Google Play Books on the BookBird Author Score
Author Score · publishing platforms · #10 of 12
Best for: Authors adding Google Play to wide ebook distribution
63.8 of 100 points = 6.4 out of 10. How this score is calculated
Author jobs, from Google Play Books’s own pages
- Yes: Ebooks
- No: Paperbacks (no)
- No: Hardcovers (no)
- Yes: Free to publish
- Yes: Royalty rate stated
- Yes: Non-exclusive
- No: Distribution to other stores (no)
- No: Library distribution (no)
- No: Free ISBN (no)
Google Play Books pricing
The platform takes a share of sales. There is a free plan. The plans as Google Play Books’s own site listed them on October 7, 2026, in US dollars:
- Publishing account: Free
No cost to sell. Ebooks: 70% of list price in most supported countries for partners on the 2019 terms (52% default otherwise), paid on list price.
What Google Play Books offers
From Google Play Books’s own pages, checked on October 7, 2026:
- Sells EPUB or PDF ebooks on Google Play in supported countries
- 70% revenue share on list price after accepting the 2019 terms, with no price band
- Previews appear in Google Books search
- No ISBN needed; Google assigns an internal GGKEY id
- Audiobooks only for selected partners
- Promo codes for free or discounted copies
Runs on: web. Needs an internet connection.
Who Google Play Books suits, and what its pages do not say
Best for: Authors adding Google Play to wide ebook distribution.
Not confirmed on Google Play Books’s pages when we checked: paperbacks, hardcovers, distribution to other stores, library distribution and free ISBN. That is what the vendor states, not a test; a feature can exist without being described, and the score only credits what is.
About 1,300 people a month search Google in the US for “google play books partner center”, up 135% over the past year (Google Ads data via DataForSEO).
Google Play Books alternatives
| Software | Score | Price from | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon KDP | 9.9 | No upfront fee | Authors selling mainly on Amazon, including Kindle Unlimited readers |
| IngramSpark | 9.6 | No upfront fee | Authors wanting print books in bookstores and libraries beyond Amazon |
| Lulu | 9.2 | No upfront fee | Authors selling print books direct to readers as well as on Amazon |
| Draft2Digital | 7.9 | $12 a year | Authors going wide with ebooks who accept a small activation fee |
| Blurb | 7.8 | No upfront fee | Illustrated and photo-heavy books sold in print |
Compare: All publishing platforms · All software for authors
Google Play Books questions
How much does Google Play Books cost?
No upfront fee.
What does Google Play Books run on?
web, according to its own site.
How the score is computed: the formula, step by step. Prices and features were read from Google Play Books’s own site on October 7, 2026; nobody pays to be listed.