Guide to Comparing Services that Indie Authors Can Use to Publish eBooks to Apple’s iPad (2014)
Should you go with Apple directly? Or use an aggregator? (And if the latter, which aggregator is best for you?)
If you’re an independent author who wants to get your book into Apple’s iBookstore, there are a lot of different ways to do it. This guide will help you make sense of the sea of options out there, so you can confidently decide which route is right for you.
The physical act of getting your book into the iBookstore can be done by submitting your eBook directly to Apple or by having one of the five Apple aggregators who work with independent authors do it for you. (There are eight aggregators total. But three of them only work with publishers).
The complete list of options for the indie author (in alphabetical order, so as not to show any favoritism) is: Apple, BiblioCore, BookBaby, INGrooves, Lulu and Smashwords.
/ Aggregator / – def.
To help streamline the flow of eBooks into the iBookstore, Apple designated eight companies to be aggregators. Basically, authors and publishers submit their eBooks to the aggregator.
The aggregator, in turn, takes care of getting the eBook into the iBookstore. In its first couple of months, the iBookstore would only accept eBooks from non-published, indie authors through one of its aggregators. In late May 2010, Apple started allowing authors to submit their eBooks directly through Apple.
How the Rest of this Guide is Organized
Questions to Ask Before you Start
Conclusions of Apple/Aggregator Comparison
In Depth Comparison Table of Apple/Aggregators: (for folks who want the details)
Publishing Your eBook Directly to Apple
ISBN Numbers: What You Need to Know
Other eBook Publishing Resources
Questions to Ask Before You Start
What stage is your book in? Is it still in the idea and draft stage? Or is it already in ePub format, passing ePub 1.0.5 validation? Basically, how far down a path are you already, and what choices does that leave you with, so you’re not re-doing work?
How much formatting control do you need to have? With most aggregators, you don’t see what your eBook will look like in the iPad’s eReader beforehand. When a recent client came to Gravity Switch to design his personal author website (ManInMazeWorks.com), he also asked us to do the ePub conversion for his latest book. This gave him the comfort level of being involved in the formatting of the eBook, every step of the way.
What type of content/formatting do you require? Is your book all text? Illustrations? Tables? Special formatting? Prepare to be underwhelmed by the level of layout control you will have in the eBook format. But don’t despair. It’s still possible to effectively convey your ideas with eBooks.
How much will you sell your eBook for? Or will it be free? (A free book is not as crazy as it sounds. A lot of indie authors do this because they care more about being read than making money)
What are your expected sales? It can be humbling to consider a reasonable expectation for your eBook’s sales. It’s hard to predict. Especially if this is your first foray into publishing.
What’s your time worth to you? Aggregators can save you time by doing a lot of the legwork for you. But there’s a cost for it.
/ ePub / – def.
ePub is the eBook file format that Apple’s eReader uses. A number of other eReaders use this file format as well, though not all of them.
(For programmers or dabbler programmers only: An ePub file is basically a .zip file that’s named .epub instead of .zip. Inside this .zip archive are a bunch of XHTML and CSS files that “define” the eBook.)
/ ePub 1.0.5. Validation / – def.
Apple doesn’t want books in its store that are sloppy or that don’t work well, since this would be a poor reflection on Apple. So they require ePub files to pass a “test” (or validator) to ensure the code is up to snuff.
Three Press has a good ePub validator and that is the one we have used.
Dollars out-of-pocket? The pricing structures of Apple and the aggregators is all over the map. Apple doesn’t charge you up front to list your book, but you have to get your own ISBN number, which ends up being more expensive than start-up costs with most aggregators. Most aggregators will give you an ISBN number for free or cheap, but they either charge an up-front fee, annual fee, or percentage of your sales.
When will you get paid for book sales? There are different guidelines for when, how and how much you get paid. Apple openly admits that authors will be more likely to get paid sooner if they work with an aggregator.
How do you feel about DRM - Digital Rights Management? (See sidebar if you don’t know what DRM means) The aggregators have different policies about this. And ultimately, you’ll be subject to how Apple handles it once you’re in the iBookstore.
Do you care about other eBook readers besides the iPad? Or other online sales channels besides the iBookstore? Some aggregators take care of these other formats and sales channels automatically. Some for a fee. Some not at all.
