Most book marketing relationships involve a shared Google Drive folder within the first week. It is where your brief lives, where your cover files get stored, and where anything that needs to move between you and your marketing team lands. Getting it set up correctly from the start saves a lot of “can you resend that file?” emails later.
The part most guides skip: sharing a folder in Google Drive does not mean sharing everything on your Drive. You can share one folder with your marketer while everything else stays entirely private. That is the setup we will cover here.
What Goes in the Folder
A well-organized shared folder typically includes:
Manuscripts and ARCs: your working manuscript in .epub and .mobi formats (for ARC delivery) and a .docx or .pdf for reference. If you have multiple books in a series, a subfolder for each title keeps things clean.
Cover files: your full-resolution cover (at least 2500px on the long edge), and where possible, separate files for the ebook cover, print cover with bleed, and any series-branded elements. Your marketer will often need different formats for different platforms.
Brand assets: your author bio in multiple lengths (25 words, 100 words, 250 words), your professional headshot in high resolution, and any series bibles or style guides if you have them.
Campaign materials: once work is underway, your marketer will add briefs, content calendars, and drafts here for your review. You do not need to create these; they come from your team.
A simple top-level structure works better than an elaborate one. Something like [Your Name] – Book Marketing at the top level, with subfolders for Manuscripts, Covers, Brand Assets, and Campaign Materials.
How to Share the Folder (Not Your Whole Drive)
This is the step that trips people up. If you right-click at too high a level in your Drive hierarchy, you share far more than you intended. The safest approach is to create a new, dedicated folder for your marketing work and share only that folder.
Step 1: Go to drive.google.com and sign in to your Google account.
Step 2: Create a new folder. Click the + New button in the top-left corner and select Folder. Name it something clear, [Your Name] – Book Marketing works well.
Step 3: Right-click the folder (or click the three-dot menu that appears when you hover over it) and select Share.
Step 4: Add your marketer’s email address in the field labeled “Add people, groups, and calendar events.” Use the email address they have given you.
Step 5: Set the access level. The default is “Editor,” which means they can view, upload, and edit files in the folder. For a marketing team that will be adding briefs and campaign materials, Editor access is appropriate. If you only want them to be able to view files without changing anything, select “Viewer” instead.
Step 6: Click Send. Your marketer will receive an email invitation with a link to the folder.
Once shared, they can access the folder from their own Google account. They see only what is inside that specific folder. Nothing else on your Drive is visible to them.
For more detail on sharing settings, visit Google Drive’s help guide.
What to Watch Out For: The Wrong-Level Share
The most common mistake with Google Drive sharing is accidentally sharing at the wrong level. Here is how it happens: an author opens Drive, right-clicks on “My Drive” (the root of everything), and shares it with their marketer. At that point, the marketer can see every file and folder on the entire Drive: personal documents, old tax returns, family photos stored there, all of it.
The fix is to share a specific subfolder, not your root Drive. If you follow the steps above and create a dedicated folder first, this problem does not arise. If you are unsure what level you have shared, right-click the folder, choose “Share,” and check who appears in the people list. Google Drive does not keep a single “everything I have shared” view in a personal account, so the reliable way to confirm is to open the Share panel on the specific folder itself.
One more point: avoid using “Share with anyone who has the link” for files that contain your manuscript or unreleased book covers. That setting makes the file accessible to anyone on the internet who gets hold of the link, which is not appropriate for pre-publication materials.
What Comes After
Once your shared folder is in place, your marketer will typically ask you to add your Todoist board access next. That is where campaign tasks, deadlines, and approvals are tracked. How Your Todoist Board Works: Tracking Your Book Marketing Without Learning Another App covers the setup and what you will actually see once you are in.
For an overview of every platform you will need to set up when working with a marketing team, the Author Onboarding Bootcamp has the full map.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does my marketer need an Editor role, or is Viewer enough?
It depends on what they will be doing. If they are uploading briefs, campaign materials, or revised files to the folder, they need Editor access. If the folder is purely for you to upload files they then review, Viewer is sufficient. When in doubt, ask your marketer what role they need before you send the invitation.
Can I share individual files instead of a folder?
Yes, Google Drive lets you share individual files with the same process. For a marketing relationship, sharing a folder is more practical because your marketer can add and organize files over time without needing a new sharing invitation for every document.
What if I already have a folder set up differently?
You can share any existing folder using the same process. The key is making sure the folder you share contains only what you intend to share. If the existing folder sits inside a parent folder, sharing it does not share the parent, only the folder you right-click on and its contents.
Can I revoke access later if needed?
Yes. Right-click the shared folder, select Share, and you will see a list of everyone who currently has access. Click the dropdown next to their name and select “Remove access.” They will no longer be able to open the folder or any files in it.
Will my marketer be notified every time I add a file?
Not by default. Google Drive does not send email alerts when a new file is added to a shared folder. If you upload something that needs their attention, send a quick message to let them know it is there.
Frequently asked questions
Does my marketer need an Editor role, or is Viewer enough?
It depends on what they will be doing. If they are uploading briefs, campaign materials, or revised files, they need Editor access. If the folder is purely for you to upload files they then review, Viewer is enough. When in doubt, ask your marketer which role they need before you send the invitation.
Can I share individual files instead of a folder?
Yes, the process is the same. For a marketing relationship a folder is more practical, because your marketer can add and organize files over time without needing a fresh sharing invitation for every document.
Can I revoke access later if needed?
Yes. Right-click the shared folder, select Share, and you will see everyone who currently has access. Click the dropdown next to their name and select Remove access. They can no longer open the folder or any files in it.
Will my marketer be notified every time I add a file?
Not by default. Google Drive does not email an alert when a new file lands in a shared folder. If you upload something that needs attention, send a quick message so they know it is there.