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If you\u2019re looking for an e-reader that allows you to buy expensive bestsellers from your local independent bookshops, your research will inevitably point you to Rakuten\u2019s Kobo eReader<\/a>. But, as it turns out, this reputation is largely based on outdated methods for buying Kobo books, involving signing up for a Kobo account from bookshops\u2019 websites.<\/p>\n While there are a handful of indie bookshops nationwide still supporting Kobo through this website method, most of that kind of support ended years ago. I\u2019ve found it impossible to buy e-books for my recently purchased Kobo from any of my local, beloved bookshops.<\/p>\n I want to support these bookshops, and I don\u2019t want to own a physical copy of every book I read. I also want to use an e-reader rather than an Android or iOS app on a phone or tablet because e-readers offer long battery life, digital ink, and low-glare screens. These allow me to read comfortably for hours, even outdoors, similar to a physical book.<\/p>\n One solution for Kobo owners, originally promised for 2025, was a partnership with Bookshop.org<\/a>, an Amazon competitor that supports local bookshops with every order. Bookshop.org currently offers e-books through its mobile app for iOS and Android.<\/p>\n That partnership<\/a> was at first promised for 2025 and then delayed<\/a> to 2026, and for a brief time earlier this year, looked like it would be delayed indefinitely.<\/p>\n After Bookshop.org changed the wording on its web page referencing Kobo support, removing \u201c2026\u201d and replacing it with \u201csometime in the future,\u201d<\/a> I reached out to get a status update.<\/p>\n Bookshop.org\u2019s founder and CEO, Andy Hunter, told me in an emailed reply that progress with Kobo has now been made. The web page has been updated, saying once again that support is expected to roll out \u201clater this year.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe Kobo integration\u00a0is something both Kobo and\u00a0Bookshop.org\u00a0want to make happen,\u201d Hunter said.<\/p>\n The holdup has been both on the business side and engineering side to ensure it is \u201cdone 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,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n Hunter, whose company also competes with Amazon by selling physical books, says his engineers have been focused on improving the mobile device app, which launched about 15 months ago. <\/p>\n Their attention is now being returned to Kobo support, albeit the timing remains vague. \u201cWe have recently settled on business terms with Kobo, and we are confident the collaboration is going to happen, but can\u2019t promise a specific launch date until the engineering work is further along,\u201d Hunter said.<\/p>\n Obviously, whether or not Bookshop.org ever figures out Kobo support, Kobo users don\u2019t have to buy all their books from Japanese-based e-commerce giant Rakuten. Kobo users can read a large selection of digital rights management (DRM)-free books on their readers, and a large selection (though not all) of library books offered through Overdrive<\/a>. Independent e-book store eBooks.com<\/a> also delivers DRM-protected books in a format that Kobo supports, it says.<\/p>\n Another solution, should your goal be to support local bookshops with e-book purchases, is to use a different e-reader. An Android reader like Boox or Meebook that supports the Google Play app store should be able to download Bookshop.org\u2019s app, the bookseller says<\/a>.<\/p>\n Still, like countless other Kobo owners, I\u2019m rooting for the Bookshop.org integration to materialize. Supporting local independent bookstores was my main motivation for buying this particular e-reader, misled as I was by my online research (and the confident advice of ChatGPT).<\/p>\n Now that I own a Kobo Libra Colour, I really do love its reading screen, fast response, and long battery life. I also continue to hold on to my six-year-old Kindle for the same reasons.<\/p>\n But I also love the local, small-business bookstores with their personalized recommendations, support of local authors, and sheer love of books. Here\u2019s hoping that the top e-commerce site that supports local shops, Bookshop.org, will soon actually support the popular Kobo device, which claims 12 million\u00a0users in\u00a0190 countries.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission<\/a>. This doesn\u2019t affect our editorial independence.<\/em><\/p>\n