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Blog • Understanding Publishing

Last updated on Feb 07, 2023

How to Publish on Google Play Books in 2024

Google is the world’s leading search engine, as you probably already know. A lesser-known part of Google is its very own online bookstore — Google Play Books — which is integrated within the broader Google Play store.

If you’re one of the 2.5 billion people who own an Android device, you’ll know what we’re talking about. Google Play is the place to download or purchase apps, games, music, movies, and, well, books to use on your Android devices.

And that’s exactly why Google Play Books is such an important place for any author to be nowadays: it allows you to easily reach those billions of people in the world who own Android devices.

A brief history of Google Play Books

That said, Google Play wasn’t always a great place for indie authors. Up until early 2020, you couldn’t actually get your books into the Google Play Books store without first going through an “approval period” and (sometimes) a waiting list.

More than that, the lucky authors who did manage to get into the store would often see their titles get automatically discounted by Google Play, without prior warning. This move would trigger price-matching from Amazon (and other retailers), often without the author realizing it in the first place.

Of course, many indie authors found workarounds to avoid any such discount. They used complicated formulas to figure out how that auto-discounting worked and priced their book higher on Google Play to make up for it. Overall, though, the clunkiness of the system outweighed its benefits for most authors.

Enter 2020. The year will probably be remembered for other somber things, but it also marks the moment that Google Play Books finally opened its doors, in a big way, to indie authors.

Now, it’s easier than ever to create a new publisher account. No approval periods anymore: you can just create your account, set up your book, and upload it to the store — with just a few easy clicks.

Gone are the times of the widespread auto-discounting too. As of October 2020, Google Play Books will “unilaterally follow the list price that you provide for an ebook on sales to customers in the United States and Canada,” no matter the price of the ebook .

Note: Google Play obviously still reserves the right to “price-match” your book if they see a lower price available elsewhere, just like most other retailers.

All in all, this means that (unless you’re exclusive to Amazon through KDP Select) there is no reason anymore not to have your books on Google Play. On the contrary, you have everything to gain: Google Play even offers better royalties than Amazon (70% vs 35%), and charges no delivery fees, on books priced below $2.99 or above $9.99!

So let’s see exactly how you can achieve that!

How to publish your book on Google Play in 7 easy steps

As we mentioned, Google Play has removed their indeterminate “approval periods” and waiting lists for creating new publisher accounts. But here’s what you can also get excited about: they’ve also redesigned their whole publishing system, and made it easier than ever to publish on Google Play Books.

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As with any other publishing platform, it all starts with:

Step 1: Create your Google Play Partner account

Note that you’ll need an associated Google account. If you use Gmail, you’re golden. If not, you’ll have to create a Google account.

Step 2: Enter your financial information

Simple: you’ll want Google Play to be able to pay you your royalties. So the first thing you’ll need to do is enter your payment and tax information, and link your bank account.

Note: it can take up to 12 days for Google to review and activate your account. To avoid disappointment, be sure to set up your book at least two weeks in advance.

Step 3: Create your first book

Next, click on “Add your first book” in the dashboard. The decision that you’ll face now is:

• Whether you want to actually publish your ebook and make it available for sale on Google Play, or
• Whether you just want to offer a preview of it on Google Books.

If you publish on Google Play, your book will automatically get a page with a preview on Google Books, so you should only select “Offer a preview on Google Books only” if you do not want to publish and sell your book on the Google Play store. (For example, if you’re in KDP Select but still want your book to be indexed in the Google Books library, picking that option wouldn’t break KDP Select’s terms.)

Once you click on “Sell ebook on Google Play,” you’ll be prompted to select your book’s “ID,” i.e. ISBN number. If you have an ISBN , you can enter it. If you don’t, just select the “Get a Google Book ID” option — it’s free.

Step 4: Fill in your books’ metadata

The metadata process on Google Play Books is divided into four steps:

• About the book
• Contributors

Let’s go through them in order.

About the book If you’ve already published your book elsewhere, then this part should be pretty quick! You can just paste in your title, subtitle, book description, series title, etc.

If it’s the first time that you’re publishing the book and you haven’t written the description (or blurb) yet, then make sure you read our post on how to write a book blurb . As you’ll soon see, the search on the Google Play store works in a way that gives particular importance to titles, subtitles, and descriptions — so you might want to optimize those specifically for Google Play.

If you want your book to be published immediately, leave the “On-sale date” field blank. If you’re publishing a pre-order, then make sure to fill it in with the date on which your book will launch.

One last thing on the “About the book” page: Google gives you the opportunity to “add a related book” at the bottom. This is a great chance to link your book with other ones, even if they’re not in the series (i.e. an anthology, a box set, or another series in the same universe).

Genres This is where Google Play is very different from other stores. First, it doesn’t limit you in the number of genre categories you can select. Moreover, it lets you select any category from the BISAC (North America) or BIC (UK and Australia) systems:

So you should spend a good amount of time to make sure you find and select all the categories that are relevant to your book. Categories play an important role in Google’s search algorithms, so this will be time well-spent.

Contributors The next page is pretty straightforward: this is where you can put in your author name and author bio. You can also add in other contributors to your book, such as editors, illustrators, translators, ghostwriters, etc.

Preview settings Here’s another place where Google gives you more control than its peers. You can select how much of the book readers will be able to preview using Google Play’s “Look Inside” feature (note, though, that 20% is the minimum):

You can also choose the amount of text that they can copy-paste (or set it to 0%), as well as opt in/out of DRM encryption.

If one of your goals is to optimize your book’s presence on Google Books’ search (the index we mentioned in step 3), then make sure to click on “Show advanced settings” and fill those fields in.

Step 5: Upload your book and cover files

This part should be pretty straightforward. You’ll just need to have your files on hand, specifically:

• Your front cover image
• Your EPUB or PDF
• Your back cover image (optional)

To learn more about Google Play’s expected file types and specs, read this support article .

Now, a really cool thing about Google Play is that, once your files have been processed and accepted, you can add in “Content Reviewers” simply by entering their email addresses. Doing this will basically grant early access to your book for free, which makes this a great way to share ARC copies with beta readers or reviewers.

This is something you can do even after you’ve finished this setup, and while there are some requirements for Content Reviewers (e.g. they must have a Google account), most people should meet them. You can learn more about this handy feature here .

Step 6: Set your book’s price

Google Play Books gives you the opportunity to set different prices for different regions — and in different currencies. To make sure your book is attractively priced in each currency, you should definitely take advantage of this feature.

For example, the below setup will price your book at £0.99 in the UK & Ireland, at €0.99 in the Eurozone, and at $0.99 everywhere else.

Note that the “additional settings” allow you to make these prices temporary — which can be handy if you want to offer promotional pricing at launch.

Step 7: Review and publish

You’re almost there! The only thing left to do is to make sure you’ve entered everything correctly, swallow that fear and anticipation, and hit that magical “Publish” button.

This is also a good moment to go back to step 5 — your files should be processed by now — and add in your “Content Reviewers” just before you publish.

Six tips to boost your Google Play sales

Of course, publishing the book is the easy bit. Getting it to sell — now, that’s another story. So we decided to reach out to the Google Play Books team itself, as well as two high-selling authors on the Google Play store, to get some marketing tips directly from them.

Note that most of these tips are exclusive to the Google Play platform, so they don’t constitute a proper, cross-retailer marketing plan.

Instead, our aim is to help you understand how the Google Play store and its algorithms work, so that you can leverage their specificities to boost your sales on that platform.

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1. Don’t jump in and out of exclusivity

This is the very first thing that both the Google Play Books team and the authors we consulted told us (and this tip can actually be applied to pretty much any non-Amazon retailer). If you’re constantly opting in and out of KDP Select — and taking your books in and out from wide retailers — you seriously harm your chances of getting any sales on these wide retailers.

Note: if you don’t know what we mean by “exclusivity” and “wide,” you need to read this article on KDP Select .

But it goes even deeper in the case of Google Play. In the words of the Google Play Books team:

“Nearly all of Google Play Books’ merchandising is driven by an algorithm. As a result, every reader sees a different personalized bookstore. If books are removed from the store, it disrupts the algorithm’s learning about those titles and eliminates the opportunity for those titles to be recommended. More time in the store and more lifetime sales translates to higher discoverability.”

2. Leverage metadata intelligently

If you’re familiar with other publishing platforms , you’ll probably have spotted the one thing that seems to be missing from Google Play’s process: keywords .

At no point does Google Play ask you for meta keywords to describe your book. On the other hand, Google Play lets you select as many categories as you want. So you need to leverage the categories to replace the keywords you would use on other stores.

For instance, let’s say you use the keywords “vampire,” “19th century,” and “gaslamp” on Amazon. You can get your book to show up for these keywords on Google Play by selecting the following BISAC categories:

• Young Adult Fiction / Vampires
• Young Adult Fiction / Historical / United States / 19th Century
• Fiction / Fantasy / Gaslamp

Of course, this isn’t always going to be possible, as some niche keywords won’t have an associated category. As an example, “weird west” (or “western fantasy”) is a reasonably popular keyword that doesn’t have a dedicated BISAC category.

In such cases, you have two options:

• If you absolutely want your book to be among the very first to show up for that keyword, try working it into your subtitle: e.g. “A Weird West Fantasy Adventure”; or
• If you want the book to show up in the search, but don’t want to involve your subtitle, you can include it in the book description.

If you do work in keywords into your book description, make sure to do so in a natural way. In other words, don’t keyword-dump! This might hurt the conversion of your book page more than it will augment its visibility.

3. Run a discount promotion

This is naturally a tip that will work for any book on any store. But it tends to be even more effective on Google Play (a less crowded store than Amazon).

