Bulk Publications Import
Bulk Import Publications
In this article we will show you how to upload publications in bulk using a Google Sheet or Excel spreadsheet.
Write to us at support@publica.la so we can provide you with your own credentials.
Once you have your credentials, follow the steps detailed below:
1. Log in to the SFTP from Filezilla to upload your files.
If you've never used it, here we share a help center article where we show you where to download Filezilla, how to log in, and how to upload your files to the SFTP.
2. Once you have uploaded all files to the SFTP, you must complete the spreadsheet with the metadata.
We share a sample spreadsheet so you can download it, copy the headers of each column, and fill in the fields with your publication data.
To download the copy of the spreadsheet, go to File and click "Make a copy". This way you can edit the spreadsheet with the information you want to add.
Details of each column header.
Header | Detail |
|---|---|
ISBN: MANDATORY. | It is a unique identifier for the publication and here you must enter the ISBN which should not contain hyphens or spaces. Other registration or catalog numbers can also be used, which may contain alphanumeric characters, as well as hyphens and underscores with a maximum of 250 characters. We recommend, however, and as long as the publication has one, to always use the ISBN. The format of this column must be plain text. To do this, select the column, click Format > Number > Plain text. |
Type: MANDATORY. This field cannot be updated/modified. | Here you must enter the file type. It must be "pdf", "epub" or "audio". The format of this column must be plain text. To do this, select the column, click Format > Number > Plain text. |
Name: MANDATORY. | It is the name of the publication. It must contain a maximum of 200 characters. The format of this column must be plain text. To do this, select the column, click Format > Number > Plain text. |
Description: Optional. | It is the description of the publication. It must contain a maximum of 10000 characters. The format of this column must be plain text. To do this, select the column, click Format > Number > Plain text. |
Free: Optional. | If the publication is free it must contain 1, if it is not free you must enter 0 (zero). The format of this column must be Number. To do this, select the column, click Format > Number > Number. |
Free Until: Optional. | In case the publication is free until a certain date. The format of this column must be "year-month-day" (2019-04-28) in plain text format. To do this, select the column, click Format > Number > Plain text. |
Publication Date: Optional. | If you want, you can specify a publication date and time. It must contain the date in "year-month-day" format and if you add a time it must be in "hours-minutes-seconds" format. For example: if you only add the date 2019-09-15 and if you add date and time 2019-04-28 00:00:00. Keep in mind that if you leave the field empty, the default value will be the date and time when you upload the files. The format of this column must be "year-month-day" (2019-04-28) in plain text. To do this, select the column, click Format > Number > Plain text. |
File URL: MANDATORY. | Here you must add the PATH with the location of the publication within the SFTP. For files with PDF or Epub extension: Remember that you must use the ISBN as the file name. The file name must not contain spaces and must only be alphanumeric characters. It must go like this: "username_ftp/files/isbn_code.pdf". For example: editorialejemplo/files/234568765434.pdf () This is the username we share with you in the SFTP credentials. For files with MP3 extension (Audiobooks-Podcasts): You can add one or more track files for an audiobook. If you want to add multiple tracks, you must add the "\ | " character to separate them. To do this, you must follow this example format: -One track: username_ftp/files/isbn_code.mp3 (username / files /123abc.mp3). (A) -Multiple tracks: username_ftp/files/isbn_code1.mp3\ | username_ftp/files/isbn_code2.mp3 (username / files / 123abc-1.mp3 \ | username / files / 123abc-2.mp3). (A) The format of this column must be plain text. To do this, select the column, click Format > Number > Plain text. |
Cover File URL: Optional but Recommended. | Like the previous item, here you must enter the PATH with the location of the publication cover within a "/files" directory. This file must be JPG or PNG. You must use the ISBN as the file name. Remember that it must not have spaces and only contain alphanumeric characters. It must go like this: "username_ftp/files/isbn_code.jpg" For example: editorialejemplo/files/234568765434.jpg, (B) Cover file images must be JPG or PNG type with a minimum resolution of 256x256 pixels. The format of this column must be plain text. To do this, select the column, click Format > Number > Plain text. |
Lang: MANDATORY. This field cannot be updated/modified. | In this column you must enter the language of the publication. For Spanish content you must enter es, for English content en, for Portuguese content pt and for Italian content it. You must enter the values in lowercase. The format of this column must be plain text. To do this, select the column, click Format > Number > Plain text. |
Allow Preview: Optional. | If you want the publication to have a preview, it must contain 1, otherwise 0 (zero). Keep in mind that by default the preview percentage is 10% for all publications, meaning that a book with 100 pages will have the first 10 for preview; and a book with 150 pages will have 15 to preview. The format of this column must be Number. To do this, select the column, click Format > Number > Number. |
Require Login for Preview: Optional. | If the publication requires login when it can be previewed, it must contain 1, otherwise 0 (zero). The format of this column must be Number. To do this, select the column, click Format > Number > Number. |
Require Login to Read: Optional. | If the publication when free requires the user to log in, it must contain 1, otherwise 0 (zero). The format of this column must be Number. To do this, select the column, click Format > Number > Number. |
Private Material: Optional. | If the publication contains private material (for example: a link to a video, a code or password, or any other information you want to add to the publication.) Only users with access to the publication will be able to see it. It must contain a maximum of 10000 characters. The format of this column must be plain text. To do this, select the column, click Format > Number > Plain text. |
