What is a primary asset?
The primary asset refers to the file types required by a vendor to release your title for sale on their site. Content files are considered the Primary Assets and cover files are considered the Cover Asset, both are required for a successful distribution. For example, EBSCO requires an ePUB and/or PDF file to be present, in addition to a cover image, for all titles made available on their platform.
Why is CoreSource telling me that there is “No Primary Asset”, “No assets from any of the groups in channel’s Primary requirement”, or it is “Unable to Distribute Required Primary Asset”?
This means that either the required content files or cover image are not present in the distribution.
The distribution process is designed as a tiered workflow, which means that CoreSource first looks for all primary asset requirements before accepting the cover asset.
In some cases, the primary asset can require more than one format, for example, a vendor might need both an ePUB and a PDF. In other cases, the primary asset might require one out of a few different options, for example, a vendor might ask for either an ePUB or a PDF.
When CoreSource looks for the specific file types to fulfill the primary requirement and finds there is none present, rather than looking for the cover file, it will return a message indicating that there is “No Primary Asset” or “No assets from any of the groups in channel’s Primary requirement” to let you know that required content files are missing.
If the primary asset requirement is fulfilled, CoreSource will then look for the cover file. However, if a cover file is not present, CoreSource will return a message indicating that it is “Unable to Distribute Required Primary Asset” to let you know that the primary assets are present but cannot be distributed because of issues with additional required assets.
How do I fix this?
Check the title-group in CoreSource to confirm:
- Are all the required asset types present?
- Do the asset types have files uploaded to them? For example, a PDF asset type can be created, but it might not have the actual PDF file uploaded to it.
- Is the cover file in the correct format? For example, some vendors might only accept .jpg format, not .png or other image file types.
- Is the content file in the correct format? For example, some vendors might not accept Fixed ePUBs, only reflowable.
If you require any further assistance, please contact the Digital Services Specialist.