First, Google makes it extra easy to schedule a price promotion in advance via the “Promotions” section of the Partner Center. If you take advantage of that — instead of just manually lowering a book’s list price in the metadata — it will trigger a strikethrough of your title’s list prices in the store.

More importantly, discounted books tend to get extra visibility on the Google Play store, as the shop homepage (customized to every reader based on their previous activity) tends to feature several sections specifically for discounted books. Here’s an example:

In the words of the Google Play team:

"When a publisher discounts their book on Google Play Books, the book becomes eligible for additional in-store merchandising and customer notifications. This doesn’t mean that every book will receive every promotion, but this discount significantly increases the book’s likelihood of receiving more promotion in the storefront.  These discount promotions are driven by our algorithm and can include: Appearance in a collection highlighting discounted titles, including relevant genre collections Targeted in-app notifications and emails to customers that have wishlisted or sampled that title"

4. Leverage Google Play promo codes

On top of running a discount promotion, you can also use Google Play's "promo codes" feature to offer an  exclusive special deal to some of your readers. 

There are three types of promo codes you can generate for Google Play:

• Free allows customers to redeem the book at no cost.
• Percentage off (ebooks only) allows customers to receive a percentage discount off the book’s list price.
• Fixed price promotion allows customers to purchase the book for a lower fixed price.

Now, the free codes will obviously not make you any money if they’re redeemed. But for the percentage off and fixed price promotion codes, the author will earn the usual 70% royalty on the final price of the ebook (after discount). So if you run a fixed price promo code campaign where readers can grab the ebook at $0.50, you’d earn $0.35 by promo code redeem.

More importantly, promo code redeems on Google Play have a direct impact on rank algorithms . As confirmed to me by the Google Play team via email:

“Percentage and fixed price promo code redemptions are sales as the customer purchases the book. They are treated like any other book sale in our store, which always impacts our algorithm. Free promo code redemptions are treated the same as free downloads in our store. They have a small impact on our algorithm.”

This makes Google Play promo codes extremely attractive, and a great tool to boost your sales on the store.

5. Use a free series starter

Speaking of sections that tend to be prominently featured on homepages, here’s one that you won’t find on any other store:

Spoiler alert: it presents a huge opportunity for series authors . In the words of Charlotte Byrd , one of the authors we consulted for this post:

“The one thing that I recently did that I have never done before was take 3 of my first-in-series free. I got a Bookbub [featured deal], which I never got before, I decided to make 2 others series starters free along with it during this difficult time. I have seen my sales increase significantly as a result (not just as a result of the Bookbub, even before that promotion went through). I have very strong read through and with having the first book free, I am seeing a number of my books in the catalog appear on Google Play charts and stay there. That’s another thing that I really like about Google Play: the books have a lot more stickability on the charts than on other platforms.”

Another bonus of using free books as “loss leaders” for a series? Free downloads actually count towards the Google Play charts and algorithms — granting them a lot more visibility than on Amazon.

6. Sign up for the Google Play affiliate program

Want to make an additional 7% commission on ebooks and audiobooks sold on Google Play? Just sign up for the Google Play Books affiliate program . It’s free to join and currently available for active partners. If your Google Play Books partner account is eligible, you'll find a link to the affiliate sign-up form on the homepage of your Partner Center.

This is not only a way to make a few extra bucks, it’s also great for advertising! If you run Facebook ads targeting Google Play readers (yep, that’s possible), you can use affiliate links to your books and know exactly how many sales your ads are generating.

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If you follow all the steps in this post and take advantage of these Google Play-specific marketing tips, you should be well on your way to turning your Google Play sales into a solid income stream. The redesign of Google Play Books shows that Google is finally placing some real importance on book sales, which means that it might be ready to grow enough to be a real challenger to Amazon. Getting in early (right now!) might be a smart move for your writing career!

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An introduction to the Google Books Partner Program

When you submit your books through the Play Books Partner Center, you can: 

• Sell your book through the Play Store and offer a preview on Google Books.
• Offer a preview of your book on Google Books, even if it's not available on Google Play.

Sell your book on Google Play

Play Books provides you a base of users and an easy way to manage your content. We can introduce your books to readers from around the world.

We don’t ask for exclusive rights to sell digital editions. You can sell your books on Google Play and through other retailers. 

There's no charge to sell your books on Google Play and your revenue share is based on the list price you provide.

Readers can find your books in the Play Store or use a link from Google Books. After they purchase your book, they can use their browser or the Play Books app to read it.

Offer a preview on Google Books

Important: To sell an ebook on Google Play, a preview of the book must be available on Google Books.

Publishers and authors can promote their books through the Preview Program at no charge.

You can use Google Books to help readers discover your book. For example, readers can preview a limited number of pages of your book on Google Books to decide if they're interested in it. 

They can also follow links to buy, borrow, or download the book, when applicable.

In supported countries, you can sell digital editions of your books on Google Play and earn revenue whenever users purchase your ebooks and audiobooks from the Play Store.

Learn more about the Google Books Preview Program .

Need more help?

Try these next steps:.

How to Publish on Google Play Books: A Step-by-Step Guide

Google Play Books is one of the largest digital book platform in the world, with over 3+ billion users . As a self-published author, this presents an incredible opportunity to share your story with the world. But how do you reach your full potential with Google’s global bookstore?

In this step-by-step guide, you’ll learn how to publish your book successfully with Google Play Books, so you can reach more readers and sell more books. Let’s dive in!

What Is Google Play Books?

Google Play Books is a digital distribution service, owned and operated by Google, currently publishing ebooks and audiobooks. Google eBooks launched on December, 2010 , allowing people to read books on any device. Its launch was neatly timed to coincide with a rapid rise in the popularity of smartphones and tablets. More people carried their lives in their pockets, and they could take Google eBooks with them. Google eBooks rebranded in 2012 (with the creation of Google Play) and Google Play Books was officially born. 

Since its humble beginnings in 2010, Google Play Books has expanded to over 75 different countries and is available to over 3 billion users. In 2020, Google made publishing easier than ever for new authors when they nixed the previous approval period, meaning anyone can use Google Play Books to publish their work.

Google Books vs. Google Play

Google Books and Google Play have distinct differences for authors and people looking to purchase books. 

Writers can upload their books for purchase on Google Play, and customers can buy the titles they want and read them on their devices. On the other hand, Google Books is simply an index of scanned books. You can’t buy anything there, and if you do come across a text on Google Books you want, you may be able to purchase it on Google Play or from another supplier.

Google Books is useful as a search tool and includes many books available on other platforms (such as Amazon or Barnes & Noble), but Google does not publish books there. Instead, it provides other valuable information, like book previews, summaries, and reviews. 

How to Publish Your Book on Google Play

Whether you’re a new author or a seasoned pro, taking that first step toward Google Play Books publishing is exhilarating. It’s an excellent platform, and your work will be in good hands. You can make sure the process is as smooth as possible by following these steps from beginning to end. By the time you’re finished, your book will be ready to read!

Step 1 – Create Your Account

First things first – you need an account! You can use a new or existing Google account to get started. Once you’re ready, click on the “Get Started” button either in the top-right of the screen or a bit further down on the left side. 

You’ll be taken to a screen to set up your publisher account. Follow through the handful of steps on the page, which declaring whether you’re a self-publishing author, distributor, or publisher. You’ll enter your name, country, phone number, and website if you have one. Set up your email preferences on the next page and move on to step two!

Step 2 – Add Financial Details

After you create your account, you’ll be taken to the Google Partner Center and offered the option to set up your financial details. Google Play Books doesn’t force you to do so immediately, but it is recommended. After all, there’s not much sense in publishing your book before you have a way to receive payment. If you don’t have those details available right now, you can visit the Payment Center later.

Otherwise, have your bank account information handy and be ready to enter any required tax information . As a Google Play Books partner, taxes are deducted automatically.

Step 3 – Add Your Book

It’s time to dive into the best part of Google’s book publishing—adding your book!

There are two ways to do this. If you’re new to publishing on Google Play, you’ll see a button at the bottom of the home page prompting you to “Add your first book.” You can also click on the Book catalog option on the left-hand side, where you’ll find a button labeled “+ Add book” near the top. 

You’ll then select whether you want to 

• Sell an ebook on Google Play.
• Create an auto-narrated audiobook.
• Offer a preview on Google Books only.

If you select the ebook option, you have the option to enter an ISBN or EAN or have Google generate a GGKEY . 

Step 4 – Enter Your Book’s Information

The next screen is where you can add your book’s metadata, along with a few extras. Google prompts you to enter: 

• Title – You can optionally add a subtitle as well. 
• Description – Think of this like the blurb on the back of a book, so include enough to intrigue readers. 
• Language – Choose the primary language of the book from a drop-down menu. 
• Publisher – Enter the name of the publisher, even if you are self-publishing. 
• Publication and Sale Date – These two dates don’t have to match, and if your sale date is set to a future date you can limit visibility until then. 
• Format – Choose from ebook, hardback, paperback, or unknown. 
• Page Count – The minimum page count is 4 pages. 
• Minimum and Maximum Age – Choose your book’s age range. If you’re publishing a YA novel, for instance, the typical age range is 12 to 18. 
• Mature Audiences – This is just a yes or no choice. If your book contains material for mature audiences, indicate it here. 
• Related Books – You can enter any related books here, such as a hardback edition of the ebook you’re publishing.

