Walmart and Kobo Are Launching Their Joint eBookstore on 21 August
Kobo is keeping mum about the official launch of its joint ebookstore with Walmart, but all signs point to the launch happening in the second half of August.
Initially announced in January, the new ebookstore was going to be located on Walmart.com and would feature both audiobooks, comic books, and ebooks sold through Kobo as well as Kobo ereaders.
That was about all we knew at the time, but in the past few days I have managed to glean a few additional details.
For example, I can now point you to a couple new pages on Walmart’s website where you will shortly find Kobo’s ereaders and ebooks. The pages currently contain dummy images, but the section headings and the page URLs give away a lot of the detail.
I checked the source code for the pages, but I could not find any clues about the launch day.
I do know, however, that Kobo is currently recruiting authors through Kobo Writing Life in preparation for a big marketing push. It is all very hush-hush, but getting ready for the launch and checking details like book description length has been absorbing so many work hours at Kobo that Kobo Writing Life has stopped answering emails.
What we do know is that the marketing campaign will coincide with the launch of the ebookstore on Walmart.com. Kobo has even set the date for the launch, and sworn everyone to secrecy.
I think I am now up to seven people who know the date but cannot tell me.
Unfortunately for Kobo, the ebook distributor Streetlib has let the cat out of the bag. The big day is 21 August, but I have doubts about whether Kobo and Walmart will be ready.
If the ebookstore on Walmart.com were more complete, I would say that the launch is happening sooner rather than later. But in its current state I don’t see the site being ready in three weeks.
If you have inside knowledge about the launch day or any other inside info, I’d love to hear from you.
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