo.
  • Check the release date after any edit. Kobo says the release date may reset when you change a pre-order, so look at it again on the Publish your eBook step.

Kobo direct is not the same as Kobo through Draft2Digital

If you reach Kobo through Draft2Digital instead, you are on Draft2Digital's file deadline, not Kobo's. That is covered in our post on Smashwords pre-orders. Kindle pre-orders have their own rules too, in our 2 October post on KDP pre-orders. Pick one route per store, so you only have one deadline to watch.

A small example

This one is made up. Ruth writes historical romance and publishes to Kobo directly. She sets her next ebook for Friday 15 January 2027 and ticks "Allow pre-orders" this week, with no file yet. Counting back 3 business days, her file is due by Tuesday 12 January. She sets her own reminder for 4 January, before Kobo's reminder on 8 January. She also notes 29 January, the day the book would be delisted if anything went wrong. Her file goes up on 5 January. After she corrects a typo in the description, she checks that the release date has not moved.

Kobo gives you time to finish the book. Three dates on the calendar make sure you use it well.