Step 5 – Choose your Genre

Once you’ve entered the information above, select your genres. Google Play Books does publish according to subject standards, so you’ll select that first. BISAC is the most popular option, but there are eight available standards. The standard you choose affects the genres available in the next menu. The available standards are: 

• BISAC (North America)
• BIC (UK and Australia)
• WGSneu (Germany)
• C-Code (Japan)
• CLIL (France)
• UDC (Russia)
• Manga (Japan)
• GKSS (Korean)

After choosing your standard, go to the next menu and type in a keyword for your genre. The applicable options will come up, and you can select as many genres for your book as you want, though Google suggests keeping it at three. All of them must come from the same standard, though! For example, if you select BISAC and type in the “Young Adult” keyword, you’ll see dozens of Young Adult Fiction options. 

Selecting the right categories is particularly important for Google Play Books. The algorithm is heavily based on categories, so find all the ones that are applicable to your book. Determine your basic genre (Romance, Young Adult, Science Fiction, and so on) and then browse the specific options available within those. If it’s relevant to your book, add it!

Step 6 – Add Author Bio and Series Information

With the genres set, move on to the contributor page. Here, you can include the names and a short biography of the people who contributed to the book, which might include authors, illustrators, editors, or other people who made an impact. 

If this book is part of a series or will be part of a series, you have a chance to enter the series name and the current book’s number within the series. If you’re publishing a book that’s included in an existing series, there’s a button to add that information as well. 

Lastly, set how your book should appear in Google Play and Google Books searches. You can choose to limit encryption, set the percentage of the audience that sees a preview, and select the percentage of a book that can be copied and pasted.

Step 7 – Content and Cover

On the next screen, you’ll upload the cover. Google has several specifications for this, including file format conventions and content policies . You can also upload an extra image for the back cover if desired, and it needs to meet the same criteria as the front cover. The cover should be one of the following file types: 

After you upload your image (or images), it’s time for the content of the book. The same content policies apply. A Google Play Books partner can upload either of the file types below: 

Whether you’re uploading a PDF or EPUB file, the most important thing to remember is that it must be under 2GB in size. If you’re working with a PDF file, you can use Adobe’s compressor to decrease the file size.

Once you upload your files, you’ll see that they’re processing. After they’ve been accepted, you can appoint Content Reviewers if you’d like by putting in their email addresses. This is useful if you want to bring in beta readers or reviewers, as Content Reviewers get access to your book for free. 

Step 8 – Set Your Prices

The next step in getting the most from Google Play Books publishing is to set the ideal price for your book. Ebooks are typically between $.99 and $9.99, and landing on the right price involves a few different things. Brand new authors won’t have the same price points as well-known writers, for example, and odd-numbered pricing ($4.99 instead of $5.00) seems like a better deal to potential readers. 

Once you’ve decided on the price, select your currency from the menu (USD, AUD, etc.) and set your number. You’ll also be able to select different prices for different regions. Since the value of currency varies drastically, that’s a great feature to utilize. If you click on the advanced settings, you can also set whether tax is included and the dates the prices begin and end.

Step 9 – Publish

You made it! The last thing to do is review all your information, make any final changes, and ensure that all the correct files were uploaded. Google gives you the chance to look back over the book’s details, content, cover, and pricing information one last time. If everything looks good, take a deep breath and hit that publish button!

How to Get More Book Sales on Google Play

Going through Google Play Books to publish your work is a major step, but don’t stop there. After all, you want people to read what you wrote! To get more eyes on your book, you need great marketing. Here are some helpful tips for increasing your Google Play Book sales and getting your book out there.

Optimized Metadata

Keywords are important on other platforms, but on Google Play Books everything you need is already in the metadata. 

If you’re writing a Victorian historical romance, you can select as many categories as you want for your book. While you won’t be able to use keywords like “Victorian,” you can select the Fiction / Romance / Historical / Victorian category to hit all the right notes.

If you can’t find a category that has the right information, you can include your keywords into your book subtitles or descriptions, too. If people search for the specific words included in your subtitles or book description, your work will come up in their search results.

Offer Discounts

Who doesn’t love a good deal? As a Google Books partner, you can schedule a promotion with ease right from the Partner Center. While you can do an overall adjustment of the price in the metadata, as mentioned above, setting it as a promotion is more noticeable. Your original listed price shows up with a strikethrough, so readers know they’re getting a better deal if they grab a copy during the promotion. 

Setting promotions and giving discounts also increases your chance of being featured on the Google Play store. There’s a whole section just for discounted books, and you can bet that it sees a lot of traffic as people look for low-cost entertainment or titles they might not pay full price for. 

In addition to discount prices, authors can give out promo codes to certain readers. There are three types of promo codes: 

• Free – Anyone redeeming this code will receive the book completely free. 
• Percentage off – This only applies to ebooks and grants the reader a certain percentage off the list price. 
• Fixed price – This promo code allows readers to purchase the book at a lower, adjusted price.

Leverage Free Books

It might seem counterintuitive to give away free books, but if you’re a series author it can be incredibly helpful. While you will lose out on sales of that free book, you’ll draw in a new audience to make up for it. How does that work, exactly? All those free downloads affect the charts and algorithms, increasing the visibility of your book (and you). Not to mention, Google Play Books also features a whole section for free series starters, so it’s hard to miss!

Respect the Algorithm

The algorithm controls what readers see on their personalized home pages. The longer a book remains on Google Play Books, the more likely it is to be recommended. Removing your work from the store, which happens if you’re opting into exclusivity elsewhere, disrupts that algorithm and could cost you views, even if you eventually publish it on the platform again. To maximize your chances of your book being discovered, leave it in the store!

How Google Play Books Royalties Work

Every author wants to get their work out there, but it’s important to know how the monetary side of things works, too. On Google Play, authors from any of the 60 qualifying countries earn 70% royalties , without all the caveats and conditions from its competition. For comparison: 

• Amazon KDP – Certain authors receive 70% royalties, while others receive only 35%. KDP has certain conditions to receive the 70%. To earn 70% royalties on KDP, authors must price their books between $2.99 and $9.99 and live in specific territories. 
• Apple Books – Apple Books offers the same 70% royalties as Google Play, but is only available in 51 countries (compared to Google Play Books’ 75). 
• Barnes & Noble – For ebooks, Barnes & Noble pays 70% of the book’s list price, with conditions . If your book is published on other platforms, you cannot set your prices lower than the Barnes & Noble price. The first payment occurs after accruing $10 in sales, compared with Google Play Books paying out after only $1.00. 

There’s a simple formula to determine your royalties on Google: 

• List Price x Royalty Rate = Royalties

For example, if you choose the Google self-publishing route and sell your book for $4.99, you can determine your royalties by plugging in the numbers. 

• $4.99 x 70% = $3.49

How do Authors Get Paid on Google Play?

Google offers two ways to get paid. You can set up an Electronic Funds Transfer directly to your bank account (which you can link in Step 2) or use a wire transfer. All your financial information can be set up and changed in the Payment Center section of the Google Partner Center .

When Does Google Play Pay Royalties?

Payments go out on the 15th of each month if you have a minimum of $1 in sales. Wire transfers require a much higher minimum of $100.

How Much Does It Cost to Publish on Google Play?

Google Play Books publishing is completely free! Just follow the steps listed above to get started, and you’ll have your ebook published at no cost.

Benefits of Google Play Books

If you haven’t already figured it out, there are a lot of benefits to Google book publishing. Here’s a glimpse at some of the biggest upsides to the platform.

70% Royalty Rate

Authors on Google Play books enjoy a 70% royalty rate. Unlike Amazon KDP , Google Play Books doesn’t restrict book pricing, either. Amazon KDP requires its users to limit their prices to $2.99 – $9.99 to receive 70% royalties, but there’s no such limit for ebooks on Google Play.

Global Audience

This is Google we’re talking about, so you can reach a massive, worldwide audience. Google Play is available in 75 different countries and accessible to 3+ billion people. To put that in perspective, there are just under 8 billion people on Earth and Google Play Books is available to almost 40% of them! 

That audience isn’t limited to Android devices, either. The app is available for iOS, meaning nearly anyone with a smartphone can download it.

Marketing Features

Google is on your side when it comes to marketing. There are plenty of ways to take advantage of the algorithm and get your book in front of your target audience. 

• Promo Codes – Authors can create promo codes from the Google Play Partner Center. There are three options – free, % off, or fixed price. Authors will receive 70% of the final price in royalties and can hand out the codes to whomever they want! As more people buy the book with the promo code, the algorithm suggests it more frequently. 
• Discount Promotion – As mentioned earlier, Google will promote discounted books. Readers can easily see that a book is on sale, as the normal list price will be crossed out, and people can search for discounted titles. 
• Free Series Starter – This is a major point in Google Play’s favor. The free series starter option generates a lot of traffic, expanding the audience and increasing sales of the author’s other works. It is a series starter, after all! 
• Book Pre-Order Option – Authors can set up a pre-order option from the Partner Center for upcoming releases. Royalties don’t come through until the sale has been delivered, but it’s a great way to get an idea of your reach.

Improved Search Visibility

If you make your book available on Google Books, you have a chance of being featured in a special section on the search page (pictured below). Google scans the full text of your book, and your book might be suggested to anyone who searches for words contained in your text. The words don’t have to be in the title , just on a page within the book, so this is an amazing feature for authors!

Auto-Narrated Audiobooks

Recording an audiobook can be very expensive and time-consuming, but Google Play makes auto-narrated audiobook options accessible to everyone. To create and publish an audiobook, add a new book from the Partner Center. It’s important to note that audiobooks are only generated from epub files. There are various voice and speed options available, as well as the ability to add extra voices for other characters, and editing options to make sure your audiobook is perfect. 

AI narration is banned by other platforms (like Amazon’s Audible), so Google Play is one of the few places you can publish an AI audiobook.

