Apple Books for Authors vs Google Play Books Partner Center

2020. iBooks Author is being discontinued



Apple has revealed that iBooks Author will be phased out in July. The app will also be removed from various platforms, including the Mac App Store. Books previously published with iBooks Author will continue to be available. Moving forward, Apple is promoting two methods for distributing digital content. The first is direct EPUB or audiobook uploads through iTunes Connect. Apple has established a comprehensive publishing portal that covers all the details on publishing with them. The second method is Pages, their free word processing application.


2020. Apple launched publishing portal Apple Books for Authors



Apple has just introduced a publishing platform called Apple Books for Authors. It offers a comprehensive resource for authors interested in self-publishing or publishing companies looking to submit content. The portal includes guidance on all facets of ebook creation from bestselling authors, with some content presented in video format and authors detailing their personal workflows. You can learn about the sales reporting system and how to market your book effectively. If you want to submit an ebook directly to the Apple Book Store, there is a new publishing tool now available. Simply log in to iTunes Connect or create a new account, upload all the metadata and the book and start selling immediately.


2018. Apple iBooks is making it easy for publishers to earn commission



Apple introduced a new toolkit a few months ago for their iBooks program. It enables book bloggers, YouTubers, authors and content creators to embed audiobooks, books, badges, app icons, or a basic text link on their website, blog, or newsletter. Now, Apple Books Toolbox has added a valuable new feature that lets anyone quickly create interactive audiobook preview widgets. Select any audiobook available on Apple Books, adjust the dimensions and you’re set to display the embed code on a website or newsletter. These audiobooks will play a sample, allowing users to gauge the quality of the production. If someone purchases an audiobook from Apple, the publisher will receive a commission.


2018. Google reopened Play Books Publisher Program



The Google Publisher Program, which allowed independent authors to sell eBooks in the Google Play bookstore, was suspended in 2015 due to piracy issues. Until now, the only way authors and publishers could get their digital content onto the platform was through aggregators. Today, Google has reopened their Play Books publisher program and incorporated AI into the eBook submission process. Whenever a title is submitted, it will compare the text to other books in the Play Bookstore and if it is found to be similar, it will be automatically rejected. Digital books also have the option to enter an ISBN number, which will retrieve some eBook metadata and enable sales tracking via Nielsen. If you do not have an ISBN, Google will automatically assign you a GGKEY, which you can use on Google Books and Google Play.


2017. iBooks Author gets new tools



Apple has released an update to its ebook creation software iBooks Author, which now includes the ability to add images and videos from Photos, the Mac photo management application. There are also some minor improvements, such as support for wide color gamut images. Many users have transitioned from iBooks Author to other digital publishing applications because this program is only compatible with Apple products and does not support Amazon, Google, or other online retailers. Critics have accused Apple of abandoning digital publishing. The latest iOS update removed subcategories within Magazines & Newspapers instead of addressing the issues, making it nearly impossible to discover new digital edition apps.