SADM Bookstore
Instructor dashboard

Teaching Center

The SADM Book Standard

One simple standard for every author, so every book in the store looks professional and readers know what to expect. If you have never published before, start at step 1 and go in order.

From idea to published in 7 steps

  1. 1

    Create a draft

    Choose the format (PDF or EPUB), give your book a working title and pick up to 3 genres. Nothing is public yet.

  2. 2

    Fill in the details

    Title, subtitle, description and keywords. The guide below shows you how to write each one.

  3. 3

    Add your cover

    Upload your own flat cover, or make one in the SADM cover designer in about two minutes.

  4. 4

    Upload your files

    The full book, and a free sample so readers can try before they buy.

  5. 5

    Set your price

    Choose a price in TZS, or make it free.

  6. 6

    Send for review

    Our team checks your book against this standard. If something needs fixing you get a note saying exactly what, then you fix it and send it again.

  7. 7

    Go live

    Your book appears in the store and on your author shop.

Title and subtitle

The title says what the book is. The subtitle says who it is for or what they will get.

Why: Readers decide in seconds. A clear title is found in search and chosen over a clever one nobody understands.

How to do it

  1. Write the title in the language your readers use. A Kiswahili book gets a Kiswahili title.
  2. Keep it short. Under about 6 words is easiest to read on a small card.
  3. Add a subtitle if the title alone does not explain the book, for example "Kanuni 99 za Fiqhi" with "Mwongozo kwa wanafunzi wa mwanzo".
  4. Use normal capital letters. Write names and Kiswahili words with their correct spelling.

Do

  • Same title on the cover and in the form
  • Specific promise in the subtitle
  • Correct spelling and accents

Do not

  • ALL CAPITALS or lots of !!!
  • Prices, discounts or "best seller" in the title
  • Another author's name or a famous title you do not own

Description

At least 50 words that tell a reader what is inside, who it is for and what they will gain.

Why: The description is your sales page. It is also what search reads to match your book to a reader.

How to do it

  1. Open with one sentence that names the reader and the problem or story.
  2. Say what the book covers in 3 to 5 simple points.
  3. Say who it is for, and who it is not for.
  4. Close with who you are in one sentence, if it helps readers trust you.
  5. Read it aloud. If you stumble, shorten the sentence.

Do

  • Short paragraphs
  • Plain words
  • Honest claims you can keep

Do not

  • Copying text from another book or website
  • Promises like "guaranteed rich in 7 days"
  • Contact numbers or links to sell outside the store

Cover

A flat 2:3 portrait front cover, 800×1200px, JPG, PNG or WebP, under 5 MB.

Why: Every cover is shown in the same 2:3 frame on cards, the book page, the library and the cart. A cover with the right shape always looks sharp and never gets cut off.

How to do it

  1. Make a canvas of 800×1200px (at least 600×900px). The shape must be 2:3 portrait, give or take 3%.
  2. Put the title large and clear. Test it by shrinking the cover to the size of your thumbnail. Can you still read the title?
  3. Keep all text at least 72px away from every edge. Cards can round or crop the corners.
  4. Use one or two colours with strong contrast between text and background. Light text on dark, or dark text on light.
  5. Export as a flat image. Upload it in the Cover tab. If it is rejected, the message tells you the exact size to fix.
  6. No designer or design tool? Press "Make a cover for me" in the Cover tab. It builds a cover in the SADM house style and you can add your own artwork.

Do

  • Only the front cover, flat
  • Large readable title, author name smaller
  • Artwork you drew, photographed or have the right to use
  • Same title and author name as your book details

Do not

  • 3D book mockups, tilted books, shadows or backgrounds around the book
  • Spine, back cover, barcode or borders drawn on the image
  • Wide or square images squeezed into portrait
  • Blurry or stretched pictures, watermarks, or other people's logos
  • Prices, "free", ratings or "best seller" stickers

Book file

A clean PDF or EPUB, up to 150 MB, that matches the format you chose.

Why: Readers pay for a book that opens cleanly on a phone. A messy file means refunds and bad reviews.

How to do it

  1. Finish and proofread the whole book first. Ask one other person to read it.
  2. Start with a title page that matches your cover, then a contents page, then chapter one.
  3. Use one readable font at 11 to 12pt for body text, and the same style for every chapter heading.
  4. Check images: sharp, not pixelated, and not wider than the page.
  5. Export to PDF (or EPUB). Open the exported file on your phone and scroll through every page before you upload.
  6. Upload it in the Files tab. The file is stored privately and only unlocked for readers who bought it.