Affiliate Program

You can earn an extra 7% commission by becoming an affiliate. The program is open to Google Play Partners, and you can sign up from the Partner Center. As an Affiliate, you can link to ebooks or audiobooks, and you’ll receive a 7% commission if they’re purchased within 24 hours of the link being clicked.

Drawbacks of Google Play Books

Of course, nothing is flawless. Google Play Books has a few inconvenient aspects to keep in mind.

No Print Books

Google Play only offers ebooks and audiobooks, meaning anyone looking to publish a physical copy needs to look elsewhere. Amazon KDP and Barnes & Noble both offer physical publishing options.

20% Content Preview

Google self-publishing requires a certain percentage of your content to be previewed. You do have a choice of how much counts as a preview, but you can’t go lower than 20%. This is off-putting for some authors, as they may not want a fifth of their book available for free.

File Requirements

Google Play Books only accepts PDF and EPUB files for content. This eliminates some of the most common text file options and is something any author should keep in mind.

Is Publishing on Google Play Books Worth It?

When you look at the whole picture, Google Play Books publishing has more perks than downsides. It’s a solid competitor in the publishing world, easily standing up to competition like Amazon KDP. With its wide-reaching audience, simple 70% royalty structure, and incredible marketing possibilities, there’s no risk in giving it a try! If you have a book ready to send out into the world, publishing with Google is an easy way to generate extra sales and income at no cost to you. In short, yes , it’s worth it!

Yves Lummer

As the founder of BookBird, Yves Lummer has pioneered a thriving community for authors, leading more than 100,000 of them towards their dreams of self-publishing. His expertise in book marketing has become a catalyst for multiple best-sellers, establishing his reputation as an influential figure in the publishing world.

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Home / Book Publishing / How to Upload a Book to Google Play

How to Upload a Book to Google Play

Table of contents.

• Google Play vs. Google Books
• Step 1: Set Up Your Google Play Partner Account
• Payment Profile
• Verify Bank Account Information
• Title and Blurb
• Contributors
• Preview and Settings
• Step 5: Upload Your Ebook File and Cover
• Step 6: Price Your Book
• Step 7: Publish!
• Things to Know About Publishing on Google Play Books

Anyone with an Android device has likely been on Google Play before. It's where you go to download apps and play games. You can also find a movie or tv show to watch in the Google Play Store. And, of course, you can purchase books there. And while Google Play isn't the powerhouse that Amazon is when it comes to selling books, plenty of people still purchase ebooks through this app store. So unless you're exclusive with KDP Select , you could be missing out on sales by not putting your book(s) on the Google Play Book store. So, read on to discover how to upload a book to Google Play, step by step.

• The difference between Google Play and Google Books (and why you should make sure your book is on both)
• How to publish your book on Google Play, step-by-step
• Things to know about publishing on Google Play Books

It's important to note that Google Play and Google Books are two different things. Google Play is the place where you can purchase books to read on a number of devices. So if you upload your book there, it will be available for purchase by customers. However, Google Books is an index of scanned copies of books. It's more of a search tool than a store. In fact, if you wanted to buy an ebook that you found in Google Books, you'd have to head over to Google Play to make the purchase. This is important for people that are exclusive to KDP Select, meaning their book is in Kindle Unlimited. These people can have their book indexed in Google Books, even choosing to have a 100% sample, so it's essentially free. This won't violate the exclusivity clause with Amazon and could act as a loss leader for those authors who write in series. But, I'm guessing you want to get paid for your books. So, read on and find out how to do just that through Google Play!

Step 1 : Set Up Your Google Play Partner Account

First off, you'll want to set up an account at Google's Books Partner Center . If you already have a Google account, this will be a breeze. If not, then it will take just a little bit longer. Either way, this step is pretty standard.

Step 2 : Make Sure You Can Get Paid

Before you can start racking up book sales, you'll need to tell Google how you want to get paid. You'll also need to add some tax information to make sure everything's on the up-and-up.

You can set up different payment profiles based on where you have the rights to sell books. For most self-published authors who own the rights to their books, one worldwide payment profile should be fine.

After you enter your bank information, Google will make a small deposit into your account, which you'll then need to verify before you can receive any royalties. It often takes a couple of days for the payments to show up. Still, you can finish setting up your book in the meantime. For more info about this process, check out the Google Play Books Partner Center Help page .

Step 3 : Set Up Your Book

Next, select “Add your first book” from the dashboard. You'll be asked whether you want to sell your ebook on Google Play or to just add a preview on Google Books only. We're going to go with the selling option. This way, you'll automatically get a sample of your book indexed on Google Books.

You'll then be asked if you have an ISBN for your book or if you'd like an ID assigned by Google. If you do have an ISBN, choose that option. If not, Google will give your ebook an ID for free. Now comes the fun stuff!

You'll be asked to add the book title and then the blurb or description. If you already have the book published on Amazon or elsewhere, you may want to just copy and paste the blurb. Or you can use a different one. It's up to you! Just remember that a good book description is how you sell the reader on your book!

As you scroll down the page, you'll see boxes for you to add things like:

• Publisher Name

These are all pretty self-explanatory, but there are little question marks next to them if you're confused about what goes there.

Step 4 : Tell Google About Your Book

Once that page is done, you'll move on to the next pages, which include genres, contributors, and preview settings.

Google doesn't limit the number of genres you can select. You can choose from a dropdown list depending on the region. Choose as many as you want, but make sure that they're all a good fit for your book before moving on.

This section is also pretty self-explanatory. If you wrote the book with a co-author, you'll want to put that information in on the contributors page. You can list others here, as well, such as editors, cover designers, and the like.

The preview settings page is where you'll want to decide how much a potential purchaser will be able to read in the Play Books App before they purchase. Think of this like a version of the “Look Inside” feature on Amazon, only you get to decide how far the reader can look (with a minimum of 20%). This is where you can set your book to free by allowing a 100% preview, if you really want to do that. Most people stick with around 20% or 30%. You can also select advanced settings on this page, if you like. The defaults are good for most, but take a look at them to make sure.

Step 5 : Upload Your Ebook File and Cover

Next you'll be prompted to upload your ebook file and cover file. This is pretty straightforward. You can upload a pdf file or epub file for your ebook and a jpeg or png file for your cover. However, Google Play Books also accepts tiff, zip, and webp files. Unfortunately they don't accept Google Doc files. If only. . .

If you need help formatting your book for upload (for instance, if yours is a MOBI file) then check out this article on ebook formatting .

Formatting Has Never Been Easier

Write and format professional books with ease.  Never before has creating formatted books been easier.

Step 6 : Price Your Book

Once you have your content and cover uploaded, it's time to price your book ! One nice thing about selling your book on Google Play is that you can get 70% royalties even for books priced under $2.99. That's compared to 35% for that same pricing range on Amazon.

It's up to you to decide how much to ask for your book on Google Play, but be aware that if you have it cheaper at another store, Google may price-match it. Of course, this is common among nearly all the online book retailers. Note: You can always change the price later if you want to!

Step 7 : Publish!

Once you hit “Save & Continue” you'll be asked to review all the information you just entered. Make sure everything looks good before hitting publish. And if you haven't verified your bank account yet, don't forget to do that whenever you can to make sure you get royalty payments from any books sold.

Google Play Books is a little limited on where you can read their books. This is one of the downsides. It's possible to read a Google book on an iPad or any other mobile device, so long as you have a Google account and you download the Google Play Books app. But, you can't shop for books directly from the app, like you can in the ibooks app. Instead, you have to go to the Google Play app and shop from there. It's also possible to read a Google book on a Kindle device, or a Kindle app, but this takes a bit of doing. You have to download a couple of other apps to make the Google ebook formats readable on any dedicated ebook reader, such as a nook, or on devices like the Kindle Fire. Since this isn't a seamless process, it's important to note that many people stick with one app or another, and don't do a lot of jumping around. This means that “going wide” and offering readers the store of their choice is an excellent idea, and one which can help you reach a wider audience with your books.

Although Google Play Books doesn't have as large an audience as Amazon, you can still sell a lot of books there. By taking the time to add your book to Google Play and other available stores, you can reach a wider audience. Google Play also offers some perks such as higher royalty rates for lower priced books, and some promotion options. The process is pretty easy, but if you're going wide and don't want to deal with uploading books again and again at all the different stores, consider using an aggregator , like PublishDrive or Draft2Digital. These companies can help you manage your books in all the different stores out there, so you can focus on writing the next great story!

Dave Chesson

When I’m not sipping tea with princesses or lightsaber dueling with little Jedi, I’m a book marketing nut. Having consulted multiple publishing companies and NYT best-selling authors, I created Kindlepreneur to help authors sell more books. I’ve even been called “The Kindlepreneur” by Amazon publicly, and I’m here to help you with your author journey.

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How to Publish on Google Play Books in 2024 [Two Options]

Almost every search query on the internet is performed on Google. For any question we have or any book we want to look for, we search on Google first. 

The world's most important search engine also has the Google Play store, which comes pre-installed on all Android devices. 

Google Play Store has Google Play Books.

See where I'm going with this?

As a self-published author, having your titles on Google Play Books means an increased chance of reaching many people looking for their next read on their smartphones. 

Let's see how you can publish your book on Google Play Books and a few tips on how to sell books on Google Play.

This article goes over:

What’s the difference between google play and google books, how to publish on google play directly from their platform, how to publish on google play with publishdrive, what’s the difference between publishing directly through google play books vs. publishdrive, how to sell books on google play, faqs about publishing ebooks on google play through publishdrive.

There may be some confusion around these two, so let’s see what they are.

Google Play is an online store where people can purchase apps, games, music, movies, and books.

