Kobo signs first publishing deal

In Canada, Kobo has signed its first publishing deal, acquiring a book by Kevin Donovan on radio presenter Jian Gomeshi, who is awaiting trial in Canada for sexual assault, reports the Bookseller. Kobo has aquired world English rights in print and digital formats to Jian Ghomeshi: Secret Life (June) and it will produce print editions through ECW Press in Canada and via press partners in the US, and is negotiating a publishing agreement in the UK. Kobo vice president of publisher relations Pieter Swinkels said the company was as ‘enabler of publishing houses’ and said: ‘we support them, we have no interest in fighting them.’ Swinkels said Kobo doesn’t want to become a traditional publisher, but was hoping to ‘evolve the [publishing] model’.

Category: International news