there is a story behind every book

ORCA by Jellybooks

online review copy service (for publishers)


ORCA is an affordable, multi-format, and easy-to-use online platform for distributing review copies, digital proofs, galleys and advance reading copies to readers, reviewers, influencers and book sellers.

ORCA is an environmentally friendly and flexible digital solution solving the challenge of distributing review copies for upcoming releases.

Review copies are accessible in streaming format via the Jellybooks Cloud Reader, a secure and intuitive browser-based ebook reader with no file download or app installation required, offering convenient access across a broad range of devices.

With no limit on usage in each 90-day period, it’s possible to reach out to more influencers than ever before and personalise each invite email.

The service is easy to use, secure and a proven money saver for publishers.

Free use until 31 March 2021 courtesy of Arts Council England.

Top Ten Benefits and Features of the ORCA online review copy access service

  1. Affordable and Multi-format
    With prices starting from as low as twenty pounds per title, publishers can afford to use this service across their entire front list of narrative books, illustrated books and audio books.
  2. Easy-to use and accessible
    The service is easy-to-use with one-click-and-read access for reviewers, bloggers, influencers, bookshops and the book trade. Review copies, proofs and galleys are accessible with a single click via the Jellybooks Cloud Reader and can be read on any browser-enabled device, be it smartphone, tablet, laptop, or PC.
  3. Secure
    Jellybooks ensures secure distribution with no possibility of files being downloaded or printed. Access for readers expires automatically after 90 days, eliminating the risk of physical review copies being sold online as well as on second-hand book sites and cutting into future sales.
  4. Cost Savings
    Major savings can be achieved in postage and printing costs when using the ORCA service compared to distributing physical copies of proofs to reviewers.
  5. Ideal for Remote Working
    The ORCA service is ideal for publicity, marketing, sales and editorial teams working remotely. No risk of ever running out of review copies again!
  6. Time Saver
    Have Jellybooks nudge those laggards who haven’t started or finished their review copy or online proof yet!
  7. Audience Insights
    Develop detailed audience insights as to whether your review copies and proofs are actually opened, read, finished and reviewed by recipients.
  8. Early Campaign Planning
    Great for securing advance quotes, reader blurbs, peer recommendations and more.
  9. Sustainable and Environmentally friendly
    Be friendlier to the environment by reducing physical printing and distribution and avoiding unnecessary waste using ORCA.
  10. Intuitive Reading Experience for End Users
    All the accessibility and user benefits of ePUB including variable fonts, night/day mode, bookmarking, highlighting and more.

Features and Benefits of the ORCA Service

Reader Features and Benefits

  • One click access for readers.
  • Superior user experience compared to PDF-based galleys.
  • Instant and personal access, similar to playing a YouTube video where play starts instantly with no files to download, no app to install, and no registration required.
  • All the accessibility and user benefits of ePUB including variable fonts and night/day mode, bookmarking, highlighting and more.
  • Browser-based reading system leveraging the Jellybooks Cloud Reader.
  • Accessible on any browser-enabled devices including smartphones, tablets, PCs, lap-tops, Internet kiosks, smartwatches and more.
  • Supports narrative books (re-flowable ePUB), illustrated books (fixed layout ePUB) and audiobooks (MP3).
  • Use the Jellybooks sister service – Jellybooks DISCOVERY to improve reader satisfac-tion by providing super-sized (XL) samples, excerpts and snippets in lieu of review copies, where a user or requester does not qualify for a review copy.

Marketing Benefits to Publishers

  • Reviews are critical to sales; Books with more reviews sell better.
  • Enjoy the benefits of digital review copy distribution for all your titles and integrate into your existing print and digital review copy distribution systems. Especially use-ful when other routes might not be cost effective or affordable.
  • Widen the reach of your existing proof mailings and create bespoke distributions by leveraging contacts right across the business.
  • Provide instant access review copies to booksellers, media and other contacts across international markets, including the major English language markets such as the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, India and South Africa.
  • The ORCA service is also a great service for collecting quotes, blurbs and recom-mendations.
  • Avoid advance reading and review copies (in print) showing up on second-hand book sites and claiming the Amazon buy box.

Workflow Features and Benefits for Publishers

  • Cloud-based access to the platform for publishing team members working remotely.
  • Low cost makes it affordable to distribute digital review copies for any front-list title.
  • Integrated data capture and analytics system supports an automated and personal-ised system of nudging reader to read and review the proofs and galleys.
  • Fully automated nudge system for reminding users to start, read, finish and review copies they have received.
  • Reader access is terminated automatically after 90 days.
  • A more environmentally sustainable way of working.
  • Send XL samples to users using the sister service – Jellybooks DISCOVERY – instead of denying a review copy in cases where requesters do not qualify for review copies.

Cost Benefits for Publishers

  • Reduce the postage and printing cost of creating and distributing physical review copies.
  • Save staff time spent hunting for review copies and posting them.
  • Lower costs when compared to other digital review copy services, especially if your main focus is on reaching out to contacts you already know.

Environmental Benefits for Publishers

  • Eliminate the waste of printing and shipping unrequested review copies to book sellers by introducing a request-only system with immediate approval and access.
  • Reduce the waste of printing and distributing physical review copies by sending physical copies only when absolutely necessary.

Audience Insight Benefits for Publishers

  • Track which books are opened, read, finished and reviewed.
  • Collect insights into how recipients rate content, cover and description.

ORCA User Guide and Technical Specifications

Setting-up an Account

To use the service, Jellybooks will create a publisher VIP account for publishers who sign-up for the service and send the publisher a VIP invite. By accepting this VIP invite, you accept the terms and conditions of Jellybooks and gain access to the “Candy” section of the Jellybooks site through the © icon in the navigation menu.

