Brandwave

Barnes & Noble Press vs Kobo Writing Life:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Barnes & Noble Press had more branded searches than Kobo Writing Life among self publishing platforms worldwide. Barnes & Noble Press had about 22,200 branded searches, while Kobo Writing Life had 14,800. Barnes & Noble Press made up 0.58% of all self publishing platform searches we track, and Kobo Writing Life accounted for 0.38%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about self publishing platforms, Barnes & Noble Press appeared in three of the five answers and Kobo Writing Life in two. Barnes & Noble Press and Kobo Writing Life were each mentioned first in two of the four answers that named either.

Among self publishing platforms worldwide in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Barnes & Noble Press, about 50% more searches than Kobo Writing Life

Barnes & Noble Press 22.2K searchesKobo Writing Life 14.8K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Barnes & Noble Press, mentioned in 3 of 5 answers, Kobo Writing Life in 2

Barnes & Noble Press in 3 of 5Kobo Writing Life in 2 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Each is named first in 2 of 4 answers.

Barnes & Noble Press first in 2Kobo Writing Life first in 2

Follow Barnes & Noble Press vs Kobo Writing Life and get free monthly updates on what changed

By continuing you'll get index updates and occasional product news from Brandwave. Unsubscribe any time. Privacy

Track your brand against a rival →

Top self publishing platforms in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Barnes & Noble Press was mentioned in three out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers and in both Google AI Overviews. Kobo Writing Life was mentioned in two out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Barnes & Noble Press and Kobo Writing Life were each listed first in two of the four answers that named either.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing1st
  2. Draft2Digital2nd
  3. IngramSpark3rd
  4. Lulu4th
  5. Barnes & Noble Press5th
  6. Amazon KDP6th
  7. Kobo Writing Life7th
  8. Smashwords8th

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Draft2Digital5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Lulu5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • IngramSpark4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Amazon KDP3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Barnes & Noble Press3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Kobo Writing Life2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Smashwords1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about self publishing platforms

5 answers

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 21, 2026.

Is Barnes & Noble Press or Kobo Writing Life more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Barnes & Noble Press and Kobo Writing Life by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all eight self publishing platforms we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.

Barnes & Noble Press and Kobo Writing Life among self publishing platforms worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Barnes & Noble Press, Kobo Writing Life. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthAmazon KDPAmazon Kindle Direct PublishingIngramSparkDraft2DigitalSmashwordsBarnes & Noble PressKobo Writing LifeLulu
Oct 202546.6%46.6%2.8%1.3%1.3%0.69%0.46%0.31%
Nov 202545.9%45.9%3.4%1.5%1.5%0.83%0.45%0.37%
Dec 202546.6%46.6%2.8%1.3%1.3%0.69%0.38%0.31%
Jan 202646.4%46.4%2.8%1.5%1.5%0.69%0.38%0.31%
Feb 202646.1%46.1%3.4%1.5%1.2%0.83%0.46%0.3%
Mar 202646.6%46.6%2.8%1.3%1.3%0.69%0.38%0.31%
Apr 202646.6%46.6%2.8%1.5%1%0.69%0.46%0.31%
May 202646.7%46.7%2.8%1.3%1%0.69%0.46%0.31%
Jun 202646.8%46.8%2.8%1%1%0.69%0.46%0.31%
Jul 202646.6%46.6%2.8%1.3%1.3%0.69%0.46%0.31%
Aug 202646.9%46.9%2.8%1%0.85%0.69%0.46%0.31%
Sep 202647.5%47.5%2.3%0.7%0.7%0.58%0.38%0.26%

How has the Barnes & Noble Press and Kobo Writing Life comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings

How did search popularity change for self publishing platforms worldwide in September 2026?

2 changes

  1. Estimated monthly branded searches for Barnes & Noble Press worldwide rose 22.7% over 12 measured months, from 18.1K to 22.2K in September 2026.

  2. Estimated monthly branded searches for Kobo Writing Life worldwide rose 22.3% over 12 measured months, from 12.1K to 14.8K in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

2 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Barnes & Noble Press’ and Kobo Writing Life’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.

Barnes & Noble Press

1 branded search term

  • barnes & noble press

Kobo Writing Life

1 branded search term

  • kobo writing life

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among self publishing platforms

Creator with pink hair and a pink jacket

Put your own brand in this comparison

Brandwave tracks your branded demand next to the rival you actually watch, with your campaigns, spend and outcomes on the same timeline.

Start free