Google Books is the most comprehensive index of full-text books that Google has scanned and converted for its digital database.

If you publish on Google Play , your book will automatically get a page with a preview on Google Books .

Even if you don't want to publish and sell your book on Google Play, you can choose the " Offer a preview on Google Books only " option when setting up your Google publisher account (as we'll see later). This helps if you wish to index your book in Google's library (FYI, this doesn't break the KDP Select terms).

Now, let's see how to publish your book on Google Play. There are two ways to do this:

• Directly from the Google Play Books platform
• Using an aggregator such as PublishDrive

I'll walk you through both processes. 

Step 1: Create your Google Play Partner account

Go to Google Play Books Partner Center and click on Get Started .

Note : This service is available to authors and publishers within certain countries. See the full list here .

Step 2: Add your bank information

Next, you have to add your financial information to get Google Play Books royalties.

Step 3: Add your book & select a sell option

After you click on Add your first book, you can choose to publish your book and sell it on Google Play or Offer a preview on Google Books only , just as I mentioned previously.

If you choose to publish and sell on Google Play, you can select your book’s ID (the ISBN). If you already have an ISBN, you can use that one. Otherwise, select the Get a Google Book ID option.

Step 4: Fill out your books’ metadata

In this part of the process, you'll have to add the following details:

• About the book

Add your title, subtitle, book description, series title, etc. An important thing here is to add a good description of your book (or a blurb). This acts as a powerful marketing tool. It speaks for you whenever you’re not there to advertise your book. So, make sure to optimize it specifically for Google Play because the description, together with the title and subtitle, can do wonders.

Here, you can also set your book for a pre-sale period. Fill out the On-sale date field with the date your book will launch. Otherwise, leave it blank.

Link your book with others in the Related Books section to improve your chances of getting discovered.

Like in Amazon's case, choosing the right genre and categories is essential. Unlike Amazon, though, Google Play doesn't limit you in the number of genre categories or BISAC codes you can select. 

• Contributors

Here is where you can add your author name, author bio, and the contributors to your book. They can be co-authors, editors, illustrators, etc.  

If your book is part of a series, here’s where you can link it to other books.

From Settings , you can select the percentage of the book readers can preview using Google Play's Look Inside feature.

You can also apply DRM encryption and choose how much text people can copy/paste.

From Advanced Settings, you can optimize your book’s discoverability on Google Books’ search, so make sure you fill out those fields as well.

Step 5: Upload a cover and the book's content

Now, the fun part. Upload your book cover and your book’s content. Make sure your manuscript is formatted correctly . 

After your files get accepted, you can add Content Reviewers by entering their email addresses. They’ll get access to your book for free, and you can gather an ARC team with no effort. 

Step 6: Set the price

Set different prices for different regions and currencies to match readers' expectations regarding ebook prices and for you to gain profit, of course. 

Step 7: Review and publish

Check everything you entered one more time, and then hit the Publish button .

And there you have it. In just a few steps, you can tap into one of the essential ebook stores out there. 

Now, let’s see your other option.

PublishDrive is an aggregator that helps you publish and distribute your book to all major online channels, including Amazon, Apple, Ingram, Barnes & Noble, and Google Play Books.

PublishDrive helps you with your publishing process of ebooks, audiobooks, and print-on-demand books from start to finish, and it’s also great for book promotion . You’ll benefit from features such as:

• Print-on-demand converter
• Print cover template generator
• Ebook converter

Unlike other stores, if you wish to self-publish on Google Play through PublishDrive, you need to consider the following:

• You must sign up directly to Google Play and obtain your own Google Play Publisher account. You can start this process within the PublishDrive platform. Or, if you already have a Google Play Publisher account, you can use it in PublishDrive.
• You need to add PublishDrive as a Service Provider for your Google Play Publisher account. You can do it on this form . But more on this in a minute.

So, here are the steps.

Step 1: Set up your Google Play Account via PublishDrive

From your PublishDrive dashboard, go to the right-hand side of the screen, where your name is, and select Google Play Account Setup.

Step 2: Sign in or sign up for a Google Play Books Publisher account

As already mentioned, to publish ebooks on Google Play, you’ll need a publisher account . If you don’t have that already, you can do it from PublishDrive. Click on Sign up , and you’ll be redirected to Google Play Partner Center.

If you already have an account, you can click on Next .

Step 3: Fill out info from the Google Publisher Account

Once you finish creating your account on Google, you can go back to PublishDrive and continue the publishing process. Or, if you have one, fill out the information you already have: your name, Google Play Books Publisher email, country, and Google Play Books Publisher’s collection code.

Step 4: Fill out the Publisher Consent Form

This step is where you connect the Google Play Books Publisher and PublishDrive accounts. You need to fill out a form that makes PublishDrive your client service provider.

Step 5: Wait for Google’s approval

Now, all you have to do is wait for Google to approve PublishDrive as your client service provider. It usually takes about 10-12 business days. 

There are two possible scenarios here: 

They approve your request, and PublishDrive becomes your service provider, handling distribution, reporting, and payouts.

They can’t approve your request because you didn’t fill out the information correctly or the country you’re publishing from doesn’t support Google Play. Check the information you provided and see if there are any mistakes along the way.

Note : If your partnership with Google Play is terminated, PublishDrive will no longer have access to your Google Play Publisher account.

Step 6: Upload your book

Once Google approves your request, you can start publishing your books. Go to My Books from PublishDrive’s dashboard and click on Upload Book > Ebook.

Step 7: Set up all the necessary information

In this step, you'll upload your content file and cover image and set all the other details, such as creators, metadata, categories, price, rights, and distribution stores.

Note: If you want to set this title for a pre-order period , choose Else when you reach this section:

Google Play Books is an excellent platform for your ebooks, and we highly encourage you to publish them there. 

The difference between publishing through Google Play and going with an aggregator such as PublishDrive is a higher audience reach. 

When publishing through an aggregator, you can tap into more retailers and stores simultaneously. So, after you upload and set up all your book's details, you can enable all PublishDrive distributors and send your ebooks to 240K+ digital libraries.

First, here are a few reasons to sell on Google Play Books:

1. Tap into an audience of 3+ billion users

Google Play comes pre-installed on all Android devices, which means an incredible pool of potential readers.

2. Get higher rankings in search results

Google is the most used search engine, so if you're looking for ways to gain more visibility as an author, Google Play can help you do that. Get author pages with Google , which also allows you to get discovered faster.

Now, let's see how to sell an ebook on Google Play.

• Use reviews

The self-publishing industry is crowded, which means you need to come up with ways of getting noticed. For that, you need reviews.

Send out review copies and help other readers discover you. On Amazon, this can be particularly challenging, considering everyone wants to get a share of the pie. But on Google, you can get noticed faster even with fewer reviews (which on Amazon need to be around 30 so that the algorithms work in your favor).

• Use price promotions

If you want to know how to sell ebooks on Google Play, you need to know how to schedule book promotions (discounted or free sales campaigns) and create buzz around your ebooks. Make sure to inform everyone about your discounts through an effective marketing campaign . Then, half of the job is done.

• Promote your books on all channels 

Make sure to add your books to your author website , where you can always let people know about upcoming promotions. Also, remember to create your author pages and social media channels to keep in touch with your readers.

1. What if I already have a Google Play Publisher account?

The process is faster if you already have a Google Play Publisher account, which you can use in PublishDrive. 

2. What will my royalty rates look like if I publish ebooks on Google Play through PublishDrive?

PublishDrive is based on a flat rate pricing model, so you’ll get the same amount of royalties you’d get from publishing directly through Google Play, which means 70%.

3. I am aware that Google can randomly and unexpectedly discount prices. Does PublishDrive do anything about it?

Google doesn't do that anymore. They fixed a few things authors weren't happy about. Up until 2020, authors would often see their titles get automatically discounted by Google Play. This action would trigger a price-matching from Amazon and other retailers. To keep their royalties, authors found a workaround to avoid the discounts, like pricing their books higher. But this is not the case anymore. As of October 2020, Google Play Books uses only the list price you provide for an ebook. 

Self-publishing on Google Play Books is a fantastic way to place your ebook in the hands of all Android users, which also means an increased chance of getting more royalties. 

Remember that you can also publish and sell books on Google Play through an aggregator such as PublishDrive, which enables the distribution of your ebook to many other retailers and stores.

Publish your book

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7 Steps to Self-Publishing on Google Play Books in 2022

To self-publish a book is a great option for those who want to get their book (and name) out there. This might sound a little scary if you’ve never self-published a book, but we can assure you it's easier than you think. With different publishing platforms like Google Play Books, Barnes & Noble, Kindle Direct Publishing, Apple Books, and many more, you'll be able to get your book on digital shelves in no time.

There are many ways to self-publish and sell books in 2022. With technology taking control, ebooks seem to be the way to go! We have explored a few different platforms for this, and Google Play Books came out on top every time. It's very user-friendly for both publishers and readers, anyone with an android device can use it; and you can reach many potential readers. They also have a few very useful tools you can use, which we will discuss later in this article.

Although there is a specific app called Google Books, this app is only for a book preview and does not give readers access to the full book. Complete ebooks are sold on the Google Play Store, which is easy to navigate. This makes it easily accessible and a very attractive option not just for self-published authors, but also for potential readers.

What You Need to Think About

There are a few things you need to think about before you can publish your own book.

Do You Already Have a Book?

This is the most basic requirement. For you to self-publish a book, you need to have one already. Don’t worry if you have an idea but you're not that great at putting your thoughts together in a logical manner. We've got you! Head to our services and hire one of our wordsmiths to do their magic.

