How to Publish a Book on Google Play Books
How to publish an ebook on Google Play Books: Partner Center signup, file and cover rules, pricing, payments and how long review takes. Checked October 2026.
By Philip GhezelbashYou publish on Google Play Books through the Google Play Books Partner Center. It is free to join. You need a Google Account, a payment profile with tax details, an EPUB or PDF file and a cover. New accounts go through a review when you submit your first book. Google says that check can take up to 30 business days, and after approval new books usually go live within 12 to 24 hours.
This guide covers who can sign up, what files Google accepts, the steps to publish, and what to expect on pricing and payments. Google’s help pages carry no dates, so we checked them in October 2026.
Who can publish on Google Play Books
Google’s pages do not list a waitlist or a pause on new sign-ups. The conditions that apply are:
- You must be 18 or older and able to sign a contract with Google.
- You must be in a country where Google supports seller sign-up. The list includes the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Germany, France, Spain, Switzerland, Brazil and Mexico for ebooks and audiobooks. Many more countries, including Japan, India, Italy, the Netherlands, Singapore, South Africa and South Korea, are listed for ebooks only. Check Google’s country table for yours.
- Google checks your rights to the book, and public domain books are not accepted.
In the past Google has opened and closed Partner Center sign-ups, and some current guides still mention waiting periods. Google’s own community forum shows people reporting accounts stuck in review for 30 days or more. Plan for a possible delay, and do not set a launch date until your account is approved.
What you need before you start
Your files. Google accepts EPUB and PDF. Each file must be under 2 GB and at least four pages. For EPUB, Google accepts versions 3.3, 3 and 2, and prefers 3.3. It does not allow JavaScript or MathML in EPUB files. Google advises running EpubCheck first, and our free EPUB checker does a similar check in your browser.
A cover. JPEG, PNG, TIFF or PDF, from 640 to 7,200 pixels. Our ebook cover size guide lists what each store likes.
Payment and tax details. Google requires a payment profile with your legal name, address and contact details to sell. All publishers must give tax information, even if they have no US sales. You also verify a bank account by a small test deposit, which can take a few days. You can start selling while the bank check is pending.
An ISBN is optional. Google says an ISBN is not required. If you do not enter one, Google gives the book an internal identifier called a GGKEY. If you enter an ISBN, you cannot change it later. Our guide on ISBNs for ebooks covers when one is worth having.
Step by step: publish on Google Play Books
1. Create your Partner Center account
Sign in to Partner Center with your Google Account, accept the terms, and choose your country. Then set up your payment profile with your business or legal name, address and phone.
2. Add your bank account and tax information
Add your bank details for verification and complete the tax interview. Missing tax information can lead to held payments.
3. Add a book
In Book Catalog, choose Add Book, pick your sell option, and then choose your book ID: get a Google book ID (GGKEY) or enter an ISBN or EAN. Save and continue.
4. Fill in the book info
On the Book info tab, add the title, genres (at least one, and Google suggests up to three), contributors and series. In Settings, choose your preview amount, copy and paste limits, and whether to apply DRM.
5. Upload your content and cover
On the Content tab, upload your EPUB or PDF and your cover. If there are problems, they show in the Issues column. Fix them and upload again.
6. Set prices and countries
On the Pricing tab, choose where to sell and your price. Prices can range from $0.05 to $200 in USD, and Google converts currencies and may adjust prices by up to 5 percent. To make a book free, set the list price to zero. A free book still needs a payment profile, and it must be previewable on Google Books.
7. Publish
On the Review tab, choose Publish. New accounts then go through the first-book review. Google says you can add more books while you wait, but they will not appear in the store until the check ends.
Pricing, royalties and payments
- Revenue share: Google’s help says partners keep 70 percent of the list price in most supported countries if they accepted the updated terms from 2019, and 52 percent otherwise or in countries that are not eligible. Some third-party guides say 52 percent for everyone. Use Google’s page and check your own account’s terms.
- Payment date: Google pays on the 15th of each month for the previous month, or on the next business day. Banks can add up to 15 business days.
- Minimums: $1 for electronic transfer and $100 for wire transfer.
- Pre-orders: Pre-order revenue is held until release. Pre-orders are not offered in India.
What happens after you publish
Google says new books go live in 12 to 24 hours and changes take about 12 hours. If your book is not approved, it appears under Needs Action with a category such as Price, Content, Settings or Content rights. Google’s content policy rules out gibberish or repetitive text, misleading metadata and copyright infringement. If you used AI to draft your book, edit it carefully, because repetitive filler can fail a content check. We could not find a Google Play Books policy page written specifically about AI content, so read the current policy before you submit.
Update or remove a book
To update, open Book Catalog, pick the book, and edit the Content or Info tab. Changes usually go live within 12 hours. To stop selling, choose Stop selling on Google Play, which keeps the book previewable on Google Books, or Deactivate this book, which can take up to 24 hours.
If you cannot sign up directly
Aggregators can help, but they do not all work the same way. PublishDrive can distribute to Google Play Books, but you still need your own Google Play publisher account and must authorize PublishDrive to act for you. Draft2Digital stopped distributing to Google Play in 2019, and PublishDrive’s 2026 comparison page says the same, so confirm before you rely on it. Our guide to self-publishing an ebook compares direct and aggregator routes for every store, and our guide to publishing on Kobo covers Kobo’s portal.
Do not break KDP Select by accident
If your ebook is in KDP Select, Amazon requires exclusivity for the 90-day term. You cannot also sell the ebook on Google Play during that time. Decide whether you want Select or wide distribution before you upload to Google.
Quick checklist
| Before you start | In Partner Center | After you publish |
|---|---|---|
| Country is supported and you are 18 or older | Payment profile, bank and tax done | Wait for the account review on a first book |
| EPUB passes a check | Add book, info, content, pricing | Fix anything under Needs Action |
| Cover from 640 to 7,200 px | Choose DRM and preview settings | Check payments on the 15th |
FAQ
Is it free to publish on Google Play Books?
Yes. Joining Partner Center and publishing are free. Google takes its share when a book sells.
Can anyone sign up for Google Play Books Partner Center?
You need to be 18 or older, in a supported seller country, and able to confirm your rights to the book. Google’s pages did not list a waitlist when we checked in October 2026, but some people report long waits for the first review.
How long does Google Play Books approval take?
Google says a new account’s review can take up to 30 business days, and approved books appear within about 12 hours. Other guides report faster results. Plan for the longer time.
Do I need an ISBN for Google Play Books?
No. Google assigns an internal GGKEY if you do not enter an ISBN.
How much do I earn on Google Play Books?
Google lists 70 percent of the list price in most supported countries for partners on the updated terms, and 52 percent otherwise. Payments go out on the 15th of each month.
Can I sell the same ebook on Amazon and Google Play?
Yes, unless it is enrolled in KDP Select, which requires exclusivity to Amazon for the 90-day term.
Can I publish a book written with AI on Google Play Books?
We found no Google policy written for AI-written ebooks. Google’s general policy rules out gibberish, repetitive text, misleading information and copyright infringement, so edit AI drafts closely and read the current policy.
Where Koobe fits
Koobe builds the file you upload. Describe your book in a sentence, edit the outline, and Koobe writes the chapters, designs four covers and exports an EPUB 3, a PDF and a cover image. Check the EPUB, then upload it to Partner Center. Your first book is free to create and preview.
Describe your book in a sentence. Koobe plans the chapters, writes them, designs the cover and exports a PDF and EPUB. Your first book is free.
“Files were ready for KDP, which is what I actually needed. First book I’ve finished.”