Ultimately, the decision comes down to what is most valuable to you now and down the line. And each person’s definition of “value” is a different combination of factors such as: Time, Money, Convenience, Reach, Resources and Control.
I say, if the aggregator adds value to your efforts, use them! No need to cut out the middle-person if they are worth their while.
/ ISBN Number / – def.
ISBN stands for International Standard Book Number. This is a unique identifying number that’s required for any book, worldwide, that’s intended for sale in stores, for sale online, or to be found on the shelves of any library.
No two books have the same ISBN. Some aggregators will provide you with an ISBN if you submit your eBook through them. Some don’t. You can get your ISBN number yourself too.
Later in this guide, I provide more complete info about ISBN numbers and what they mean for your eBook.
/ DRM / – def.
DRM or Digital Rights Management refers to software embedded in a “digital product” (such as a song you buy on iTunes, or an eBook) to prevent it from being used by anyone other than the person who bought it. There are lots of arguments both for and against DRM. Establishing and “letting go” of DRM is something the music industry has struggled through and it’s something that publishing is just starting to grapple with.
Apple announced that all eBooks in the iBookstore will be subject to Apple’s FairPlay DRM.
Conclusions of Apple/Aggregator Comparison
Responsiveness of the Aggregators
All of my email interactions with aggregators have been professional and friendly. But I think it’s worth mentioning that two of the aggregators stood out to me as “most responsive” to my inquiries about this guide. (They always replied to the emails within the same day, often within a few hours). These were BiblioCore and Smashwords. Interestingly, it was the founder (or co-founder) of these companies who replied to me in each case.
In Lulu’s case, it was hard to even find the right person to direct my questions to. Once I did, they were friendly and helpful, but not as quick to reply as BiblioCore and Smashwords. Also, with Lulu it took over 2 months to get our first ePub listed in the iBookstore. But, the system they launched on 8/17/10 which makes this easier delivers as promised. I used it to submit a recent ePub and it was in the iBookstore within 24 hours.
BookBaby had a reasonable turnaround to get our book in the iBookstore (less than 2 weeks!). But we’ve also had unresolved questions with them for over a month. They don't always reply to emails promptly. Even though their auto-responder says "expect to hear back in 3 days," a week or more wasn't uncommon.
Lastly, INGrooves was not able to respond to my questions in time for this guide. Since their website doesn’t provide any specific info about costs and services, I couldn’t include them in my comparison.
Making Sense of it All
While I can’t tell you exactly what to do in your particular situation, here’s a handful of conclusions for hypothetical situations that may help. (To more fully understand the services, costs, and policies of Apple and the aggregators, you should at least scan the detailed table we’ve put together.)
If you have a fairly simple book to format, then:
Smashwords is a great value. It has the most reach of all the Aggregators.
If you are fiercely independent, or you just don’t want anyone to get a cut of your sales, then:
Go directly through Apple.
If you already have an ePub file that’s formatted and ready to go and you ONLY care about being in the iBookstore, then:
Go with BookBaby if you want cheap, fast and easy, but don’t mind some slow customer service for changes and updates.
Go with BiblioCore if speedy customer service is very important to you and you don’t mind spending a few hundred dollars more for it at the outset. (Remember, with BiblioCore, you will have to buy your own ISBN too).
Go with Lulu if you don’t want to have any up front costs. Their system used to be s l o w and error prone. But the new system they launched on 8/17/10 for submitting final ePub files is fast and easy.
If you want to maximize your sales channels, then:
Go with Smashwords. They have the most extensive sales channel network. They have no up-front costs. And their commission rates are reasonable. I admit that being a designer myself, I’m uncomfortable with the notion of not being able to see my ePub before it’s published (as is the case at Smashwords). But, I say try them anyway because if you don’t like the format of your book, you can change it. And if you can’t change it to your liking, then you can try creating your own ePub.
Consider Lulu if print-on-demand is appealing to you. Right now, only Lulu offers print versions of your book and they only do the print version when someone orders it. This means no upfront cost to you per book. No inventory.
If your book has very complex formatting and you want to have the most control possible over that, then:
Create your own ePub (if you can and are interested in that process).
If you’re not a programmer/designer type and you have the funds for it, you should strongly consider hiring a private firm like my company, Gravity Switch, or many others, to help you.