If you don't have a book ready and no ideas have come to mind, look at what is available and where there might still be a need. Have a look at a few of our blog posts if you need more inspiration.

Hard Copy or Ebook?

Now that the book is sorted, you need to decide whether you want to publish your book in a hard copy or as an ebook. Remember that you can always convert and publish a hard copy after the ebook has already been published.

There are pros and cons to both hard copies and ebooks. If you would prefer to publish a hard copy, check out the services we offer for this here , which include everything from hiring a ghostwriter, editing, creating book cover designs, and formatting it properly for a hard copy. Self-publishing a hard copy takes a little more work, time, and money.

For this article, we'll specifically focus on ebooks.

Using a Publishing Platform

As mentioned earlier, there are a few publishing platforms that you can use to get your books published. This includes Kindle Direct Publishing which publishes on Kindle Unlimited or the Kindle Store, Barnes & Noble , and of course, Google Play Books and the Google Play Store. For some of these, you may need to download apps to read the ebooks, depending on the book format.

Google Books is an amazing platform to use and is available to all android users. Avid book readers with android devices love using Google Books to find new material to delve into.

You need to find a publishing platform that meets your needs before you commit. Here is a quick video on self-publishing on Google Play Books and why you should consider it:

Aspects You Should Consider

These are common things that authors tend to forget or feel are unnecessary and regret later on. Learn from others' mistakes and avoid them to ensure that you have the best possible success with your book. Here are some things that are quite important to include in the process.

Make Sure the Cover Image Is Amazing

Your book cover image is the first thing potential readers will see, and like it or not, most people judge a book by its cover. To ensure that book sales are at their best, the cover image should be phenomenal and provide a preview of what the reader can expect from the book.

If the cover attracts someone to the book, there is a greater chance that they will have a closer look at it. Make sure that the cover speaks to the demographic of readers you have in mind and that it will catch their eye immediately.

Hire an Editor

Whether you are the world's best author or you are barely starting out, hiring an editor is of utmost importance. An editor will be a fresh pair of eyes that can read through everything and make the necessary adjustments to ensure that your book is consumable for your potential readers. There are different kinds of editors, such as general editors, who look at the general structure and writing style, and line editors or copyeditors, who check on spelling and grammar.

You might have heard a few stories about editors changing the author's voice or not taking their suggestions into account, but the key is to find the right editor for the job. Sometimes, we tend to write things from our perspectives, and it would make sense, but the editor (as an outsider) will be able to identify these weak sections in your book and help you improve them.

At The Urban Writers, all our packages include a ghostwriter and an editor to ensure standards are adhered to. We also offer other services if you choose to self-write your book, so be sure to check out our various packages when you're ready.

Believe In Your Own Work

You worked hard to get your book to this point. Just because you're not using a publishing company to publish and distribute your book, does not mean that it's not a real book.

This is your handiwork, and you did it so well! You just decided to take matters into your own hands and control absolutely everything related to your own book. So, believe in your book. It is a real book, and it will change lives.

Consider Buying a Barcode or ISBN, Even for Ebooks

If you are considering publishing a hard copy later on, it's important to consider buying an ISBN or barcode for your book. Find out more at myidentifiers.com .

Self-publishing an ebook on the Google Play Books store is much easier than you think!

How to Publish Ebook on Google Play Store

By following these easy steps, you will become a self-published author in no time! Here is a step-by-step guide to the publishing process.

Step 1: Set Up a Google Play Partner Account

To create a Google Play partner account, you need to have an existing Google account.

Simply click "Get Started" on the Google Play Books Partner Center page and fill in your personal information to create an account. This will be your publishing account for all ebooks that you want to publish on the Google Play Books store.

Step 2: Make Sure You Get Paid Royalties

This is your payment profile. You need to ensure that your bank account information and tax information are linked to your partner account to get paid by Google Play Books every time one of your books is sold. The Google Play team might take up to 12 days to review your bank account information and approve your account. Try to have everything in order by the time they approve it.

If you receive an error message at any point, be sure to reach out to the Google Support Team.

Step 3: Create a Space for Your Book

You will now be able to access the dashboard where you can add your first book. When you click on "Add your first book" you will have the option to choose whether you want to only add a preview of your book on Google Books or whether you want to publish it on Google Play and put it up for sale.

If you choose the latter, a preview will automatically be added to Google Books.

If you choose to sell your book on Google Play Books, you can either enter the existing ISBN number for your book (if you have one), or you can ask Google Play to give you one. It's called a Google Book ID and is free to receive.

Step 4: Add the Logistics

Now, you need to complete the metadata for your book. This includes the following:

About the book: In this section, you need to include the book title, subtitle, and book description. With The Urban Writers packages, you can ask to include a book description written by a copywriter. There is also an "on-sale date" field. Only complete this if you want to place your book for sale from a specific date. If you want book sales to start immediately, leave this field blank. Another option that Google Books offers is to add a related book linked to the book you're about to publish on Google Play. It doesn't have to be directly related, i.e., part of a series. You can add any book you may have already published if you have one. You will also list the price for your book in this section.

Genres: Google Play has a wide variety of genres you can choose from, and you can assign multiple genres to your ebook on Google Play. You have multiple categories you can choose from, which include the BIC (the UK and Australia) and BISAC (North America) systems. This is something quite unique to Google Play as most other retailers limit the number of genres you can choose. Make sure that you select all the genres that are applicable to your book to optimize ebook sales, as the genres are used in the algorithm and form part of the search tool.

Contributors: This page is dedicated to everyone who contributed to the success of your book. You only need to list the author's name and can include a short bio. If you'd like, you can also add anyone else who may have contributed, such as illustrators, editors, etc.

Preview settings: This is where you can choose how much of your book potential readers can see and copy or paste. This is also unique to Google Books, as most competitors have a default setting. The minimum you can share is 20%, and the minimum copy/paste limit is 0%. It also includes a DRM encryption option which you can opt in or out of. Under preview settings, you will also have the option to optimize your book on Google Play by clicking on the "show advanced settings" option and completing those fields. Here you can change a number of settings, including whether a PDF download should be allowed, whether the preview should be available before the sale date, and whether photos should be shown in the preview, to name a few.

Step 5: Upload Your Book and Cover Image

For this step, you simply need to upload the relevant files, which include the cover files, an ePub file or PDF document, and a back cover if you want to add one. Google Play Books only accepts certain file formats with specifications on the ePub files, so check out their requirements here .

Once this has been done, Google Play offers a service where you can share a link with some beta readers to give them free access to your book on Google Play for a limited time. You just need to enter their email addresses, and they will become " Content Reviewers ." They need to have a Gmail account in order to qualify.

Step 6: Pick a Price

Another great feature of Google Play Books is the fact that you can choose different prices in different currencies based on region. You also have the option to sell ebooks at a special launch price by modifying the options under " show additional settings."

Make sure that book prices are competitive in nature to make book marketing on Google Play easier.

Step 7: Check and Publish!

This is the moment you've been waiting for. Review your information (especially your bank account) and click "Publish"!

Congratulations on publishing your ebook on Google Play! It's that easy to get your book published.

If you need a little more help to get going, you can download your free copy of our self-publishing checklist here .

Boosting Book Sales on Google Play

How you market your book will determine whether you will make any money or not. You can't just list your ebook on Google Books or publish it on Google Play and expect that word will get out without you doing anything. You need a foolproof book marketing strategy to boost ebook sales. Let's look at a few things you should include in your marketing plan.

These tips are specifically formulated for ebooks on Google Play and might not be as effective with other retailers.

Use Metadata to Your Advantage

One of the shortfalls of Google Books and Google Play is the fact that you can't select or add any meta keywords to describe your book. However, you are able to add as many genres as you want when publishing. You can use this feature to your advantage to optimize your ebook on Google Books.

Most of the keywords used on other platforms are available as genres on Google Books, except for a select few. If the keyword you are looking for is not on the list of genres, you can always add it as part of the subtitle for your ebook or as part of the book description. In both cases, the algorithm will serve your book if that specific keyword is searched for.

You can always test whether your book comes up by using a non-filtered search and only using general search terms.

Offer Google Play Promo Codes

Google Play Books offers various promo codes that you can utilize to attract readers. There are three types of codes that you can generate:

Fixed price promotion: This allows readers to purchase books at a fixed price that is lower than the price listed.

*10% off: With this code, a reader receives a percentage discount on the final listed price.

Free: This is quite an obvious one. This code makes the book free. Everybody loves free Google ebooks!

The last option won't bring in any cash, but for the first two, you will still receive 70% of the final price as royalties. What is great about these promotional codes is that every sale with them will still count as a sale, meaning that your ebook will move up in the algorithm.

Don't Jump Ship

When you publish your book on Google Play, keep your book on Google Play. Removing it from the book catalogue and publishing it somewhere else or republishing it on Google Play will interfere with the algorithm.

The Google Play Books Store is personalized for every reader based on their preferences and general search history. When books are removed from the library, this interferes with the books shown through the algorithm. The longer your book stays in the library and the more sales you make, the more it will pop up in others' libraries. So make sure that you keep your book in there as long as possible!

Run a Google Books Promotion

A great way to generate interest in your book on Google Play is a discount book promotion. This can be scheduled in advance using the tools in the Google Play Partner Center. By using this functionality, the list price for your eBook will be crossed out and replaced with an updated price for everyone to see so they can purchase your book at a discounted price.

Discounted titles are normally featured on the shop homepage for specific users based on search terms they have used previously.

You can also change the price in the metadata. However, this will not show that the book is on promotion. It won't be a complete waste, though, as people always look at books priced a little lower than others.