Prices: Optional. | It is a string with the format currency_id:amount. It accepts multiple values by separating them with the "\ | " character. - Currency_id: ARS, USD, EUR, MXN, COP, PEN or CLP. - Amount: is the price value, in decimal or integer format. If you enter a decimal, the fraction must be separated with a period, not a comma. (For example: USD 9.99) For example: If you want to set the price of a publication at 500 Argentine pesos, 300000 Chilean pesos and 9 US dollars, you must enter them as follows: ARS:500\ | CLP:300000\ | USD:9 The format of this column must be plain text. To do this, select the column, click Format > Number > Plain text. |
PPU Prices: Optional, but MANDATORY if ppu_enabled equals 1. | Sets the price for the PPU license (which usually corresponds to 10% of the book's cover price) and follows the same format as the prices field, with the difference that it only accepts prices in USD (for example: USD:0.40 to set the price at 40 US cents, for loan or rental). The format of this column must be plain text. To do this, select the column, click Format > Number > Plain text. |
Retail Enabled: MANDATORY. | You must set this field to 1 if you want to offer the publication in the marketplace under the retail license (upon signing a contract), otherwise 0 (zero). IMPORTANT: Keep in mind that if this field is 1, in the next "prices" column you must enter the price in dollars (USD), MANDATORY, and in the rest of the currencies in which you want to sell the publication. The format of this column must be Number. To do this, select the column, click Format > Number > Number. |
PPU Enabled: Optional. | This field allows your publication to be marketed as a loan or rental in Libraries, under the PPU (Pay per use) license. It must be 1 if you want to market it, otherwise 0 (zero). The format of this column must be Number. To do this, select the column, click Format > Number > Number. |
TAXONOMY COLUMNS
All taxonomy columns are optional. You can add and use standard taxonomies and/or add custom taxonomy columns.
The format of these columns must be plain text. To do this, select the columns and click Format > Number > Plain text.
Header | Detail |
|---|
Keywords: Optional. | Add keywords so your users can quickly find the publication. It accepts multiple values by separating them with the \ | character. Maximum 250 characters. |
Categories: Optional. | They will allow you to identify your publications within different groups so you can then set up filters, create shelves and allow an easier search for users. It accepts multiple values by separating them with the \ | character. Maximum 250 characters |
Collections: Optional. | They will help you to later create sales plans or shelves. It accepts multiple values by separating them with the \ | character. Maximum 250 characters |
Authors: Optional. | The name(s) of the author(s). It accepts multiple values by separating them with the \ | character. Maximum 250 characters |
Narrators: Optional. | The name(s) of the narrator(s), in case it is an audiobook. It accepts multiple values by separating them with the \ | character. Maximum 250 characters |
Publishers: Optional. | It is the name of the publisher(s). It accepts multiple values by separating them with the \ | character. Maximum 250 characters |
Countries: Optional. | Country or city. It accepts multiple values by separating them with the \ | character. Maximum 250 characters |
Editions: Optional. | It accepts multiple values by separating them with the \ | character. Maximum 250 characters |
Audience: Optional. | Accepts up to one (1) audience value for your publications. Allowed values are children, young-adults or adults. |
bisac: Optional. | It must be completed with the BISAC code and not with its description. E.g. ANT000000 if we wanted to load the genre "Antiques & Collectibles / General". It accepts multiple values by separating them with the \ | character. E.g. ANT056000 \ | ANT000000. |
taxonomy_example: Optional | The word "example" in the header must be replaced with the name of the custom taxonomy. You can have as many columns as taxonomies you have created. It accepts multiple values by separating them with the \ | character. Maximum 250 characters |
3. Once the spreadsheet is completed, you must save or download it as an .XLSX file to upload it to the platform.
4. Go to Control Panel > Settings > Imports.
5. Click New Import, choose the Import Publications option and drag or choose the file from your computer.
6. Click Create Import and the process will automatically run.
Once this process is complete, you will be able to see in that same section the status of the import, that is, whether it was successful or if any error was generated.
COMMON ERRORS
Within View report details it will indicate the row(**) in which the error is occurring.
(**) The indicated row is exactly the same as in the spreadsheet, counting the header as number 1 (one).
The different errors that usually occur are the following:
Invalid headers: this is one of the most common errors and generally stems from two causes:
- The data of some of the headers was modified by hand and does not match exactly with those we indicate in the example file and in this tutorial.
- You may have chosen an option other than Import publications, such as importing users or some other from the list.
Date with wrong format: This can occur due to some change in the data format type and in this case you must follow the one indicated in the previous points. Dates should not be written: using slashes as separators (2020/01/20) or writing them without using the corresponding order (01/20/2020) or abbreviating the year in two numbers (01-20-20). The accepted format is year, month, day (yyyy-mm-dd).
Too many characters: Not respecting the maximum number of characters in the fields as indicated in each case can generate an error in the import.
File not found: This can be generated because you forgot to upload a publication or cover to the SFTP and the system cannot find it, or because it is misspelled. Check if you left extra spaces, if the file extension is correct and if the ISBN matches the one uploaded to the SFTP.
Validation.issue_prices: This error can be generated because the prices are not separated with the accepted format "ARS:500|USD:9.99". Keep in mind that there should be no space, the separator is the special character --> |
Recommendation for files in EPUB format:
To avoid decoding errors of files in the reader, it is recommended that fonts not be encrypted.
We leave you here a complete tutorial video.
We hope this tutorial has been easy for you. If you have questions, write to us at support@publica.la.
Updated on: 17/04/2026
Thank you!