Google Play Books vs. BooksOasis: Android's Bookstore or a Store That Pays in Full?

Google Play Books is the default bookstore on many Android phones and tablets, which makes it an important store in countries where Android dominates. BooksOasis is a bookstore for independent authors that runs in any browser. Google pays a revenue split on each sale, while BooksOasis charges a flat yearly plan and pays the whole price of every ebook, with paperbacks and hardcovers on the same listing.

This guide compares how each pays, who can sign up, how far each reaches, what readers experience, and how the two fit into a wide plan. Google's terms are checked at the Google Play Books Partner Center help pages.

Both need a clean EPUB. LiberScript exports standard EPUB files that read well in Google Play Books and in Oasis Reader, and print-ready PDFs for BooksOasis print editions.

At a glance: Google Play Books vs. BooksOasis

How Google Play Books pays

Google says partners who accepted its 2019 terms receive a 70% revenue split on ebook sales in most supported countries, over 60 in all, including the US, UK, Canada, Australia and most of Europe. Sales in Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam keep your existing split, and partners who haven't accepted the updated terms receive 52%.

Two points stand out. Google pays the split on the list price, and there's no price band to stay inside for the 70% split where it applies, so a $0.99 ebook and a $14.99 ebook can both earn 70% in eligible countries.

Who can sell on Google Play

To sell directly through the Partner Center, you need to be in a country supported for seller sign-ups; Google's help center suggests checking back later if yours isn't supported. Authors in other countries can still reach Google Play readers through an aggregator that distributes there. BooksOasis is open to authors anywhere, with payouts by bank transfer or PayPal.

How BooksOasis pays

BooksOasis charges a flat yearly plan to list your books and takes no percentage of your price. Every ebook sale pays you 100% of the price. Print editions pay the price minus the printing cost and a handling fee of 30% of that printing cost, and the reader pays shipping at checkout.

Per-sale figures in a 70% country, before VAT and currency conversion. BooksOasis has a yearly plan fee.

Reach and discovery

Google Play Books comes with many Android devices, and Android is the most common phone platform in many countries. If your readers are in markets where Android dominates, Google Play can matter more than its share of indie sales elsewhere suggests. Books in the Partner Center can also be previewed through Google Books, giving readers searching a topic a chance to sample your book.

BooksOasis is a store devoted to independent authors, where readers browse genre shelves, series pages, new releases, a Coming Soon shelf and books on sale. Because Oasis Reader runs in any browser, BooksOasis also reaches Android readers, as well as readers on iPhones, Windows laptops and Chromebooks. It won't match Google's built-in reach, but it adds a store where each ebook sale pays in full.

Reading experience

Google Play Books offers an app on Android and iOS and a web reader, with syncing through the reader's Google account. Oasis Reader runs in the browser and installs like an app; it opens books offline once they're on the device, syncs the reader's place, highlights and notes across devices, and offers light, sepia, dark and automatic themes, text size (including pinch to resize), and page-flip or continuous-scroll reading.

Print

Google Play Books sells ebooks (and audiobooks), not print. BooksOasis sells paperbacks and hardcovers on the same listing as the ebook, printed on demand in five common trim sizes (5 x 8, 5.5 x 8.5, 6 x 9, 7 x 10 and 8.5 x 11 inches), with paperbacks from 32 to 800 pages and hardcovers from 24 to 800.

Pricing and promotions

With no price band and payment on list price, Google Play gives you freedom to price for your readers, including low series-starter prices that still earn 70% in eligible countries. BooksOasis pays in full at any price, so a $0.99 starter pays $0.99. On BooksOasis you can also set a promotional price with start and end dates; readers see the regular price crossed out and the book can appear in On Sale banners.

Keep one list price for each ebook across both stores, and remember that prices in many countries include VAT, which comes off before any split is worked out.

Setting up on each

On Google Play Books, you create a Partner Center account in a supported country, accept the current terms so you're on the 70% split where eligible, complete tax and payment details, and upload your EPUB and cover with a description, categories and prices by country.

On BooksOasis, you choose a plan, create a listing with a description, three to five genres and at least three search keywords, and add editions: an EPUB for the ebook, and an interior PDF and full-wrap cover for each print edition. The dashboard quotes the printing cost and minimum price, shows the exact cover size and spine width with a downloadable template, and runs a print-readiness check before review.

Keeping both in step

Use the same title, subtitle, cover, description and series details in both stores, from a master document for each book. When you revise anything, update both the same day. Keep a simple record of where each edition is listed and at what price. It takes minutes and prevents the confusion of two different versions of the same book.