Use Different Marketing Avenues

If you are active on social media platforms, use these platforms to promote and sell your ebook. Many have found great success by linking their books to a blog post. Make sure that you include the book title in the post.

You can also use others' social media platforms or pay to have your book featured on other websites.

That's all you need to know in a nutshell about publishing your own ebook. It's as easy as that. It might seem like a daunting process in the beginning, but we hope with our guidance and the excellent services offered by The Urban Writers, you'll find it much easier to cross that line.

For even more content and assistance, be sure to check out all our blogs related to publishing here . There is a very good article on how to self-publish .

Whatever it is you're looking for, we've got it!

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Ready to Get Started?

Get in touch with one of our Customer Support and Success Representatives! Let’s talk about your content creation needs and how we can help you achieve your goals. Check out our hours of operation .

Or drop us an email

Contact us at [email protected] and one of our dedicated Customer Support and Success Representatives will reach out to you. We would love to answer any questions you have or provide additional information. We are looking forward to collaborating with you!

How To Publish A Book On Google Play

• William Zhen
• March 3, 2024
• Post Views: 5,927

With Google Play Books emerging as the next best alternative to Amazon Kindle, a writer can now achieve maximum exposure via one’s account. Thanks to Google Play for opening up new avenues, allowing budding authors to reach billions of bookworms all around, finding new fans, and publishing more books than ever! However, to harness the power, one has to have a grip over the entire system of uploading content and selling it online. To empower you on the same, this write-up lists down the step-by-step procedure that helps you publish a book on Google Play .

Step 1: Pen down the story in mind

It all starts with jotting down whatever’s coming to your mind and going ahead.

• Prepare a ‘vomit draft’ based on the synopsis
• Seek feedback from your friends and acquaintances and edit accordingly
• Hire a professional proofreader or your friend who has a stronghold in story-writing to point out the areas requiring edits.

Step 2: Adjust the book settings

Prior to uploading the file encapsulating your freshly written story, ensure the following book settings have been covered:

• Visit https://play.google.com/books/publish/ to sign in to its Partner Centre
• Scroll over to the “ Book Catalog ” tab
• Click on the “ Add Book ” icon
• Enter the 10/13-digit number denoting your ISBN identity. However, for those who lack the same, a Google-only identifier would work equally well. To generate the same, click on “ This book doesn’t have an ISBN “.
• In ‘Book Format’ select from the drop-down menu either a physical format or an “ Ebook ” version. It all depends on the identifier and demands the latter whereas a figure similar to a physical edition requires the author to go with the physical format.
• Once done, press on the “ Save ” icon
• Fill in the necessary information, starting from bibliographic information (denoted by contributor, format, and title) to specifying the price as given on the “ Pricing ” tab. However, don’t forget to upload all the necessary files by clicking on the “ Content ” tab.

Step 3: Upload your e-book along with the cover files

On ticking off the initial settings from your to-do list, you shall be redirected to the “ Content ” tab. Here’s what’s expected from you:

• Move over to the “ Content ” tab, and upload your e-book by clicking on the “ Upload a file ” button
• Select one or multiple files of less than 2GB each.

Step 4: Publish it

Now comes the most thrilling part. If you have reached this stage, you are just a few steps away from fulfilling your dreams of self-publishing your first novel on Google Play.

• Scroll over to the “ Review ” tab to check whether the information is all set
• Click on the “ Publish ” icon at the bottom
• Wait for a day or two to watch it available on Google Play.

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• Google Play publishing , publish a book on google play , publish PDF to Google

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How to Self-Publish on Google

So, you’ve written a book, and now you want to self-publish it on Google, congratulations! Deciding how and where to publish your book can be a little daunting, so if you’re not sure hw you want to proceed, check out our post on distribution services .

Now, without further ado, let’s look at the world of self-publishing through Google!

Google Books vs. Google Play

How to publish an ebook on google play books, reasons to publish with google play, google play books royalties, what do i need to know about publishing on google, i made my first sale – now what.

Before we get started with our blog post, we wanted to break down one very important differentiation in the world of Google. Google provides consumers with two major ways to access books – on Google Books and also on Google Play. The platform that this blog post will be focused on is Google Play, as it is the website that authors use to upload manuscripts, manage and sell books, and monitor their sales. Google Play, versus Google Books, offers consumers more than just books; movies, apps, music, and more are available with Google Play. Google Books is more of a search tool, compared to the storefront of various entertainment that is Google Play. As of October 2015, Google Books held more than 25 million scanned copies of books within its library. While Google Books is a great way to peruse titles, whenever you want to actually purchase books you will be led back to Google Play.

As we just mentioned, there’s a unique platform offered by Google called Google Play – and this is the tool that writers use to self-publish their books. The Google Play store is a one-stop-shop and digital store where people access, buy, and download apps, games, books, movies, and more. Similar to how Barnes and Noble owns Nook, or how Apple owns Apple Books, Google Play is simply the child of the parent company Google.

Steps to Self-Publish an eBook on Google Play

• Go to the Google Play Books Partner Center and click “Get Started”
• Follow the prompts to create your account

• Next, link your bank account so Google can deposit money you earn from eBook sales
• Finally, enter your tax information so Google can deduct the appropriate taxes

• Next, fill in your book information like Title, Description, Length etc. Once complete, hit “Save & Continue”
• Time to select your genre. Google has well defined genres, so search in the bar for the genre that best fits your book.
• In the contributors step, enter your name as the “author” and add any others who contributed.
• Next, you’ll need to select some settings, like how much of the book readers can preview and if the book can be downloaded and printed on paper by a reader.
• Upload your cover and book file! You can upload pdf, epub, zip, jpeg, png, webp, pdf, and tiff files. Once uploaded, hit “Save & Continue”
• Then, select the price for your book. You can always change this later, so no need to stress too much about it.
• Review your book information and hit “publish.” You’re done!

There we go! With easy to understand prompts, Google Play makes the process of uploading your eBook to their site really simple. After you’ve been uploaded to their site and have made your first sale, you’ll be able to monitor analytics and reports on the Partner Center webpage.

• Google reaches one billion Android users (that’s around 81% of smartphone users) in 70 countries.
• Google Play offers the “Play Books Partner Center” – this is where authors and users can upload their content, set their book prices, and more.
• Authors can earn royalties of up to 70%.
• The “discover” feature on the website offers users the opportunity to discover new books, which gives authors a greater chance of getting their book to readers.
• Google Play doesn’t require an ISBN to publish on their site. They are able to generate a unique number for your title entirely on their own.
• Google Play enables authors to create an Author Page, complete with all books from an author, a biography, and a photo.
• Your Google Play titles can be featured on Google Books through a partnership program. This can be an effective way to drive sales, as it gets your book out to even more potential readers.

When researching the primary reasons that authors like to use Google Play, the major reason that stands out is the site’s discoverability factor. With many features that enable your book to go out to more diverse groups of readers (like the partnership with Google Books or the “discover” portion of the site), Google Play has the potential to get your book out to new audiences.

Google offers a 70% royalty, regardless of book price. While we’re on the topic of finances, something important to note is that Google Play subscribes to Wholesale pricing. So, what is wholesale pricing? How does wholesale pricing affect authors?

• Wholesale pricing: Authors set the price of their book. Retailers have the ability to choose the price at which the book is actually sold.
• Agency pricing: Authors set the price of their book and this is the price at which it is sold. Retailers cannot change the price.

Compared to websites like Apple Books or Nook Press (both of which use the Agency pricing model), Google Play can choose the price at which your book is sold. They do this in order to offer consumers discounts on books – however, this will not affect your sales. The royalty that you receive is based on your listed book price.

For example: Sarah lists her book at a sales price of $4.99. Google decides to discount her book to $2.99. Sarah will still receive royalties based off of her $4.99 price point, regardless of the discount that Google offers consumers. For every $4.99 book sold, Sarah will earn 70% in royalties – this means that she makes $3.49 per book, and Google will keep $1.50.

We’ve found that there are a few must-know tips to keep in mind before moving forward with selling your book on Google Play:

• After you’ve finalized your manuscript, make sure that it’s ready to be uploaded in the correct formatting style. Google Play supports books in the ePub file format.
• Become familiar with Google Books. By signing up for your book to be sold on Google Play, you automatically enroll in Google Books and have the ability to offer readers previews of your title. Consider how much of your book you want to offer in the preview – this can be all the way up to 100% of the book.
• Book distributors will provide you with portals for managing your book on Google Play. If you choose to utilize distributors in order to sell on Google Play, you can take down your book from the website at any time through the distributor’s site. However, Google Play does not allow you to temporarily take your book down from their site. You only have the option to completely deactivate your book. If you are using a distribution service, you must deactivate your book through whatever portal you use. Below, see a screenshot of what this looks like on Publishdrive.

Once you’ve made your first sale, you can choose to wire your funds to your bank account through an Electronic Funds Transfer or go through a wire transfer. Google will pay you on the 15th day of each month, or on the next business day. The minimum required amount for a payment schedule plan is $1.00 in sales. However, wire transfer payments require a minimum balance of $100 to initiate payment.

From this page, you can also access your Earnings Report to see how much money you can expect to make from sales. Remember, Google offers a 70% royalty rate, and this will be reflected in your sales reports.

Thanks for checking out our article on self-publishing with Google Play! Have any tips for how you use the site? Have you been accepted to sell your book(s) through Google Play? Let us know in the comments below!

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36 comments on “ how to self-publish on google ”.

Need to publish my book on google. need your guidance and help please.

Hi there! If you’re interested in self-publishing through Google Play, I recommend reading through this article. It will provide you with a full step-by-step guide to getting your book up and running. Best of luck!

