Google Play Books Review | Is Publishing on Google Play Worth It?

About this video

Dale reviews Google Play Books as a KDP alternative for ebook distribution only — no print-on-demand and no direct audiobook path. Its distinctive advantage is indexability: listing directly with Google makes books more discoverable in the world’s largest search engine, and the sample programme (starting at about 10% of the book, adjustable upward) has its text indexed by Google search. Distribution reaches, he says, 75 countries, including places Amazon has not reached. On royalties, he reports Google raised its top rate from 52% to 70% in the US, Canada and Australia, matching KDP’s sweet-spot logic — $2.99–$9.99 in the US/Canada, $3.99–$11.99 in Australia — with 52% outside the band, still better than KDP’s 35% fallback. Payouts come 60 days after month-end for amounts above $1, and promotions can be run by uploading a CSV of titles, prices and dates. His main complaint is pricing control: the terms let authors merely ‘suggest’ a list price, and Google reserves the right to discount at its discretion, beyond ordinary price-matching, which he calls reaching into the author’s pocket. Other cons: help information is hard to find despite a helpful live chat. Verdict: two thumbs up; accounts are free.

Key takeaways

• Google Play’s edge is search indexability, including the book’s sample text
• 70% royalty now matches KDP’s sweet spot in US/CA/AU; 52% outside beats KDP’s 35%
• You only ‘suggest’ a price — Google may discount at its own discretion
• Ebooks only: EPUB or PDF, no print or direct audiobook distribution
• Reach is 75 countries; payouts 60 days after month-end above $1

Episode details: published August 8, 2019 · 14:51 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Business results and any income figures mentioned are Dale L. Roberts’s own claims, shared for education — they are not typical or guaranteed.

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