What you need before you start
Partner Center separates the publisher account from the payment profile, and a book cannot go on sale until both exist.
A Google account
Partner Center runs on a standard Google account at play.google.com/books/publish. Use an account you will keep, because it owns the publisher record.
Publisher details
Google asks for the publisher name under which titles are listed. If you are publishing under your own imprint, enter it exactly as it appears on your copyright page.
A payment profile
Add the Google payments profile that will receive earnings, with the bank account attached. Earnings accrue but do not pay out until this is verified.
Tax details
Complete the tax information for your country inside the payment profile. Without it Google withholds at the default rate, and the deduction is not refundable through the platform.
An ISBN decision
An ISBN is optional on Google Play. If you leave the field blank, Google assigns its own identifier, a GGKEY, and the book sells normally. Supply your own ISBN if you want a single identifier shared across every store.
Which AIWriteBook files go where
Play Books is an ebook store, and the two files it wants are the two you already have.
EPUB
The manuscript. EPUB is strongly preferred for reflowable book content and is what you should upload in the Content section of the book record.
eBook cover JPG
The cover image, uploaded as a separate asset. Google shows it at a wide range of sizes, from tiny list thumbnails to full-screen on a tablet.
DOCX
Not the right file for Play Books. Keep it for editing and upload the EPUB.
Print PDF
Not used. Google Play Books sells ebooks, so the print files go to KDP, IngramSpark or Lulu.
Wrap cover PDF
Not used. Play Books wants the front cover only.
Exact file and metadata specs
Partner Center validates the upload and then runs policy checks in the background, so the asset requirements are what you meet up front.
| Manuscript format | EPUB, strongly preferred for reflowable content. A clean EPUB is what gives you correct reflow across phone, tablet and web. |
|---|---|
| Cover image | JPEG, with a minimum of 1,000 pixels on the short side. Going well above the minimum is worth it because the cover is rendered on high-density screens. |
| Identifier | An ISBN if you have one. Leave it blank and Google assigns a GGKEY, which works within Google Play but is not portable to other stores. |
| Title and author | Entered on the book record and shown exactly as typed. They must match the cover art. |
| Description | Store copy for the listing. Play Books shows it under the cover on the product page and in search results. |
| Categories and language | Set the subject categories and the book language on the book record. The language field also affects which storefronts surface the title. |
| DRM | A checkbox on the settings for the book. You can enable DRM, or disable copy and paste, or leave the book unrestricted. |
| Territories | You select the countries where the book is for sale. Google Play Books reaches readers in more than 75 countries. |
| Review | There is no separate review step that holds the book. Google runs policy, copyright and file-quality checks in the background. |
| Time to sale | Titles normally go on sale within a few days of upload rather than within hours. |
The Partner Center walkthrough, screen by screen
Partner Center is organised as an account setup, then a book record you fill in sections, then a content upload, then pricing. You can save a partial book record and come back to it.
- 1
Apply for a Partner Center account
Go to play.google.com/books/publish, sign in with your Google account and complete the publisher application. Approval is the gate on everything else.
Click: Get Started, then complete the publisher application.
- 2
Set up the payment profile and tax details
Open the payment settings, attach or create your Google payments profile, add the bank account and fill in the tax information for your country.
Click: Payment Center > add payment profile > complete tax information.
- 3
Add your book
From the Book Catalog, click to add a book. Enter your ISBN if you have one, or choose to get a Google book identifier instead. That choice is made at the very start of the record.
Click: Add Book > enter ISBN, or Get a Google book ID.
- 4
Fill the book details
Enter title, subtitle, series, contributors with roles, the language, the publication date and the publisher name. The contributor roles matter here because Google surfaces them on the product page.
Fields: Title, Subtitle, Series, Contributors, Language, Publication Date, Publisher.
- 5
Write the description and set categories
Paste your store description, then choose the subject categories and the audience. Categories drive where the book appears in browse, so be specific.
Fields: Description, Categories, Audience.
- 6
Set the content settings
Decide whether to enable DRM and whether to allow copy and paste, and set the percentage of the book available as a free preview. The preview setting is a real marketing lever, so think about it rather than accepting the default.
Fields: DRM enabled, Copy/paste allowed, Preview percentage.
- 7
Upload the EPUB and the cover
In the Content section, upload the EPUB, then upload the cover image. Wait for the processing status to clear before moving on, because conversion errors surface here.
Click: Upload Content > EPUB file, then upload cover image.
- 8
Set prices per currency
Enter the list price for each currency you sell in. Google can apply a base price across markets, but setting prices by hand in your biggest markets is worth the extra minutes.
Fields: List price per currency.
- 9
Choose territories and on-sale date
Select the countries where the book is available and set the date it goes on sale. Deselect any territory where you do not hold rights.
Fields: Territories, On-sale date.