Need you help to sell my book through google on net. Please advise.

Maj Iftikhar

Hi, I want to know is it possible to upload a translated public domain books (from English to another language) and then publish it on Google Books? If so, is it the same process? Thank you 🙂

Hi Lanny – we aren’t seeing anything that would prevent users from uploading and publishing these types of books on Google Play. Your book will be reviewed once it is submitted for upload; if it isn’t approved, a member of Google Play will reach out to let you know.

Excellent ! Very good article .

Hi, I want to publish my ebook for free, as I do not want to make money from it. Is this possible?

Hi there – yes it is! You can list your book for free on Google Play.

Can I add gaming picture on my book or there will be an Copyright

Yes, you can include images in books published through Google Play. If I’m understanding your question correctly, they will not add copyright on your behalf.

Hello, I wanted to sale ebooks on Google but I do not understand few things. For example, if someone sells an ebook he enters some tax information, but how he gets that tax number/information? Does he have to be registered as a company or something to have that tax info? And does the person selling the ebooks have to tell the local autorities about the sold ebooks? Does that person have to pay taxes, VAT, income tax or something like that, or Google handles all of this?

Hey there! Sadly I’m not incredibly well-versed in the tax information for Google Play. I checked out this link , which should provide you with more info. Your individual account & tax info can be found by signing into the Partner Center.

Sadly, that’s no help for non-US citizens. I’m currently trying to find the answer to this. The forms don’t have obvious answers for self-publishers living in other countries. Amazon in contrast make it very easy, for the large set of countries with a reciprocal tax arrangement with the US.

Hey Luke! I’m sorry to hear that 🙁 Have you tried contacting anyone through Google Play’s customer service line?

Thanks for this post! Looking to sell my eBooks with Google, but as a person living in a country that has no tax treaty with US, it’s very likely that Google withholds 30% of the sales. So, it leaves only 40% to me (after 30% loyalty paid to Google, 30% tax withheld). Probably not a good option…

This was well done! Many Thanks!

Thank you for contacting us. We request you to provide us with any evidence like a link to a reliable platform where the same content is available under your name or any other document that proves the ownership of the content uploaded by you or Rights reversion letters on official letterhead.

We appreciate your patience in the meanwhile.

Best regards,

The Google Play Books Policy Enforcement Team”

– My Problem –

Thanks for the email. We conducted another review on your account and decided to uphold the earlier decision to disapprove your account. For more information, please see the Google Play Books Publisher Content Policy and the Google Copyright Policy .

Best Regards,

-My Problem Two-

Hi Junior! It seems like the first message is asking for a link to your book on any other platforms (like Nook, Apple Books, Kobo, or Amazon). Is your book published through any other retailers? If so, you’ll need to send that to the Google Play team. For your second message, I would suggest sending Google Play any other retailer links you have and then asking for more information on their decision.

Can l use illustrations, like my own photos? Thank you

Hey Carlos – yes, you can include illustrations in your eBooks published through Google Play. Your book will just need to be uploaded through .pdf or .epub files. You can learn more about files & uploading requirements at this link.

Is it possible to published it for free? Do I need to fill the link to my bank account as I do not sell or taking any royalty either. Thank you.

Hey John! Yes, you can make books available for free on Google Play. If you’d like to check out this link , you can learn about the site’s requirements for this type of publication. It looks like you will still need to provide payment information.

I cannot see Kenya listed in the countries when trying to self publish.

Hi Rahila. You can check out the countries that are currently able to publish with Google Play at this link. Unfortunately, it looks like Kenya is not currently an option for supported countries.

Making my book ‘discoverable’ is like trying to get blood from a stone. After a week ‘live’ on Google Books and Play Books, my book is still non-existent in a general search.

A search for the term ‘truth’ which is in the title, and the author’s surname fails to show up in both a non-filtered search and ‘sorted by date’ filter. Part of the title “Made manifest” in quotes also failed. Search terms ‘potter’ ‘truth’ in Google Books with filters ‘free Google Ebooks’, ’21st century’, ‘books’ returned five results… and my book wasn’t among them. Truth, god, spiritual, potter – all keywords – and all of which are either in the title or description of my book make no difference.

99% of folk search with general search terms, yet the only way to see my book in a search is by searching for the FULL title or the author’s FULL name. So, for me, it’s a complete waste of time publishing on Google Books and Play Books.

Thank you for the article. I’ve followed this instruction, filled everything and got my “Account under review”. 1~12 days. Today I’ve got the message they have suspended account because there are no proofs this book copyright belongs to me. Even considering the fact I have authored this book and I am the only copyright owner of my book. I have sent them response asking to review their decision. They’ve sent another message: —— Thanks for the email. For completing the verification of your account we require any information that proves the ownership of the content uploaded by you under your name. We recommend you to provide us any of the following details :

A link to any reliable platform where the same content is available under your name. A copyright document or any other document that you think can be considered as a proof. Only after a complete assessment of the details we will be able to take an appropriate action on your account.

NOTE : Do not send us any confidential documents such as any identity proof or banking detail. Any such documents are not asked from our side.

The Google Play Books Policy Enforcement Team ——- And now I’m lost and shocked. I haven’t published my book anywhere else, the Google’s service was my first attempt, motivated by your article. That’s why I have no clue where I can get the link to reliable platform with my book. Also, here in Canada author of the book automatically owns copyright. I don’t need any explicit registration or proofs. Also, even if I go Canadian agency to register my copyright — I can’t get Canadian copyright registration record because my book is not in English language. And now I am completely lost — how to reply to Google’s support team inqury and how other self-publishing authors proof these things to Google? Could you please advise? Thanks in advance.

Hello, sorry for the trouble. Unfortunately i’ve never encountered something like this so I don’t have an immediate fix for you. I think you could try two things: 1. publish your book on another platform like Amazon or Apple , and then send the links to the Google Books team. 2. Make a Copyright page for your book, add it to the manuscript and send it to the Google Books team.

Hi Clayton, Thanks for your suggestion. Also, I’ve talked to Canadian Copyright lawyer. I’ve actually went to Apple Books store and published my book there. Surprisingly, Apple’s store team reviews and greenlights books significantly faster than Google’s team. After that I have replied to Google’s support team and provided link to my book’s page at Apple’s store. It took them less than 1 day to review their decision and greenlight my Book sales at Google’s book store. The issue is resolved now. Also, one of the key reasons for such Google’s behaviour was the fact I was trying to use pseudonim instead of my real name as Author’s name. It’s allowed by Google’s rules. But for whatever reason this confuses their “green lighters”. BTW, Apple requires publishing under your real name. If you want to use pseudonim — you have to send inquiry to their support team with your reasons, so they will manually update Author of the book.

Hey Thanks for sharing this information with us. I was using it and getting good no. Of sell and earning good but before 2-3 months Google disapprove my account due to copyright issue but the content is written by me. Now i tried a lot of my time to connect throw mail but they never give me proper reply or not send my earning to my bank account. After that i write some more books and try to publish it on Google but now they just disapprove my account again and again. Sir please help me in this concern.

Hey there – I’m sorry to hear you’re having some difficulties here. Unfortunately, we don’t have a direct contact with the Google Play team. My suggestion is to continue contacting their customer service team at this link in the hopes that someone will get back to you quickly.

I don’t know what Google Books says about their disapproval, but ANY “borrowing” or copying of wording from another source without naming the source is plagiarism. “In your own words” means literally in your own words. My sense is that your command of English is not strong, so you may not be aware when you are copying. This would be an infringement of the copyright held by the source you are copying from.

Do you actually have to own a business to sell your ebooks? It says that you need to provide a business license in order to get paid.

https://support.google.com/paymentscenter/answer/7159033?hl=en-GB&visit_id=637520356032694914-2435567143&rd=1

Hey Paulina! When you set up your payment profile in the google play partner center, you can select “individual” in the account type!

I have a textbook that I have distributed as creative commons. May I also distribute it as a free book on Google?

This is an excellent guide and I completed the process yesterday. However, I was utterly amazed to find that my account is undergoing a ‘preliminary review’ for which I have to wait 12 days in order for my book to ‘go live’. Considering that Amazon, Draft2Digital and others publish books almost immediately, this is a bizarre introduction to Google Play.

How did that go?

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How to Self-Publish

About this ebook series.

You've finished your first book and are eager to take that next step: getting your book in front of readers.

You also don't have the patience to read the whole manual; you're more of a quick start guide type of person.

If so, then this book is for you. No fluff, no extraneous background information. Just step-by-step instructions on what to do next to allow you to learn by doing.

In this guide, you'll discover all the essentials of publishing your first book in eBook format:

- Preparing your manuscript

- Getting a book cover, pronto!

- Writing book description, categories, and keywords

- Uploading and publishing, baby!

- Next steps…

This approach, which relies heavily on the minimum viable product principle, will get you from aspiring to published author quickly, efficiently, and affordably—without looking like a rank amateur in the process.

Let's begin!

Now what? How do you turn that manuscript into an actual eBook?

Fear not, this guide has the answer. Over the past ten years, Laura Kortum has formatted and published hundreds of books, both for herself and others. But you don't need to outsource the process to get a good result! In fact, you can get it done yourself absolutely for free, with software you probably already have on your computer!

In this guide, you'll learn how to:

- Use Microsoft Word to create a clean-looking, professional eBook

- Prepare essential pages and extra material to include in your eBook

- Insert images and other special formatting

- Create a handy Table of Contents

- Upload your book, ready for publication!

All you need to begin is a computer with any version of Microsoft Word installed on it, your finished manuscript and any other materials you wish to include, a caffeinated beverage of your choice, and an hour of your time…

Free of charge