Exploring the Future of Kobo E-Readers and Local Bookstore Integration
If you’re looking for an e-reader that lets you shop for expensive bestsellers at your local independent bookstores, your searches will inevitably lead you to Rakuten’s Kobo e-reader. But it turns out that much of that reputation is based on outdated methods of purchasing Kobo books, involving creating a Kobo account on bookstore websites.
The Shift in Kobo’s Independent Bookstore Support
While there are a handful of independent bookstores across the country that still support Kobo through this website method, most of this type of support ended years ago. I found it impossible to purchase e-books for my recently purchased Kobo at one of my beloved local bookstores.
I want to support these bookstores and I don’t want to own a physical copy of every book I read. I also want to use an e-reader rather than an Android or iOS app on a phone or tablet because e-readers offer long battery life, digital ink, and low-glare screens. These allow me to comfortably read for hours, even outside, like a physical book.
The Promise of Bookshop.org Partnership
One solution for Kobo owners, originally promised for 2025, was a partnership with Bookshop.org, an Amazon competitor that supports local bookstores with every order. Bookshop.org currently offers eBooks through its mobile app for iOS and Android.
This partnership was first promised for 2025, then delayed to 2026, and for a brief period earlier this year it looked like it would be delayed indefinitely.
After Bookshop.org changed the wording on its webpage referring to Kobo support, removing “2026” and replacing it with “in the future,” I reached out for a status update.
Progress and Challenges in Kobo Integration
Bookshop.org founder and CEO Andy Hunter told me in an email response that progress has been made with Kobo. The webpage has been updated, once again stating that support is expected to roll out “later this year.”
“The Kobo integration is something that Kobo and Bookshop.org want to achieve,” Hunter said.
The delay was on both the business and technical side to ensure this was “done in a way that respected publishers’ requirements for digital rights management. It took us some time to define the business terms and allocate the necessary engineering resources,” he explained.
Hunter, whose company also competes with Amazon by selling physical books, says his engineers have focused on improving the app for mobile devices, which launched about 15 months ago.
Looking Forward: The Future of E-Reading
Their attention is now on Kobo support, although the timing remains vague. “We recently entered into commercial terms with Kobo and are confident the collaboration will come to fruition, but we cannot promise a specific launch date until the engineering work is further along,” Hunter said.
Obviously, whether Bookshop.org discovers Kobo support or not, Kobo users are not obligated to buy all their books from Japanese e-commerce giant Rakuten. Kobo users can read a wide selection of books without digital rights management (DRM) on their readers, as well as a wide selection (but not all) of library books offered through Overdrive. Independent eBook store eBooks.com also offers DRM-protected books in a format supported by Kobo, it says.
Another solution, if your goal is to support local bookstores by purchasing e-books, is to use another e-reader. An Android reader like Boox or Meebook that supports the Google Play app store should be able to download the Bookshop.org app, the bookseller says.
Still, like countless other Kobo owners, I wish the Bookshop.org integration would materialize. Supporting local independent bookstores was my primary motivation for purchasing this particular e-reader, misled by my online research (and ChatGPT’s confident advice).
Now that I own a Kobo Libra Color, I really like its reading screen, fast response, and long battery life. I also continue to hold on to my six year old Kindle for the same reasons.
But I also love small, local bookstores with their personalized recommendations, support of local authors, and pure love of books. We hope that the leading e-commerce site supporting local stores, Bookshop.org, will soon support the popular Kobo device, which claims 12 million users in 190 countries.
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