Apple Books is a self-publishing platform that offers authors the opportunity to publish and distribute their ebooks in ePub format. In this blog post, we will look at the process of self-publishing an ebook with Apple Books and take a closer look at the advantages and disadvantages of using this platform.
How to Self-Publish with Apple Books for Authors
Before we analyze the pros and cons of using Apple Books, let’s take a look at how to self-publish your book on the platform.
- Set up an Apple ID: To use Apple Books, you need an Apple ID that is tied to an Apple device, such as an iPhone or iPad.
- Prepare your manuscript: Apple Books wants an epub file to provide readers, so you will need to have your manuscript in this format one way or another. You can use a third-party software to convert your Word document to EPUB format, or you can use Apple’s Pages app.
- Sign in to iTunes Connect: Once you have an Apple ID and a manuscript in EPUB format, you need to sign in to iTunes Connect. When you sign in, select “Books.”
- Create a new book: Select the “Create New Book” icon and fill out the information required, such as title, author name, description, categories, and keywords.
- Upload your manuscript: You can upload your EPUB file to Apple Books using iTunes Producer.
- Preview your book: Once the upload process is complete, you can preview your book and make changes if necessary.
- Set the price: Finally, set the price for your book and select your distribution territories.
- Follow the remaining prompts to publish your book.
Benefits of using Apple Books
- Easy to use: Apple Books is a user-friendly platform, and the process of uploading and publishing a book is straightforward.
- Global distribution: Apple Books is available in over 50 countries, providing a wide reach for authors who want to expand their audience beyond just one country or territory.
- Impressive royalties: Apple Books offers impressive rates, with authors earning up to 70% of the list price of their books.
- Quality control: Unlike other self-publishing platforms, Apple Books has stringent quality control measures, ensuring that books meet their standards. This leads to a high-quality reading experience for readers.
- Non-exclusive: Apple Books does not require exclusivity, so authors can publish their books on other platforms simultaneously.
- No file delivery fees: Apple gives 70% of the list price to authors and doesn’t charge a delivery fee. Amazon KDP and other self-publishing platforms tend to charge a delivery fee, so this is a unique aspect of Apple Books for Authors.
- Ability to offer your ebook for free without limitation: Giving your ebook away for free can generate a tremendous buzz around your title; hence the reason many authors go the free route. This usually helps attract downloads, reviews and ultimately builds an audience. Amazon KDP only allows you to offer your ebook for free for a period of time or based on certain guidelines.
Disadvantages of using Apple Books
- Fewer customization options: Apple Books has fewer customization options compared to other platforms, limiting the author’s ability to create a unique look and feel for their book.
- Lower audience: Apple Books doesn’t reach as many customers or users as Amazon, the king of retail. Plus, Amazon has its own Kindle Reading Apps which help people read Kindle ebooks on Apple products. So many authors bypass Apple Books self-publishing and just self-publish with a company like MindStir Media instead, a company that publishes through Kindle, on which customers can read on any device with the Kindle Reading App.
- Difficult to market: Apple Books does not offer marketing tools to help authors promote their books. New authors or authors who lack marketing skills will find this incredibly limiting .
- Difficulty communicating: Authors may face difficulty in communicating with the support team at Apple Books, as they do not offer live chat support and queries may take longer to get a response.
- No print option: Apple Books for Authors is an ebook-only self-publishing platform. Publishing only in ebook is a mistake, as you’ll be leaving a lot of money on the table. After all, more people still read print books than ebooks.
Conclusion
Self-publishing with Apple Books is a great option for authors who want to reach a global audience and earn high royalties. The platform is user-friendly and has stringent quality control measures, ensuring a quality reading experience for readers However, it is not without its disadvantages, such as limited formatting and customization options, lower audience reach, difficulty with marketing, and communication issues with the support team. Also, don’t forget to publish your book in print as well. You can’t do that with Apple Books for Authors. Authors should consider the many other self-publishing options prior to making a decision to use Apple Books as a self-publishing platform.
Apple Books for Authors Alternative
If you need a done-for-you book publishing offer, you should consider MindStir Media, ranked the best book publisher in Los Angeles. MindStir is partnered with Kevin Harrington from Shark Tank and Mariel Hemingway, the granddaughter of Ernest Hemingway. The company handles book design, editing, distribution and marketing/publicity for books so you can focus on writing your next story.
Apple Books Review