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 (through a distributor).

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 Technical Onboarding 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 are using a managed distribution service, please ensure that you have formally opted into the correct delivery channel with them for Perlego distribution.

📧 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 key to a smooth activation process. Please ensure all files strictly adhere to the following specifications:

Book Files (EPUB or PDF)

Requirement	Details & Guidance
File Formats	Please submit book files in either EPUB 3.0 or PDF format.
File Extension	File extensions must be correctly formatted: `.epub` or `.pdf`.
Quantity	Only one copy of each title is required. Please do not send both EPUB and PDF versions. If both are available, EPUB is the preferred format for enhanced reader accessibility.
EPUB Standard	We accept all current epub versions up to epub3 but files that include additional media (eg. Video, Audio) or interactive elements are not supported.

⚠️ Important Accessibility Note:

For optimal User Experience (UX) and compatibility, we cannot support Fixed Layout EPUBS. We require files to be Reflowable. This includes avoiding elements with ‘Absolute Positioning’, though exceptions can be reviewed for critical accessibility requirements.

Cover Files (JPEG)

Requirement	Details & Guidance
Format	Please submit front cover images in JPEG format only.
Design	Please opt for a "flat" two-dimensional design. Three-dimensional (3D-rendered) styles are not supported.
Aspect Ratio	Please maintain the industry standard 6:9 aspect ratio.
Dimensions	The cover image must have a minimum height of 800px and a maximum height of 2100px.

File Naming Convention

To link your files seamlessly with your metadata, the naming convention must be exact:

Book and Cover Files: Please use the ISBN13 as the filename for both book (.epub/.pdf) and cover (.jpg) files, without any additional characters.
- ✅ Correct Names: 9781398506671.jpg / 9781398506671.epub
- ❌ Avoid: 9781398506671_jpg.jpg / 9781398506671_epub
Metadata Files: There are no naming restrictions for metadata files, provided they are in XML or XLSX 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.

ONIX Requirement	Details
Supported Notification Types	03: Insert (New Title) 04: Update (Revised Information) 05: Delete / Withdraw from sale
File Structure	We can accept multiple titles per XML file, or individual XML files per title.
Minimum Required Fields	ISBN13 (Product Identifier Type 15) Notification Type Title Publisher Name Publication Date (YYYYMMDD format) Price (USD, GBP, and EUR supported) Main BISAC (Sub BISACs are also supported) Sales Rights Territories

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.