Do you wish to distribute e-books or audiobooks in our service? Familiarise yourself with the guidelines below.
1. Initiating a client relationship
To distribute books in our service, the publisher and Ellibs must conclude a distribution agreement. To conclude a distribution agreement, contact our sales team:myynti@ellibs.com.
2. Format of the material
Ellibs converts the provided material into a publishable format for publication.
When delivering the material, the publisher must consider the following:
2.1. Format
E-books can be delivered in the following formats:
– In the PDF format (up to version 1.6),
– In the Epub format, up to version 3.3.
Audiobooks can be delivered in the MP3 format.
2.2. Filename
The book file must be named after its electronic ISBN identifier and format (for example, 9780123456789.pdf or 9780123456789.epub). Audiobook files must also be named after the chapter, if any (for example, 9780123456789_01.mp3).
2.3. File size
The recommended maximum size of e-books is 20 MB. Any images in the e-book must be compressed to reduce its size. E-books with the size of over 250 MB will not be processed at all.
Please note: You should not use JPEG 2000 compression to compress the images in the e-book, as this prevents us from displaying the images in the service after the e-book has been compressed.
The recommended maximum size of one chapter of an audiobook is 100 MB (duration about one hour). If necessary, the audiobook file will be split into chapters, as described in section 2.2.
2.4. Resolution and data rate
A sufficient resolution for e-books is 72 dpi.
A sufficient data rate for audiobooks is 96 kbps.
2.5. Front page
The first page of the e-book file must contain the book’s cover image. It helps customers find the e-book they want when using a reader and the service.
2.6. Protection
Deliver the material to Ellibs in its original format, as an unprotected PDF or EPUB file (no password or encryption). Ellibs will add copy protection to all files before putting them up for sale.
Audiobooks are delivered either as a single file (audiobooks with a single chapter) or as a zip file named after the ISBN (audiobooks with several chapters) in the original format.
3. Cover image of the material
Deliver the appropriate file in the JPG format in accordance with the following requirements:
– resolution 72 dpi,
– 24-bit RGB format,
– filename based on the electronic ISBN identifier (for example, 9780123456789.jpg)
4. Metadata for the materials
Metadata can be delivered either as an ONIX message or by using the Excel spreadsheet editor in accordance with the content model presented in section 4.2.
4.1. Metadata with an ONIX message
Deliveries with ONIX messages are supported by ONIX versions 3.0 and 3.1. We recommend using the latest version, 3.1.
4.2. Metadata with the Excel spreadsheet editor
An Excel template is available at:
The delivery form has three tabs: one for metadata, one for e-book accessibility data, and a third tab with instructions for filling in all fields.
5. Delivering material
Deliver all materials related to your material using FTP, WeTransfer or a similar uploading service. In exceptional cases, small amounts of material can be delivered via a single email message.
5.1. Using FTP
We recommend delivery using FTP in all cases. If FTP is used for delivery, the processing of the material will be the quickest and the most secure, and it is more likely that the materials can be made available quickly. The FTP account’s credentials will be sent to the publisher after the distribution agreement has been signed.
A separate folder must be created for each delivery and named after the date (YYYY-MM-DD, for example, 2010-11-04), and all files (e-books, cover images and metadata) must be updated in this folder. If there are multiple deliveries during the same day, it is possible to use the same folder for all deliveries.
More information about FTP deliveries: Delivering content to Ellibs
5.2. Using WeTransfer
Send a download link to the material and metadata to content@ellibs.com using the WeTransfer service or a similar cloud service.
You can submit the material as an email attachment only in exceptional cases. Email may only be used for delivering small amounts of material on an irregular basis. For regular deliveries, we recommend using FTP.
6. Digital access right management
6.1. Sales to libraries
In sales to libraries, Ellibs uses the Readium LCP software to protect the materials. This ensures full borrowing management. It is impossible to copy text or print pages of LCP-protected material.
6.2. Consumer sales
Ellibs recommends watermarking as the main protection method for consumer sales. Watermarked e-books contain both visible and invisible data on the transaction. The watermark allows tracking the original transaction data if the e-book ends up on a data sharing website, for example.
Watermarked e-books can be read with any program or device that supports the book’s file type, and the e-book’s watermark will also be included in any copies made of the book. Restrictions on copying and printing are not necessary when using watermarking as a protection method.