Kobo turned down 45% of self-published titles last year, citing AI issues.
A self-publishing platform exists to say yes. Kobo’s, last year, spent a remarkable share of its time saying no. Rakuten Kobo rejected 45% of the titles submitted to Kobo Writing Life, its self-publishing service, in 2025, and chief executive Michael Tamblyn attributes more than 80% of those rejecti










