Google Play Books Publishing for Authors Who Want Control of Price and Reach

Google Play can discount from the list price at its own discretion. The royalty is based on the price actually charged, so we factor that behaviour into the pricing setup instead of treating the sale price as an unexpected change later.

Enough for a reader to judge the writing, but not so much that the preview replaces the purchase. For non-fiction, that often means the introduction and part of an early substantive chapter. The setting is chosen per title and checked after publication.

Yes. A reflowable EPUB is usually the better fit for prose, while PDF can make sense for workbooks, sheet music and other fixed-format material. Some titles benefit from having both available through the Google Books partner program.

A legacy Google Books record can often be claimed, corrected or connected rather than simply ignored. We check for older scanned or previously published records during setup because two competing versions can weaken Google Books search visibility and confuse the listing history.

Google can accept many ebooks without an ISBN, but using one helps keep the record consistent across retailers and with any print edition. If you already own ISBNs, we review where the identifier should be used before the listing is created.

Not during an active KDP Select exclusivity term. If the ebook is enrolled, it cannot also be sold on Google Play for that period, so we check the publishing status before setup and explain the choice before anything is submitted.

Send us the current manuscript or ebook file. The initial review looks at what state the book appears to be in and whether it is ready for production, file repair or a deeper editorial assessment.

If the manuscript needs more than a production check, a separate manuscript assessment can map the larger editorial issues before money is spent on an EPUB or listing that may need to be rebuilt later.

No. Authors often ask about cost, timing and distribution while they are still drafting. A full manuscript is still needed before we can assess structure or prepare the final edition, because those decisions depend on the complete book.

You speak with a publishing consultant by phone or video about the book, its current state and what you want to publish. The conversation is used to identify the likely route, the main production steps and the realistic timing before a scope is prepared.

There is no obligation to proceed. If the book needs more revision before Google Play Books self publishing makes sense, that is the recommendation you will receive.

Yes. The manuscript is shared only with the people assessing or working on the project and is not used for another purpose. We do not acquire, license or claim rights in the work as part of the publishing service.