- 10
Publish and verify
Save the record and set the book's status to for sale. Then check the live product page on both the web and the Play Books app, because rendering differs between them.
Click: Save, then set status to For Sale.
Royalty, currencies and territories
Google pays on the list price you set, not on a discounted price, which is the detail that makes Play behave differently from every other store.
| Royalty rate | 70% of the list price on most sales once you have accepted Google's terms. A small number of countries and some older accounts sit at 52% instead. |
|---|---|
| Discounts are Google's cost | Google pays you on your list price even when it discounts the book to the reader, so a Google-run promotion does not reduce what you earn per copy. |
| Per-currency pricing | You set a price in each currency rather than letting one exchange rate drive them all. That control is worth using in price-sensitive markets, where a rounded local price converts far better than a converted one. |
| Territories | Play Books reaches more than 75 countries, and you choose which of them your book is sold in. |
| Promotional pricing | You can run launch discounts and promotional prices from the book record without republishing the title. |
| Payment | Earnings are paid through the Google payments profile attached to your account, which is why the profile and the tax details have to be complete before the book sells. |
Proofing and common problems
Google does not hold books in a review queue, so problems show up as a stuck status, a missing payout, or a book that quietly never goes on sale.
Content stuck in processing
The EPUB failed conversion. Re-export a clean EPUB rather than editing the package by hand, and check that every internal link resolves and the navigation document is present.
Cover below the minimum
Under 1,000 pixels on the short side and the asset is refused. Export the cover again at full size instead of upscaling.
Book saved but never goes on sale
Almost always an incomplete record: a missing price in a required currency, no territory selected, or an on-sale date still in the future. Open the book record and look for the sections flagged incomplete.
Earnings accrue but nothing is paid
The payment profile or the tax information is incomplete. Earnings sit in the account until both are verified.
Policy takedown
Google runs copyright and content policy checks in the background. Books that duplicate freely available public domain text without added value, or that misrepresent their content in the description, are the usual targets.
Preview set too low or too high
Not an error, but a decision most authors never revisit. A preview that stops before anything happens sells nothing; one that gives away half the book sells nothing either.
GGKEY where you wanted an ISBN
If you skip the ISBN field, Google assigns its own identifier and the book is identified by that within Play. Enter the ISBN when you create the record if you want one identifier across every store.
After the book is on sale
Play Books rewards small, ongoing maintenance more than a launch push.
Check the listing on a phone
Open the product page in the Play Books app, not just the web. Cover crops, description formatting and sample rendering all differ between the two surfaces.
Tune prices per market
Because you price per currency, you can lower the price in a specific country without touching anywhere else. Watch the sales reports by country and adjust where the numbers justify it.
Update the file in place
Corrections are uploaded to the same book record. Never create a second record for a corrected file, because the existing record carries your sales history and reviews.
Use promotional pricing for launches
A short promotional price set from the book record is the cleanest way to run a launch or a series promotion on Play.
Keep the identifier consistent
If you used your own ISBN, use the same one for this edition everywhere, and a different one for every other format. Consistent identifiers are what let retailers and libraries match your editions.
Questions people actually ask
Do I need an ISBN for Google Play Books?+
No. If you leave the field blank, Google assigns a GGKEY identifier and the book sells normally. Supply your own ISBN if you want the same identifier used across every store.
What royalty does Google pay?+
70% of the list price on most sales after you accept Google's terms, with a small number of countries and some older accounts at 52%. Google pays on your list price even when it discounts the book.
Is there a review queue?+
There is no separate review step that holds the book before publishing. Google runs content policy, copyright and file-quality checks in the background, and titles normally go on sale within a few days.
Should I enable DRM?+
That is your call. Many independent authors leave DRM off so readers can move the file between devices, and the setting can be changed on the book record.
Why has Google not paid me?+
Nearly always because the payment profile or the tax information is incomplete. Earnings accrue in the account and are released once both are verified.
Can I sell on Play Books and Amazon at the same time?+
Yes, unless the digital edition is enrolled in KDP Select, which requires 90 days of Amazon exclusivity. Outside Select, Play Books sits alongside every other store.
The bottom line
Google Play Books is the least glamorous console in self-publishing and one of the most useful, because it sells on every Android device and pays on your list price rather than on whatever Google decided to charge that week.
The setup work is front-loaded into the payment profile and tax details, and the book record itself is straightforward once those exist. If you wrote the book in AIWriteBook, the EPUB and the cover image come straight out of the Export and Format steps.
Complete guides for every other store
Seven platforms, seven walkthroughs. Each one covers the files, the form fields, the royalties and the rejections for that store.
Write the book, then sell it on Google Play
AIWriteBook drafts your book chapter by chapter, designs the cover, and exports the EPUB and cover image Google Play Books Partner Center expects.
No credit card required. First chapter on the house.