You can submit assets via the Candy section, as well as access links, approve requests and view data and analytics.

Supported Formats

The ORCA service supports narrative books, illustrated books and audiobooks.

Narrative books can be uploaded as ePUB 3 files. PDF files cannot be accepted.

If you only have ePUB2 you can use our free and automated service to convert ePUB 2 files to ePUB 3. Just click on the applicable option on the upload page.

Note: Jellybooks also has a bespoke service for converting Word to ePUB 3. Please enquire for more details, if you require this service.

Illustrated books should be uploaded in ePUB 3 fixed layout (FXL) format. PDF files cannot be accepted.

Audiobooks should be submitted as MP3 files with each chapter a separate file.

Note: Where not already converted to the lightweight packaging format (LPF), please use our Jellybooks LPF tool to package your audiobook.

Graphic novels are not yet supported, but we are considering adding support for graphic novels in the DiViNa format. Please contact us, if interested.

Meta Data

In addition to the eBook file, we require a high-resolution version of the book cover, details of the title, author and imprint, Thema codes (book genre), as well as the ISBN and publication date, plus any territorial restrictions if applicable.

Availability

You can set a range during which the review copies will be accessible to new users (“distribution period”). The maximum period is 90 days. Longer periods are possible but will use up additional credits. Read access is granted to readers (“user access”) for a period of ninety (90) days from the day they register to access a review copy.

Example: You set the access period from 1 March to 29 May. A reader registering on 5 March will be able to access their book until 3 June. A reader registering on the last day (29 May) will be able to access their registered copy until 27 August. However, new users are not able to register after 29 May.

You can always choose to set a shorter access period than 90 days for registration, but you will not receive a credit or refund on your allowance for doing so.

Review copies are automatically archived after 90 days unless renewed.

Reader Registration

Readers and reviewers wishing to read a review copy need to be registered with Jellybooks. Registration is free and requires first name, last name and email address only. Registration and log-in is supported as part of the standard access flow already.

Data Collection and Reader Analytics

We collect detailed reading data on how readers progress. Unlike other services we advise readers of this practice and provide them with a dedicated page (“My Data”) for seeing their own reading data.

We use this reading data to nudge recipients who have not started reading to do so. We also nudge them if they have not finished the book or there has been no reading activity for 14 days without finishing the book (“stuck”).

We provide publishers with aggregate statistics how many recipients have opened and finished their book. Jellybooks also provides a chapter-by-chapter breakdown of how far readers have progressed (the “completion chart”).

In-Book Surveys

We also add an in-book survey to all review copies asking readers how they liked the book, if they would recommend it, if the cover matched the content and where they posted a review. The results of these surveys are also displayed in Candy.

Accessibility Support

The Jellybooks Cloud Reader was built with accessibility in mind and we continuously improve and enhance the reading experience for all readers, including dyslexic readers, those with motor impairment, atypical colour perception (“colour blind”), reduced eyesight (older readers), or even fully blind. We aim to ensure that no reader or reviewer is left out and adhere wherever possible to WCAG/WAI-ARIA guidance. For more details see our pages on the Jellybooks Cloud Reader.

Note that from June 2025 digital services and products in the EU need to be fully accessible and comply with relevant EU directive. Other countries have different timelines with regards to the implementation of the Marrakesh Treaty.

ORCA Service Pricing

This service is free (up to a maximum of twenty titles in any format) until 31 March 2021, courtesy of a grant by Arts Council England.

Prices from 1 April 2021 onwards

Special starter plan (duration of one year, no automatic renewal):

Starter plan (for narrative books, illustrated books and audiobooks)

£490 for up to 10 titles per annum (£49/title excl VAT)
Special introductory price of £440 available to IPG members (£50 discount)

Standard and professional plans (duration of one quarter, automatic quarterly renewal):

Standard plan (narrative books only)

£290 for up to 10 titles per quarter (£29.00/title excl VAT)
£490 for up to 20 titles per quarter (£24.50/title excl VAT)
£990 for up to 50 titles per quarter (£19.80/title excl VAT)

Professional plan (for narrative books, illustrated books and audiobooks)

£400 for up to 10 titles per quarter (£40/title excl VAT)
£600 for up to 20 titles per quarter (£35/title excl VAT)
£1,200 for up to 50 titles per quarter (£24/title excl VAT)

Allowances need to be taken up in each quarter and do not roll over from one period to the next.

IPG members will receive an additional 2 titles per quarter with any quarterly plan.

The distribution period for each title is 90 days. Longer distribution periods (180, 270 or 360 days) require the use of additional allowances in the same or subsequent periods. Titles are archived once the distribution period ends.

User access is always limited to 90 days from day of first access.

White-label and publisher-domain options are available under special enterprise plans.

All prices are exclusive of UK VAT (Jellybooks VAT registration number is GB-128-7769-67).

FAQ – Frequently asked questions about the ORCA service

How do allowances work?

An allowance of ten titles per quarter means that you can add ten new titles every quarter or renew ten existing title on the platform or any combination of adding new and renewing existing titles up to a maximum of ten titles per quarter. This means that you can have anywhere between zero and twenty titles live and accessible on the platform depending on the timing and pattern of how you upload and renew titles. Titles are archived automatically after ninety days unless renewed. However, they can be activated at any time unless you have already used up your allowance for the quarter, in which case you have to wait until the next quarter or upgrade your plan.

Separate time frames and limits apply for annual plans.

Other title limits apply for lower or higher allowances than ten titles per quarter.

How do territorial restrictions work?

Territorial restrictions are based on the IP address of the user’s device. Users reading outside the designated territory see their access blocked.

free sign-up

Free use until 31 March 2021 courtesy of Arts Council England.