how do we publish ibooks?

I think if you're self-pubbing you'll need to go via Smashwords, which IIRC feeds in to the iBookstore. PC or Mac shouldn't be an issue.

You can only go direct if you have a Mac or access to a Mac.

There's a number of distributors which will put your book on iBooks for you, though; Smashwords is probably the best known of those.

This is me in the iBookstore, and I wouldn't take a Mac as a gift. (Had one once, most expensive computer I ever owned, and the darned thing never worked.)

The way in for me was via Smashwords.

wizard tim said:

I've read good things about Smashwords, it's just that I'd rather self publish without a middleman if possible.

Would you all advise self pubbing to Barnes & Noble's Nook instead?

I think there's free software out there that I could use for converting to their epub format. I've already put some work on Amazon's Kindle because I was able to load an HTML doc and they handled the formating to mobi.

Thanks for your advice.

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I don't know that I'd do any retailer *instead* of another. Why not do all? Apple's market share seems to be smaller than Amazon or B&N - right now - but no guarantee that's always going to be so, and I do know some folks who sell more books via iBooks than via Kindle.

Personally, I'd just do Smashwords -> iBooks.

If you get a Mac sometime, and want to do the direct thing, great. You can always take down all the books from Smashwords and go direct. Nets you a bit more money per sale, which is a good thing. But I definitely would not recommend giving up all potential iBook sales just because one didn't have a Mac computer.

Edit: Just read that bit Medievalist linked to. Didn't see anything about needing a Mac - just an iTunes account? I'd read the uploads could only be via a Mac. Anyone have some clarification on this? Thanks.

wizard tim said:

I've read good things about Smashwords, it's just that I'd rather self publish without a middleman if possible.

Would you all advise self pubbing to Barnes & Noble's Nook instead?

I think there's free software out there that I could use for converting to their epub format. I've already put some work on Amazon's Kindle because I was able to load an HTML doc and they handled the formating to mobi.

Thanks for your advice.

Click to expand...

No need at all to go through Smashwords. Barnes & Noble provides the instructions for doing it yourself here: http://pubit.barnesandnoble.com/pubit_app/bn?t=pi_reg_home

You've apparently already found the instructions for Kindle.

The problem isn't really standardized formats (there's *effectively* only two, if you don't include the proprietary DRMs). It's the number of retailers you want to get your book up on so it reaches maximum potential audience. I don't see that going away - if anything, I see it diversifying and becoming more challenging to place your book everywhere it really ought to be as more retailers spring up to take advantage of the growing market.

wizard tim said:

Maybe someday we'll reach a standard ebook format and this will all be a lot easier.

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These are at heart retail sites. Think of the ebook as just another container for a book; there's hardcover and paperback and ebook.

Put your ebook out in as many formats as you can, and on as many retail sites as you can.

Check out the following link to eHow to find out more on selling your eBook directly through iBooks:

http://www.ehow.com/how_7649056_sell-ibooks.html

I was going to write it all out from my own memory, but I got lazy and found someone else had already done it...

Barnes and Noble's Nook reads the same format as the iPad--epub.
I would look at the main formats out there and then check out what company would let me do more coverage.
I think with Smashwords, you can do epub, html, mobi, pdf...

GothamGal said:

Barnes and Noble's Nook reads the same format as the iPad--epub.

Click to expand...

Small correction - iPad as a device will read pretty much any ebook format. Last survey I saw said that about 3/4 of the people reading on iOS devices were using Kindle software to read Amazon books (but that information is months out of date at this point, so I'm not sure whether Apple has gained ground back on their own devices or not, yet).

Apple's iBook reader and store uses epub, though.

I would look at the main formats out there and then check out what company would let me do more coverage.
I think with Smashwords, you can do epub, html, mobi, pdf...

Click to expand...

It's not just about formats. As Medievalist rightly pointed out, it's about retailers - getting your book into as many retail outlets as possible. That means the Amazon and B&N for sure (about 90% or so of the US ebook market between the two). But Apple is growing in importance in the US, especially if they kick Amazon and B&N off iOS devices June 30th as some folks think they will (I doubt they will, but that's another issue).

Kobo is important too, especially with them planning to invest heavily in the growing EU market. Sony, while still a bit player, is another venue that you can make sales on. Smashwords is pretty tiny for sales on-site, but their use as a distributor (to easily and quickly get to Apple, Kobo, Sony, Diesel, and if you want B&N as well) is exceptionally useful. As more retailers spring up and Smashwords adds them, that utility will only grow. Probably worth putting the book up on Google eBooks, too - even though their market share is very small, it's still just one more store to have your book for sale in.

Formats are easy. Formatting a novel or basic nonfiction book is *exceptionally* simple, once you know how. They key is not in what formats you have handy - it's in what *retailers* your book can be purchased at. The more, the better.

KevinMcLaughlin said:

Small correction - iPad as a device will read pretty much any ebook format. Last survey I saw said that about 3/4 of the people reading on iOS devices were using Kindle software to read Amazon books (but that information is months out of date at this point, so I'm not sure whether Apple has gained ground back on their own devices or not, yet).

Apple's iBook reader and store uses epub, though.

Click to expand...

I thought you meant natively, the iBook store/app is specific to epub, and not having to download something from a second party--Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc.

Hope you don't mind me bumping an old thread instead of starting a new one. Is it still true that you can't upload to iBooks if you don't have access to a Mac unless it is through Smashwords?

HistorySleuth said:

Hope you don't mind me bumping an old thread instead of starting a new one. Is it still true that you can't upload to iBooks if you don't have access to a Mac unless it is through Smashwords?

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Yup, still true, unfortunately. I borrowed a friend's, but having the additional learning curve of figuring out how to use a Mac in addition to navigating the Apple uploading software and converting to ePub was not a nice experience. Much preferred the KDP and Nook method.

Wow. After all this time I thought they would change that. Think that's why they seem to lag behind in the ebook area?

I hope it's not like their app store policy where you have to pay 99 USD per platform to put a program on their app store.

You can also use Draft2Digital to upload to iTunes.

Self-publishing is creating the book, the rest is just retail and I would go in order of anticipated greatest profit, which for me would put the ibookstore well down the list.

For me, Amazon turned out to be over 95% of the market. Rather than submitting individually to each of the other retailers, and juggling multiple accounts, payments, and sales reports, I used D2D. It was worth paying the small distributor percentage on an insignificant number of sales.

Yes, at the bottom of my list. Just was thinking now about them. I'll check out D2D. Thanks!

Arcadia Divine said:

I hope it's not like their app store policy where you have to pay 99 USD per platform to put a program on their app store.

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No, just a cut of the RP like Amazon & B&N, which makes me thankful the three of them (among others) exist. Otherwise things might be very different.

iBooks is a little harder than Kindle or Nook, but not terribly difficult. Since I go direct myself (which, frankly, I actually had to as I was an Apple employee at the time), here's the process.

1. You apply to have an iTunes Connect account with Apple. This is free.
2. When approved, you can log in and get iTunes Producer and/or Application Loader. You used to upload with iTunes Producer, but double-clicking on my book package now opens the file with Application Loader.
3. Enter the information about the book into the various screens. (Note that you will need an ISBN.)



That application will also validate your EPUB package, then upload it.

That's pretty much it.

Also, it's not entirely true that you have to have a Mac to do this. You can certainly use a friend's Mac for this, just remember to keep copies of the package files it generates for later. It stores them in ~/Music/iTunes Producer/Playlists/. Yeah, obviously the architecture was originally designed for music, not books, but there you go.