In Depth Comparison of Apple/Aggregators
Before we look at a detailed table outlining the differences between Apple and the aggregators, here’s a quick overview of how they are all similar.
How Apple & Aggregators are Similar
Currently, none of the indie-author-serving aggregators convert to Amazon’s Kindle format. But I’d be lying if I said they weren’t all thinking in that direction.
They are all going to be sticklers about making you promise (and sign on it) that you have the legal rights to distribute your book, ideas, images, etc. This is just common sense, but it’s worth the reminder.
Apple has regulations about certain content that’s not allowed: No porn, no racist works, etc. The aggregators will follow this policy. Again, this is also just common sense.
Apple. The Aggregators. They are businesses. That might sound like a stupid statement. But my point is this. They can only stay in business if they make money. Not a killing. But a fair profit. Whatever route you take, you will have to pay something, whether it’s time, money or both. It will be for you to decide which combination of options is most worthwhile to YOU.
One Caveat...
The table on the next several pages is filled in with info that was told to me by the aggregators. I haven’t tested submitting eBooks to all of them to compare “stated policy” with “actual service.” But, I do share my notes for the two aggregators that I have used.
eBook Publishing: Comparing Apple to “Apples”
Our detailed table outlining the differences between Apple and the aggregators is available to view on our shared Google Workspace.
Publishing your eBook Directly to Apple
If you’re an independent author and you want to work directly with Apple to submit your eBook to the iBookstore, then:
You must have an ISBN number for each title you want to sell (details about how to get one in next section).
Your eBook must be in ePub format and your ePub file must:
Validate ePubCheck 1.0.5
Contain no unmanifested files
Use only UTF-8 or UTF-16 encoded characters
You need a U.S. Tax ID.
You need an active iTunes Store account with a valid credit card associated with it.
You need to submit your eBook to Apple from an Intel-based Mac running OS 10.5 or later (PC users cannot submit eBooks directly to Apple – Clever Apple!)
You’ll be asked to fill out a form for each eBook, including in which countries you want it to be available for sale. So you should have thought about this ahead of time and be ready to answer:
Where do you want to sell your eBook?
How much will you sell it for?
What categories/genres does it belong in?
Title, Short Description, Categories/Genres, Keywords, Etc.
If you have all of the above and want to get started, here’s the link that takes you to a series of forms you need to fill out. https://itunesconnect.apple.com/WebObjects/iTunesConnect.woa/wa/apply
/ iBookstore / – def.
This is like Apple’s App Store, but for eBooks. You can access the iBookstore through iBooks on your iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch.
/ iBooks / – def.
This is Apple’s eReader that runs on the iPad. It contains all books that you’ve loaded onto your iPad by syncing with iTunes, as well as those that you’ve purchased through the iBookstore. Note that iBooks (plural) should not be confused with iBook (singular) which is the name of Apple's entry level laptop computer. :-)
ISBN Numbers: What You Need to Know
Who can buy an ISBN number?
Historically, it’s been mainly publishing houses that have bought ISBN numbers, and not individual independent authors. However, independent authors can now buy their own ISBN numbers.
What does it cost for an independent author to buy an ISBN number?
Bowker has set up a website called myidentifiers.com specifically for selling ISBN numbers. There are 2 packages available. You can buy one ISBN number for $125, or you can buy a 10-pack of ISBN numbers for $250.
Through an aggregator, the cost varies from FREE to $19.
/ Bowker / – def.
Bowker is the exclusive U.S. ISBN agency. If you’re a U.S.-based author or publisher and you need to buy ISBN numbers, you can only do it through Bowker.
Bowker oversees websites including ISBN.org and MyIdentifiers.com.
Since ISBNs cost so much less through an aggregator, why would I want to buy my own?
When you let the aggregator give you the ISBN number for that discounted cost, you should be aware that it means the aggregator is legally considered the publisher of your book. Also, the aggregator legally owns that ISBN number.
The owner of a book’s ISBN number is the sole entity that can decide:
Whether that book is for sale
Where that book will be available for sale
Unless there are specific clauses to the contrary in the contract that you sign with an aggregator, then it is possible and legal for their pricing structure to change in the future. And if you want to keep your book for sale, you’ll need to go along with it.
