tech
Kobo rejected 45% of self-published books last year, mostly over AI
A self-publishing platform exists to say yes. Kobo’s, last year, spent a remarkable share of its time saying no.
TL;DR
- Rakuten Kobo rejected 45% of titles submitted to its self-publishing service in 2025.
- Over 80% of rejected titles were deemed to be poor-quality, AI-generated content.
- The platform described receiving a "firehose" of machine-written manuscripts.
- Kobo prioritizes rejecting books based on poor quality rather than definitive AI detection due to unreliable detection software.
- Kobo's rejection criteria include short titles, AI-generated content, poor translations, and excessive prices.
- This stance contrasts with Amazon's policy of requiring authors to declare AI-generated text.
- The influx of cheap, machine-made text presents a challenge for publishing platforms and may inadvertently filter out genuine books.