How to Create an Ebook in Kotobee – A Step by Step Guide

You may have probably tried a dozen ebook tools in search of that one magical software that lets you really make your ebook shine—adding videos, quizzes, pop-ups, and all those cool little things that make readers go “wow.” 

Well, my search ended the day I found Kotobee.

In this guide, I’ll walk you through how to create your own interactive ebook using Kotobee, step by step—sharing not only the process but also my own experiences and tips to make your journey smoother.

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What is Kotobee?

Kotobee is a powerful platform for creating interactive ebooks. Unlike traditional ebook creators, it allows you to embed rich media - like audio, video, interactive questions, widgets, and even web links - directly into your ebook.

This ebook creator software is perfect for educators, course creators, and digital publishers. Kotobee supports multiple ebook formats like EPUB, Kindle, web app, SCORM, desktop app and mobile app.

Beginners can download the software for free and use it create ebooks. The Kotobee software  can downloaded on multiple platforms like Windows, Mac and Ubuntu. Pricing plan of Kotobee starts at a one-time fee of $150.

Tools You’ll Need to Create Ebook in Kotobee:

How to Create an Ebook in Kotobee?

Here is the step-by-step process to create an interactive ebook in Kotobee.

Step 1: Download and Install Kotobee Author

I started by visiting this link - kotobee.com/products/author and downloading the software for my OS (they support Windows, Mac, and Linux).

• Installation is super straightforward.
• I recommend creating a free account - you’ll easy upgrade later if you need own branding and advanced features.

Step 2: Start a New Ebook Project

Once inside Kotobee Author:

1. Click File > New.
2. Choose your ebook format (I selected EPUB as it’s widely compatible).
3. Give your ebook a title and author name.
4. Hit Create.

Boom—you now have a blank ebook canvas ready to be filled!

Step 3: Add Chapters and Pages

To add New Chapters to your ebook in Kotobee Author, you need to click on Chapter option available on the left sidebar of the interface.

Now, Kotobee will ask you to select the type of layout for your ebook - Reflowable layout and Fixed layout. If you want adjustable font size for your text on different devices, choose reflowable layout or if you need the layout to look same on all the devices without font size adjustments, choose fixed layout.

To learn more about these two types of layout, check this resource from this blog - Ebook formats.

Now, here’s where I started structuring my ebook in Kotobee Author.

• Use the Chapter option on the left sidebar to add, rename, and reorder chapters.
• You can easily add Sub-chapters to your Chapter.
• You can use drag-and-drop to easily move sections around.
• You can easily delete Chapters from the Delete option available at the bottom left.

Working with the left sidebars of Kotobee Author reminded me a lot of using WordPress blocks or Canva—it’s intuitive and visual.

Step 4: Insert Content

You can now add text, images, and media to each chapter.

To add text:

• Just click inside the editor and start typing or paste your content.
• Formatting is very similar to MS Word (bold, italics, bullets, etc.).
• Formatting options are available at the top of the Kotobee Author interface.

To add images or videos:

• To add image or video or audio or any widgets, choose the options from the right sidebar.
• You can upload from your device or also embed from the web (YouTube, Vimeo, etc.).

For example, to add an image to your chapter, click on the Image option and click on Add image to select an image from your computer. Alternatively, you can also paste the URL of your image to add it your chapter.

You can also set the width and height to your image. For SEO, you can also add ALT text and give a Title to your image. Below is an example where I have added an image to one of my chapters.

📝In one of my ebook, I embedded a YouTube video tutorial on page 3. It worked like a charm—no coding, just paste the link.

Step 5: Add Interactivity

This is where Kotobee truly shines! It is able to make an ebook truly interactive and engaging for your readers.

From the above table you can see that you can easily different types of questions (MCQs, true/false, short answer questions) to your ebook to test the knowledge of your readers.

Additionally, you can add popup widgets to make your ebook more interactive and engaging. To direct your readers to some external resources, you can easily add external links also.

To add a quiz:

1. Select Questions from the right sidebar.
2. Now, select either MCQ Single Choice or MCQ Multiple Answer.
3. Add your options and correct answer.
4. Optionally, you can also add image and answer explanations to your questions.
5. Finally, click on Create to save the question.

Below screenshot is an example where I have added two questions with multiple answer options. Select Questions from the right sidebar then click on MCQ Single Choice. Now, enter the Title for your Question Set, Question and Choices (answer options) as shown below.

After entering the question, click on Create to add the question to your ebook. Now, to add another question, you can repeat the same process or you can duplicate the question you just added.

After adding the questions, your ebook screen will look like this.

Now, your readers will able to take part in the quiz and check their knowledge. My readers loved this part. I added mini-quizzes at the end of each chapter, and it really increased engagement.

Step 6: Customize the Layout & Design

Kotobee lets you:

• Change font styles and colors.
• Add background images or colors to each page.
• Insert page transitions and effects.

I used a soft beige background with a clean sans-serif font—easy on the eyes and very readable.

🎨 Tip: Don’t go overboard. Keep the design simple so your content and interactive elements stand out.

Step 7: Export Your Ebook

Once your ebook is ready, click File > Export. You have multiple options as shown below:

From above the screenshot, you can see that Kotobee currently support these ebook formats - EPUB, EPUB (Encrypted), Kindle, PDF and Word document.

Please note that if you've added interactive elements to your ebook, export your ebook in EPUB format else interactive elements will be lost.

Here is a comparison table highlighting when to use these ebook formats.

Sometimes, I export mine as a Web App and upload it to my own website—super easy and it looked stunning!

Step 8: Publish or Distribute

You can:

• Host it on Kotobee Cloud Library.
• Upload to your own website.
• Convert it into a mobile app.
• Or even sell it through Amazon Kindle or Google Play Books (after converting to the required formats).

💡 I personally love the Web App option. It's fast, responsive, and you can track user analytics through Kotobee’s dashboard.

My Personal Experience

When I first used Kotobee, I was creating a digital course ebook. I had tried static PDFs, but students kept asking for interactive features—so I switched to Kotobee.

Creating my first ebook took me about 3-4 hours, including formatting and adding videos. The ability to include questions and instant feedback transformed how students engaged with the content.

Biggest win? I noticed 40% more readers completed the ebook when it was interactive. That’s massive.

Final Thoughts: Is Kotobee Worth It?

Absolutely. Whether you're an educator, digital creator, coach, or entrepreneur, Kotobee lets you bring your ebook to life with interactivity that’s hard to match.

If you’re ready to create something beyond a plain PDF, I highly recommend giving Kotobee a try.

Get started with Kotobee using the link below.