In order for your books to be listed on our platform in a timely manner, we require publishers to comply with our book uploading requirements. This involves using an FTP server to upload book files (i.e. the book(s) themselves, their cover image(s), and a metadata document).

Using Your FTP Server

Your FTP server will be created by our IT department and its credentials will be provided once you sign a contract with us. We recommend using FileZilla to manage your FTP server. To do this, please follow the steps below:

1. In the application, go to the top toolbar menu and select File > Site Manager…
2. In the pop-up that appears, click the “New Site” button. A new site will appear under the “My Sites” folder. It will prompt you to rename the new site to a name of your choosing.
3. Under the “General” tab, fill out the following fields below:

Host: textbookhub.com

Encryption:  Require explicit FTP over TLS

Logon Type: Ask for Password

4. After filling out the above fields, click “Connect”. A new pop-up will appear asking you for a username and password. This is where you enter the FTP credentials we have provided you.

5. Once you have entered your FTP credentials, click “OK”. You should now be able to access your FTP server. Upload all your book files under the “ftpfiles” folder.

Requirements for Book Files

We only accept book files in the following format:

1. Each book must be a single PDF and named using the book’s ISBN-13 (ex. 9780544604018.pdf).
2. Cover images must be in JPG format, also named using the the book’s ISBN-13 (ex. 9780544604018.jpg).
3. Every time a set of book files are uploaded (most importantly during your first upload), they must be accompanied by a book metadata file.

Any form of upload that does not meet the above requirements will not be processed and we will notify you if there are any discrepancies.

Setting Up a Metadata File

At TextbookHub, we use ONIX (Online Information Exchange) publishing protocol to match metadata to their appropriate book file(s) and upload them simultaneously on our platform. This protocol is XML-based and used by many publishers around the world to consistently communicate product information online.

We understand that some publishers do not use ONIX files for managing book metadata, so we have created an Microsoft Excel template for these publishers to enter metadata with column headers using ONIX tags:

Download Microsoft Excel Template

At minimum, we require the following book metadata:

• Both ISBN-13 (Electronic/Digital) and ISBN-13 (Print/Physical)
• Book Title
• Author’s Full Name (Firstname Lastname)
• Language (see language codes)
• Book Description
• Publisher Name
• Publication Date (YYYYMMDD)
• Price

If you wish to or already use ONIX files for sending book metadata, please refer to the following XML template to see how your XML file should be formatted using ONIX tags:

Download XML Template

At minimum, we use the following tags in an XML-based ONIX document (required tags have *asterisks):

Message header data elements

Product record data elements

If you have any difficulty creating a book metadata file using any of the above methods, please reach out to us and we would be happy to assist you in the process.