Series in both stores

Link each book to its series on Google Play and put a link to the next book in the back matter. On BooksOasis, a series page lists every book in reading order; readers can hide books they already own and buy several ebooks in one checkout, with unreleased books included as pre-orders. A low entry price on book one suits both stores.

A note on audiobooks

Google Play also sells audiobooks, so authors with audio editions can list them there alongside the ebook. BooksOasis sells ebooks and print editions, not audiobooks, so audio stays with Google Play and other audio retailers in your plan. If you produce an audiobook later, mention it in your BooksOasis description so readers know it exists.

Direct or through an aggregator

If you can sign up and Google Play matters to your readers, going direct keeps the full split. If you can't sign up from your country, or Google is a small share of your sales, an aggregator can deliver your book there for a share of each sale. BooksOasis isn't reached through aggregators; you list there directly.

Payments and reporting

Google Play Books asks for tax and payment information in the Partner Center before it pays you, and payment methods, schedules and minimums depend on your country; check the payment settings in your own account. BooksOasis records every ebook and print sale in an earnings ledger you can see at any time and pays by bank transfer or PayPal. Domestic US bank transfers typically carry no fee, and international bank payouts go by wire once your balance passes a minimum, so the wire's fixed fee doesn't eat a small payment.

Whichever stores you use, keep one spreadsheet with each store's monthly earnings. Over a few months it shows you which store earns most for each book, and where your promotional effort is best spent.

Prices in local currencies

Google Play lets you set prices by country, which is useful if your readers are spread across markets with very different price expectations. A price that feels normal in the US may feel high elsewhere, and prices in many countries include VAT. Round to prices readers recognise in each currency rather than using a straight conversion. BooksOasis shows prices in US dollars, and readers anywhere can buy; the total appears at checkout before they pay.

A launch checklist for both stores

1. Format the book in LiberScript and export an EPUB and a print PDF.
2. Write one master description, choose categories and keywords, and settle the list price.
3. Set up the Google Play listing, with a release date if you want pre-orders.
4. Set up the BooksOasis listing with ebook, paperback and hardcover editions, and the same release date.
5. Check both listings on a phone: cover, description, price and series details.
6. Announce both links to your newsletter, with BooksOasis for print and for readers who want to give you the full price.
7. After launch, record sales from both stores monthly and adjust where you send readers.

Two authors, two approaches

A thriller author with many readers in Android-heavy markets goes direct to Google Play, prices freely without worrying about bands, and lists the same books on BooksOasis with paperbacks for print readers.

An author in a country not yet supported for Google Play seller sign-ups reaches Google Play through an aggregator, and lists every book directly on BooksOasis, where payouts go to their bank or PayPal and every ebook sale pays in full.

When Google Play Books fits better

• Your readers are mostly on Android devices.
• You can sign up from a supported country.
• You want Google Books previews to help readers discover your book through search.
• You want to set prices country by country for readers in many markets.
• You don't want any upfront cost, and you sell audiobooks too.

When BooksOasis fits better

• You want 100% of every ebook sale.
• You want print editions on the same listing.
• You can't sign up with Google Play from your country.
• Your readers use a mix of devices and want one app that works in any browser.
• You want series pages, pre-orders and dated promotions in a store for independent authors.

Frequently asked questions

What does Google Play Books pay? 70% on list price in most supported countries for partners on the 2019 terms; 52% otherwise.

Can anyone sell on Google Play Books? Sellers need to be in a country supported for seller sign-ups.

What does BooksOasis cost? $29.99 a year for up to 10 books, $179 for 100 and $599 for 500. Every ebook sale pays 100% of the price.

Can Android readers use BooksOasis? Yes. Oasis Reader runs in any modern browser, including on Android, with nothing to install.

Can I sell on both? Yes. Neither requires exclusivity, so the same ebook can be on Google Play Books and BooksOasis at the same time, at the same price.

Will a LiberScript EPUB work on both? Yes. LiberScript exports standard EPUBs accepted by Google Play Books and BooksOasis, and print-ready PDFs for the paperback and hardcover editions you sell on BooksOasis.

More reading: Google Play Books Partner Center alternatives on the BooksOasis publisher site, and our Apple Books vs. BooksOasis comparison.

The bottom line

Google Play Books puts your ebook in the default bookstore on many Android devices, paying 70% on list price in most supported countries with no price bands. BooksOasis pays the whole ebook price, sells print beside it and is open to authors anywhere, for one flat plan. Use Google Play for its built-in reach, BooksOasis for the sales you steer yourself, and LiberScript for one file that works in both.