When it comes to ebook distribution, the major players are Amazon KDP, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble Press, Kobo Writing Life and the subject of this post, Google Play Books.
How do you publish on Google Play Books? First, create your Google Play Partner account by going to the following page: https://play.google.com/books/publish/
After entering your account details, including your financial information 🤑, you can add your book. Google Play offers this delightful checklist to streamline the process: Partner Checklist
Book Catalog Add Book
In the Partner Center, select Book Catalog from the menu on the left.
Next, select Add Book.
Metadata (everything about your book)
You will fill in the following information:
- About the book
- Genres
- Contributors
- Settings
Google uses industry-standard genre selections, such as BISAC (North America), WGSneu (Germany), BIC (UK/Australia) and more.
Add the author information.
Configure appearance settings, such as setting a preview limit.
Content and cover
Upload your interior file and your cover. Google Play is pretty flexible when it comes to uploading files. However, you must provide your interior file in either .epub or .pdf format.
Tip: Prepare your manuscript with the Reedsy Book Editor and export it as a Word document (.docx). Upload the .docx file to Draft2Digital. Download the .epub file generated by Draft2Digital and upload it to Google Play.
Price
Set the price.
Review and publish!
Note: Google Play reviews your account immediately after you publish your first book. Your book may not be published for up to 12 business days. If it takes longer than that, contact Play Books Support. This policy review only happens with your first book.