Do

  • Page numbers
  • A contents page that matches your chapter list
  • Embedded fonts so Kiswahili and Arabic text show correctly

Do not

  • Blank pages or pages cut off at the edge
  • Photos of printed pages as the whole book
  • Passwords, watermarks from other sites, or copied content

Free sample

A few pages readers can open before buying, up to 25 MB, in the same format as the book.

Why: A good sample is the best salesperson you have. Readers who enjoy the first pages are far more likely to buy.

How to do it

  1. Choose your best opening: the first chapter, or the first 10 to 20 pages.
  2. End the sample at a natural stopping point, not in the middle of a sentence.
  3. Export it as its own file and upload it in the Files tab.

Do

  • Include the title page and contents
  • Pick the most useful or exciting pages

Do not

  • Uploading the whole book as the sample

Contents, genres and keywords

Up to 80 contents entries, up to 3 genres and up to 7 keywords.

Why: This is how readers find you. Honest genres put your book on the right shelf.

How to do it

  1. List the chapter titles in the same order as the book.
  2. Pick the genres that truly describe the book. A book can sit in more than one shelf, for example an Islamic book written in Kiswahili.
  3. Add keywords readers would type: topic words, not your own name or the word "book".

Do

  • Genres that match the content
  • Keywords in the language your readers search in

Do not

  • Adding a popular genre only to get seen
  • Repeating the same keyword in different forms

Price

Set a price in TZS that fits the length and value of the book, or set it free.

Why: Readers compare prices on the shelf. A fair price you can explain sells better than a price that is too low or too high.

How to do it

  1. Look at 3 similar books in the store and note their length and price.
  2. Choose a price close to books of the same size and quality.
  3. Free books are good for a first title or to introduce yourself. Say so in the description.

Do

  • One clear price
  • Review your price after the first month

Do not

  • Changing the price every day
  • Asking readers to pay outside the store

Audiobooks

An audiobook is its own product with its own page and price: one MP3 or M4A file per chapter, up to 200 MB each, and a square 1400×1400px cover.

Why: Many readers prefer to listen, on the bus or while they work. Clear, even sound is what makes them finish the book and recommend it.

How to do it

  1. Go to Studio, then Audiobooks, then New audiobook. Give it a working title, choose the language and up to 3 genres.
  2. Record in a quiet room. No echo, no fan or traffic noise, no clipping. A phone in a wardrobe full of clothes is a good start.
  3. Keep the volume the same in every chapter. Aim for around -18 LUFS, and never louder than -3 dB peak.
  4. The site measures every chapter automatically while it uploads, on your own device, and tells you what to improve. Aim for an average volume of -21 to -15 LUFS, peaks under -3 dB, little background noise between words, and chapters close in volume (within 6 dB). These are goals: a note under a chapter is advice, not a block, and our team listens to every audiobook before it goes live. Only a silent file, a clipped (distorted) recording or a very quiet one (below -30 LUFS) must be fixed before you can send it for review.
  5. Leave about half a second of silence at the start and end of each chapter. Say the chapter title at the start, and in chapter one say the book title, author and narrator.
  6. Export one file per chapter as MP3 (128 kbps or higher, 44.1 kHz) or M4A. Mono is fine for a single voice. Name the files 01, 02, 03… so they upload in order.
  7. Make a square cover (1:1), at least 1000×1000px (1400×1400px is ideal), flat artwork only. Upload it in the Cover section, or build one with the SADM cover designer.
  8. Press Add chapters and choose all your files at once. Use the arrows to reorder and Listen to check each one.
  9. Choose ONE chapter as the free preview, ideally the first or your best. It is the only chapter anyone can play without buying.
  10. Write a description of at least 50 words, add the narrator's name and set the price in TZS. Then press Send for review.
  11. We also listen to every audiobook before it goes live, because software cannot judge a clear voice or the right language. If something needs fixing, you get a note saying exactly what.

Do

  • Narrate in the language of the text
  • Credit the narrator
  • Read the book as written
  • Listen to every chapter yourself before you upload

Do not

  • Text-to-speech voices passed off as a human narrator without saying so
  • Background music over the voice
  • Chapters with very different volumes
  • Uploading audio you do not have the right to publish

Check before you send for review

  • My title and subtitle are clear and spelled correctly.
  • My description has at least 50 words and says who the book is for.
  • My cover is flat, 2:3 portrait, and I can read the title when it is small.
  • My book file opens cleanly on a phone and I have checked every page.
  • I uploaded a free sample that ends at a natural point.
  • My genres and keywords are honest.
  • I own, or have permission to use, everything in the book and on the cover.
  • My price is set.
Go to my author dashboard

You will be asked to sign in if you are not already.