1. Prepare Your Materials 📝
Before you start, ensure you have your metadata, content file, and cover file ready. These essential components will shape your book's presence.
2. Access 'My Books' 📚
Upon logging into your PublishDrive account, navigate to the 'My Books' section via the main dashboard. Look for the 'Book Upload' button within the 'My Books' menu.
3. Choose Your Format 🎭
Select the format that matches your book: in this case, it will be an ebook.
For a print book's specific requirements, explore this detailed article.
If you're diving into audiobook uploading, consult this comprehensive guide.
4. Step-by-Step Upload ⬆️
Upon reaching this page, you'll encounter the new book interface where you can seamlessly upload your book and input metadata. If you wish to make modifications in the future, simply choose the title you wish to edit, and this form will promptly appear again.
The following stages are the key steps of the upload process:
📂 Files
Simply drag and drop your content file (EPUB) and cover file (jpg) into the designated fields. Note that we accept both EPUB 2 and EPUB 3 formats, along with docx for EPUB conversion. Upon your initial upload, our automated system will scan your book and provide correction suggestions.
⚠️Error detection: If any errors are detected during the initial review, a notification will appear in red, providing you with guidance on how to address the issues.
After adding your EPUB file, we analyze its embedded metadata and seamlessly populate corresponding fields. You have the option to either accept or decline the auto-filled metadata we've extracted. Opting out of the auto-fill is as simple as refraining from clicking the "Import selected fields" button, prompting you to input your metadata manually.
If you don't have an EPUB file, select "other files" and drag and drop your Word document (.docx) into the designated "Source files" field. Alternatively, you have the option to drop it directly into the Content file field.
In this case, you'll be prompted to answer four questions concerning your book's content and structure, with the conversion options conveniently situated at the bottom of the page.
Creators ✍️
This is the field for the book's contributors: author, editor, illustrator, or translator.
You can use your pen name in the contributor field, but please don’t use pen names that could be misleading to readers. The author's name on the cover should match the name you enter here, and all authors mentioned on the cover need to be listed in the metadata. If there is no author, you can select an editor instead.
*If your book has AI, please remember to mention it as Author/Editor.
Metadata 🔍
Help your book stand out and be easier to find through metadata customization.
For more in-depth assistance than the instructions below, please refer to this guide.
- Publisher/Imprint: Applicable when multiple imprints are involved. Read about imprints here.
- Title and Subtitle: Enter the title as it appears on the cover, using the title capitalization rules of your language. The subtitle should go to the subtitle field. Most stores display the subtitle using the same case as the title, separated by a colon.
- Series: The accurate name of your series. Maintain consistency in your series name for seamless organization on store pages. If your series field is not empty, you can add the volume in the next field.
- Language: Indicate the primary language of your book. You can add multiple languages for bilingual books. If your book is a Spanish coursebook where the instruction language is English, please select "English" as the primary language and add Spanish as the secondary language. If you select "Spanish" as the primary language, your book will be displayed to Spanish speakers, not to English-native Spanish learners.
- Number of pages: Although ebooks have a different page number depending on whether you read them on a computer screen, tablet, e-reader or phone, some stores are still asking for the number of pages. Please enter the number of pages in your print edition, or divide the total number of characters by 1500. Many stores (Amazon or Kobo) calculate their own numbers based on the length of the book. Others will use the number we submit.
- ISBN: Select "Yes" to enter your ISBN. If you don’t have an ISBN for the ebook format, don't worry: we’ll automatically assign an identifier to your book. Read more about ISBN here.
- Print edition: If you have a print edition, you can enter its details and we'll send them to the stores which helps them match your print and ebook listing if both are available. Adding the print edition's ISBN here does not serve any other purpose.
- Description: it should be unique and accurately describe your book. Please don’t add any references to prices and any links. It should also not contain any explicit words or phrases. The language of the description should always match the primary language of the book. For bilingual books, you can add the description in two languages (in the same field).
Categories 📌
Select up to three categories for your book. You can enter your BISAC code or select from the list. You can also just start typing the category you would like to use and it will come up in the selector. Your book will be displayed in the stores within the category you choose. The more specific you are, the more likely it is that your potential readers will find your book.
Here is also where you can indicate if your book contains adult content, select your target audience, and enter your keywords (up to 7).
Price 💱
Simply enter the price you'd like your readers to buy your books for. You have to give a price in your main currency; additionally, you can enter your price in most currencies our stores work with.
Rights 📜
Select "I wrote this book" if you wrote the book, or "I have secured rights from the copyright holder", if you are the publisher of this book, or if you are helping your friend upload their book to PublishDrive. Please note that as of 2018, PublishDrive does not accept public domain books for distribution.
If you own your copyrights, select "Yes" for worldwide rights. If you are a publisher, you can check your contract for enabled territories.
Enter the publication date, or press "Today". If you give a future date, pre-orders will automatically be allowed and your book will be available to pre-order immediately in the stores that have this option. Read more about pre-orders here.
Distribution 🌎
Handpick the stores you wish to send your book to, tailoring your reach. By default, all stores are enabled.
More info about imprints, enabling and disabling stores can be found in this article.
6. Publishing 🚀
If you're ready to go, just press "Publish" or you can just "Save draft and close" if you would like to come back later for editing.
7. What`s next? 🔜
Your book is now in the review process. Once approved, it will be sent to stores and made available to readers. Keep an eye on your dashboard for status updates!
How long does book review take? 🕑
It usually takes 2 business days for a book to be reviewed by our team. Please note that weekends and national holidays are not included in the review time.
Delays are possible when we receive an exceptionally large number of submissions, but we will always strive to review all books as soon as possible. We would like to ask you to refrain from messaging our Support Team in such cases because it can slow down our work even further.
If your book has not been reviewed within 5 business days or the publication is urgent for some reason, feel free to reach out.
8. Further Fine-Tuning and Updates 🔄
Should any aspect require refinement, remember that metadata, description, and even the EPUB file can be updated anytime. Your changes will be reviewed and subsequently updated in the stores.
How can I make changes to my book?
9. Awaiting Review and Publication ⌛
Upon submission, our book review team will assess your book through a mix of automated and manual processes. If everything aligns, your book journey with PublishDrive starts.
📘Happy Publishing!📘