Sending Your eBooks to Perlego

This article walks you through the essential steps for successfully uploading your ebooks and associated metadata onto the Perlego platform. Your first decision involves selecting the most suitable method for transmitting your files: Directly or Indirectly (see below, part 1). Once your channel is chosen, this guide provides detailed instructions on:

• How to prepare and send your book and cover files (EPUB/PDF and JPEG images).

• How to correctly format your metadata (the critical information about your book, such as ISBN, author, and price).

1. Choosing Your Delivery Channel

By 'Channel,' we simply refer to the secure route or method you use to send your book files and associated metadata to Perlego.

Via a Direct Channel

A Direct Channel means your organisation is responsible for sending the files to Perlego yourselves. You will connect directly to our system using a secure file transfer protocol (FTP).

Connecting to the Secure FTP Client

The FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is a secure method used at Perlego to upload and manage files on our server. While you are free to use any FTP client you prefer, we generally recommend FileZilla for its reliability.

To connect to the FTP, you will require the following credentials:

• Server (Host): s-732dea7445f94a8cb.server.transfer.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com

• Port: 22

• Username and Password: These secure details will be sent directly to you via email by our content team.

🔒 Please note: when you receive your FTP details, please save them in a secure location. You will need these credentials every time you log in

🎬 Getting Started: If you are unfamiliar with using an FTP client, we have created a short video tutorial explaining the connection process step-by-step. 

Via an Indirect Channel (Distributor)

An Indirect Channel means you are using a third-party distributor or managed service to handle the file transfer on your behalf. They act as the intermediary, sending your content to us via their established processes.

"If you use a distributor, they act as the middleman and send us your files using their own system.

Please make sure you have officially told your distributor to include your books in their delivery to Perlego. Without this 'opt-in' instruction from you, they won't know to send us your content.

📧 Support Note: If your distributor requires our FTP credentials or has any technical questions regarding the handover, please ask them to contact our team directly at publishers@perlego.com.

📋 List of Distributors we work with: Please see this page for a full list of distributors that we currently work with 

2. How to Send Book and Cover Files

Accurate file preparation is the most important step in ensuring your titles go live without delay.

The Quick Checklist: 3 Basic Requirements

Before uploading, ensure every title meets these three core standards:

1. Format: We require one file per title—either a Web-ready PDF or a Reflowable EPUB. ✅

2. Cover: We require a separate JPEG image with a 9x6 aspect ratio. ✅

3. Naming: Both files must be named only with the ISBN (e.g., 9781398506671.pdf and 9781398506671.jpg). ✅

🛠 Technical Specifications

If you are preparing your files now, please ensure they adhere to these detailed benchmarks:

Naming Examples

• ✅ Correct: 9781398506671.epub / 9781398506671.jpg

• ❌ Incorrect: 9781398506671_final.epub / 9781398506671_cover.jpg

📝 A Note on Metadata

While book and cover files have strict naming rules, there are no naming restrictions for metadata files, provided they are submitted in XML (ONIX) or XLSX (Excel) format.

3. How to Format and Submit Metadata

Metadata—the core descriptive information about your book—is crucial for making your content discoverable. You have two main submission methods:

1. ONIX Format (Preferred Method)

Our preferred metadata format is ONIX (Online Information Exchange), the industry-standard XML format. ONIX is comprehensive, using standardized tags to convey rich book information, including ISBNs, author details, pricing, publication dates, and more.

Minimum ONIX Requirements

We can support both ONIX 2.1 and 3.0. Both Shorthand Tags and Reference Tags are accepted.

2. Perlego Excel Template (Alternative Method)

If direct ONIX feed submission is not possible, we provide a structured Metadata Excel Template. This sheet simplifies the submission of essential metadata requirements into a format that our automated systems can process efficiently via the FTP.

If you are using the Excel template, please refer to our detailed guide: How to Use the Perlego Metadata Excel Template for column-by-column instructions to ensure accurate submission.