Bookshop.org confirms Kobo eReader support coming this year

If you are searching for an e-reader that lets you buy bestselling novels while supporting your neighborhood independent bookstore, your research will almost certainly lead you to Rakuten’s Kobo eReader. However, that reputation today is largely built on outdated methods that required signing up for a Kobo account directly through a bookshop’s website.

Though a handful of independent bookstores across the country still offer Kobo support through this old website approach, most of that functionality ended years ago. After purchasing a new Kobo, I found it impossible to buy e-books from any of my cherished local shops.

I want to back these stores, but I also prefer not to own a physical copy of every book I read. An e-reader offers distinct advantages over a phone or tablet: long battery life, digital ink technology, and low-glare screens. These features let me read comfortably for hours, even outdoors, just like a real book.

One promising solution for Kobo owners was a partnership with Bookshop.org, an Amazon competitor that funnels profits to local bookstores with each order. Bookshop.org already sells e-books through its iOS and Android mobile app.

That partnership was initially promised for 2025, then delayed to 2026. For a brief period earlier this year, it appeared the integration might be canceled entirely.

When Bookshop.org changed the wording on its website to remove “2026” and replace it with “sometime in the future,” I reached out for clarification.

Founder and CEO Andy Hunter responded via email, confirming that progress with Kobo has resumed. The web page now states support is expected to roll out “later this year.”

“The Kobo integration is something both Kobo and Bookshop.org want to make happen,” Hunter said.

The delay has been due to both business negotiations and engineering challenges. Hunter explained that the work must be “done in such a way that respects publisher requirements for digital rights management. It took us some time to hammer out the business terms and allocate the necessary engineering resources.”

Hunter, whose company competes with Amazon by selling physical books, noted that his engineering team has been focused on improving the mobile app, which launched about 15 months ago.

Now, attention is shifting back to Kobo support, though the timeline remains uncertain. “We have recently settled on business terms with Kobo, and we are confident the collaboration is going to happen, but can’t promise a specific launch date until the engineering work is further along,” Hunter said.

In the meantime, Kobo users are not limited to buying books from Japanese e-commerce giant Rakuten. The device supports a large selection of DRM-free books, as well as many library titles available through Overdrive. Independent e-book store eBooks.com also delivers DRM-protected books in a format compatible with Kobo.

If your goal is to support local bookshops with e-book purchases, another option is to use a different e-reader. An Android reader like Boox or Meebook, which supports the Google Play app store, can download Bookshop.org’s app directly.

Still, like many other Kobo owners, I am hoping the Bookshop.org integration becomes a reality. Supporting local independent bookstores was my main reason for buying this e-reader, even if my online research and ChatGPT’s confident advice led me astray.

Now that I own a Kobo Libra Colour, I genuinely love its reading screen, fast response, and long battery life. I still hold on to my six-year-old Kindle for similar reasons.

But I also love the local, small-business bookstores with their personalized recommendations, support for local authors, and genuine passion for books. Here is hoping that the top e-commerce site supporting local shops, Bookshop.org, will soon actually support the popular Kobo device, which claims 12 million users in 190 countries.