Everything about Rakuten Kobo Plus

Popularly known as Kobo, its actual name is Rakuten Kobo (a contraction of the Japanese company Rakuten that bought Kobo in 2011). Kobo is working hard on the coca cola effect: “Would you like to take the Kobo” stands for: do you want to take the ereader.

Haters and lovers of e-reading. In any case, we are fine. Do you want to know how you can get even more out of your e-reader and reading pleasure? That is possible with Kobo Plus, a kind of Netflix for the e-readers among us. Curious about what Kobo Plus exactly means, how it works and what it costs? Then keep reading!

What is Rakuten Kobo Plus?

What is Kobo? Kobo, or actually Rakuten Kobo, is a Canadian company that sells e-books, audiobooks, e-readers and tablet computers.

Kobo Plus is the paid subscription form that Kobo offers for unlimited reading. Kobo has three Kobo Plus plans:

• Kobo Plus Read (EUR 9.99 per month). Read more than 25,000 eBooks through your Kobo eReader or through the Kobo app.
• Kobo Plus Read & Listen (12.99 per month). Read over 25,000 eBooks through your Kobo eReader and listen to over 20,000 international audiobooks through the Kobo app.
• Kobo Plus Read & Listen (9.99 per month). Listen to over 20,000 international audiobooks through the Kobo app.

How does Kobo Plus work?

You can read eBooks on your eReader and through the app on your tablet or phone, and listen to audiobooks through the app on your phone.

First of all, you are entitled to a 30-day trial period, during which you can try Kobo Plus for free. You can take out this trial period via bol.com or kobo.com. You choose which subscription you want to try and then ‘pay’ it via the payment screen where you are led. For this you need credit card information on kobo.com. This is also possible via bol.com with iDeal and direct debit.

If you’re still excited after the 30-day free trial, your trial will automatically convert to the plan you’ve tried and you’ll pay a monthly fee. You can cancel your subscription every month.

So for audiobooks you need the Kobo app. In addition, for eBooks, a Kobo eReader. From your kobo account, via kobo.com or bol.com, you can add books to your account. These automatically sync to your eReader. In addition, you can also select audio and reading books in your app. You do this by simply clicking on the book that interests you. Then you get a short description of the book. If you then press add, the book is in your library and you can start reading or listening to it. There is no validity to reading your book, it is at your disposal during your subscription period. You don’t need a wireless internet connection for this (at least, to read or listen). How about that? You can read and listen to up to 15 Kobo Plus books offline on your eReader or in the app.

How do I put books on my Kobo eReader?

One of the most frequently asked questions with Kobo eReaders is how to put selected eBooks on your eReader. Don’t worry, it’s very simple and you can do it in several ways.

There are four ways to select and add books to your library.

• Through your Kobo eReader. How do I put books on my Kobo eReader? You turn on your eReader. Via the ‘Home’ tab, you go to ‘Kobo Plus’. There you can then select the books you would like to read.
• Via online Kobo account. How do I transfer books from my PC to my Kobo eReader?
• Go to kobo.com or bol.com. There you log in with your details. You can then select books to read from the kobo.com home page. Then read the summary and click on ‘Add to My Books’. Under ‘My account’ –> ‘My books’ you can see all the books you have selected. Via bol.com you select the book you want to read and then press ‘Read with Kobo Plus’.
• Through your Kobo app. Make sure you are logged in to your app with your details. Go to the ‘Kobo Plus’ tab in the bar at the bottom of your screen. There you can select eBooks and Audiobooks. You select the book of your choice and then press ‘Add to My Books’. You can then find your added books under eBooks and Audiobooks.

Because your books are linked to your account, your books will appear in your library on all devices (i.e. online, on your eReader and in your app) if you are logged in there with that account. So, which folder should you put your Kobo books in? That’s ‘My Books’.

Which Kobo eReader?

Kobo has already launched a considerable number of eReaders and covers. Currently, Kobo sells four different eReaders:

• Kobo Forma, via bol.com EUR 279.99. Has the largest screen of all eReaders, choice of landscape or portrait text display, provides soft and natural light and is waterproof.
• Kobo Libra H2O, via bol.com EUR 179.99. Larger screen, choice of landscape or portrait text display, provides soft and natural light.
• Kobo Clara HD, via bol.com EUR 129.99. Light, most compact and gives the best light for a pleasant reading experience.
• Kobo Nia: EUR 99.99 via bol.com. Basic eReader.

Which eReader is best and most suitable for you depends on your wishes, needs and budget.

Kobo Gift Card, where to buy?

With the Rakuten Kobo gift card you get credit for buying eBooks and audiobooks. This is therefore separate from the Kobo Plus subscription, where you do not buy books, but you subscribe to read and/or listen to unlimited books. After purchasing the gift card, you will receive a code that you must redeem or redeem to top up your balance. You can then spend that balance freely in the Kobo and Bol.com stores.

You can buy Rakuten Kobo gift cards in several places. Tickets are available in-store or online. The Kobo gift cards are not for sale in many places. For example, you could also spend a Bol.com gift card to buy books and read or listen on your app and/or your eReader.

Tips for optimal reading pleasure

1. Link your bol.com and kobo.com account together: If you buy books from bol.com as well as from kobo.com, you get two separate libraries. How do you pair them? Go to kobo.com, ‘My account’, ‘Account settings’ and click on ‘Connect this account’ behind ‘My bol.com account’ or ‘My kobo account’ (depending on which website you started from) .
2. Mark and read back: Did you read something nice that you want to read again later? Which can. Create a donkey species by clicking on the top right of the screen. This page is saved in ‘Bookmark’ and you can quickly find that page again via ‘Bookmark’. You can also highlight a selection of text by tapping on it and then tapping highlight.
3. Collections: Want to create some order out of chaos? Then create collections, for example of a certain genre, your favorite books, a writer or a subject. In ‘My collections’ press ‘Create a collection’ and you can add a name to your collection