How to Submit Content

Content has two primary categories at Barnes & Noble.com: bibliographic data (title, author, etc.) and merchandising data (description, cover image, etc.). Once you have become a Vendor of Record  with our warehouse, you can send us both types of data.

After you have become a Vendor of Record, the next step for listing a book with Barnes & Noble stores and Barnes & Noble.com is to send in bibliographic data. Bibliographic data should be sent at least 180 days prior to publication, or as soon as possible. If data changes before publication, please send updates and they will be applied. 

While bibliographic data will ensure the book's listing on Barnes & Noble.com, the more merchandising data provided by the publisher -- cover image, promotional copy, etc. -- the more likely it is that the book will sell.

Procedures on data formatting and transmission are outlined below. Please note that this data must be provided by the publisher. Authors wishing to add data to Barnes & Noble are encouraged to contact their publisher to begin this process. Self-published authors, however, are advised to contact us with updates. All data is subject to verification. 

Sending Your Information 

There are three ways to provide us with information about your book. 

Email
If you are a publisher or distributor who offers 25 or fewer titles via Barnes & Noble.com, this is the preferred means for adding content. Please send your content via email to  Titles@bn.com . 

File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
If you are a publisher or distributor who offers 25 or more titles via Barnes & Noble.com, this is the preferred means for adding content. 

FTP content must be properly formatted according to the protocols described below in Preparing Text. If you wish to submit data via FTP, please email SFTP_Request@bn.com. Due to the volume of requests, it may take several days for an account to be processed. Please note that due to the heavy volume of material we deal with, we cannot retrieve data from your web site. 


Preparing Cover Images 
Please follow all directions carefully. No matter how you transmit your cover images -- by email, CD, or FTP -- they will need to be properly formatted.

We accept the following file formats: TIFF or JPEG. Use highest jpeg quality setting. We will not accept PDF files or MS Word documents.

The longest side of the digital image must be between 1,400-2,000 pixels, with the shorter side proportional.

Scanner resolution must be between 100-150 dpi.

Do not send extremely high resolution scans.

The image must be a flat cover scan cropped tight to the sides of the product. (Do not send one image containing both the front and back of the product, or an image with drop shadows; three dimensional photos will only be accepted in certain cases, such as multivolume sets.)

Non-book product images may be three dimensional photos with a white background. For more information about non-book images, contact Raymond Liao at  ImagesInquiry@bn.com .

Separate image files MUST be provided for every ISBN. If the same cover is being used for a paperback/hardcover combo, you will need to duplicate the image and name it accordingly.

Each image file should contain only one product or ISBN. Do not submit group shots of products. Do not submit multiple products in one file.

Do not submit placeholder images.

The image must be in RGB (do not send images in CMYK).

ISBN-13 and ISBN-10 are both acceptable. Use no hyphens in ISBNs. (For ISBN-10, use a capital letter if it contains an "X.")

The bit depth should be set no lower than 8 bits.

We accept scans of back and interiors. To differentiate back scans, "_back" should be added to the ISBN (e.g., 9781234568901_back.jpg). Naming for interior shots is 9781234568901_int01.jpg, 9781234568901_int02.jpg, etc.

For interior shots, please submit no more than seven images.

We can not process files that are improperly named.

Any images sent by email should be sent as separate attachments named by ISBN. Do not place images in the body of the email.

Please send PC or Mac files to: ImagesInquiry@bn.com .

Publishers without electronic capability may send us books so we can scan the covers. This process takes more time, but if you prefer this method, please mail the books to:

Barnes and Noble | NOOK
Images Inquiry - Sample Book Program
33 East 17th St. 6 Fl.
New York, NY 10003



Images for Gifts and Specialty Products
These guidelines cover product photographs of gifts, toys, games, electronics, home and garden products, etc.

Product scans of books, music, and video are not covered by these guidelines.

Image Types
1. Primary Image: This is the product shot our customers will see first. For our primary product page image, we prefer a simple product photograph on a white background, portrait format, with no people or props. 

2. Secondary Images: For secondary images we will accept: a) lifestyle shots, i.e. people using the product, the product in a setting, product details and composite shots; b) photographs of assembled product or set; c) graphics, descriptive diagrams and cutaway/exploded view if they will help sell the product; d) front and back box scans or box shots, if applicable.

Each image file name MUST be named with a B&N.com Specialty Product EAN or ISBN-13. For multiple images per EAN, number images in this manner: 781234567890_1.jpg, 9781234567890_2.jpg

Preferred image formats are Tiff and JPEG (High Quality)

Our preferred minimum size is 750 pixels on the longest side of the digital image.

We prefer high quality images. Do not send web-ready images.

Submit image files by FTP or CD. Your Barnes & Noble buyer will work with you to determine the preferred method of submission.

Questions can be directed to your Barnes & Noble buyer or Raymond Liao at  ImagesInquiry@bn.com

Download this PDF for complete Gift and Specialty Image Specifications: 

Any changes in price, status, discount type, or bibliographic data must be sent to Barnes & Noble as soon as they become available.

Any merchandising data, as well as cover images, should be sent to Barnes & Noble as soon as they are available.

• ONIX/XML
• EDI - BASIC X12-832
• Access
• Excel
• Fixed ASCII Text
• Delimited ASCII Text (pipe-delimited preferred)

Please note that PDF is not an acceptable file format for data transfer. 

ONIX
Barnes & Noble.com will accept files formatted in any version of ONIX (On-Line Information Exchange) through ONIX International Release 2.0. For more information on our company's ONIX policies, . 


Making Changes via Email
If you detect an error in a title listing, please send an email to corrections@bn.com . Be sure to include the ISBN of the book. We receive a lot of copy that does not reference a specific ISBN, and this copy cannot be processed. 

To add text content or a cover image to the site, please email the information to:  titles@bn.com . 


Troubleshooting 

For FTP questions and problems with content submission:  Rachel Rushefsky  ( rrushefsky@bn.com )

For content concerns:  Geraldine Zephirin  ( gzephirin@bn.com )

For information on starting a distribution relationship with Barnes & Noble.com:

To change bibliographic data:  corrections@bn.com .

To add content via email:  titles@bn.com .

To have a book manually scanned into our system: ImagesInquiry@book.com.