Should you panic?
No. Here’s 3 good reasons why not:
Even if an aggregator can, in the future, legally change the pricing structure (e.g. how much of a cut you get, whether you have to pay any annual fees, etc.) then they still would have to do so in a way that makes good business sense and doesn’t alienate their whole customer base, or cause mistrust for potential new customers.
If you really don’t like the new pricing scheme, you can leave the aggregator. In my research, I found that the aggregators are not trying to lock authors into staying with them if the author doesn’t want to sell their book through that aggregator anymore. Still, you should read your contract carefully (I didn’t do an extensive review of those because all that legalese makes me go cross-eyed).
In the unlikely event that an aggregator decided to commit business and social suicide by failing to allow an author to take their book content elsewhere (if they can even legally do this), then you could create an updated edition of your eBook. The new edition of an eBook would require a new ISBN number. And maybe this time, it would make sense for you to get your own.
Remember, even if the aggregator does own the ISBN, you still retain your copyright.
Whether or not you decide to own your own ISBN number will depend on your comfort level and your reasonable expectations for the sale of your eBook. I’m of the opinion that for many (dare I say most?) independent authors who are publishing one of their first eBook’s, it’s not super important to own your own ISBN number.
Do I need an ISBN number for each format?
Yes. Just as paperbacks, hard covers and trade paperbacks each have their own ISBN number for the same title, you will need one for each format (e.g. Apple iPad, Kindle, Sony Reader, etc.).
/ Kindle / – def.
This is Amazon’s eReader. It uses its own proprietary format, not ePub.
If I create an updated edition of my eBook, do I need a new ISBN number?
Yes. And again, you’ll need a new ISBN number for that new addition for each format it’s in (e.g. Apple iPad, Kindle, Sony Reader etc.)
Do ISBN numbers expire?
No. ISBN numbers never expire.
How does an independent author buy his or her own ISBN number?
After weighing the options, if you still want to buy your own ISBN number, here’s how:
STEP 1. Go to: https://www.myidentifiers.com/index.php?page=isbn_blocks
The top of the content area of the page will look like this:
STEP 2. Click "buy now" for the Ten numbers for $250
Actually, you can buy 1 ISBN number or a Block of 10. But in my opinion, it’s worth getting the block of 10, since you need a different ISBN number for each format of your eBook. Even if you’re only worrying about an ePub file with Apple’s iBookstore now, if you ever want to expand and sell in other places, it’s worth the extra $125 to get 9 more ISBN numbers that will come in handy in that situation.
Clicking “buy now” will take you to a shopping cart screen. The body of the screen looks like this:
STEP 3. Click "check out" in the lower right"
You'll see a screen that looks like this. You need to click the lower button that says "New Bowker customer."
STEP 4. Fill out the forms and follow the steps through check out.
REMEMBER: The username and password you choose is case sensitive, so be sure to record it accurately in a safe place. You'll need your username and password a little later on to assign an ISBN number to your book.
Once I buy my ISBN number, how do I “attach it” to my eBook?
Log in to your account
Click on MY TITLES - This is where you will find the ISBN number(s) you purchased
To register a title, click on the ISBN number and follow the prompts to register the title
ISBN.org recommends that you only register the book if you are in the final copy stage. It takes the system 24 hours to process and push your titles out into ISBN.org’s “Books in Print” database and you can forward that ISBN number immediately.
Creating Your Own ePub
If you’re looking for instruction on how to create your own ePub file using a combination of InDesign and programming your own code, definitely check out Liz Castro’s eBook, EPUB Straight to the Point available online at: http://www.elizabethcastro.com/epub/
Gravity Switch created at least a dozen e-pub books for ourselves and our clients.
Written by Gravity Switch Co-Founder Christine Mark.
Synopsis: Could Santa miss Christmas? It’s hard to believe! But he was sound asleep and it was Christmas Eve, And if Fleck Fiddle-Flap didn’t get so confused, ‘Bout a girl and her cat and some holiday news, Well, then Santa would not have awoke from his nap, And surely there would have been Christmas mishap! Following the classic style of Dr. Seuss, Fleck Saves Christmas tells the story of confused, but well meaning, Fleck Fiddle-Flap who sets out to "save Christmas". "Mr. Claws", the cat, is featured on every page of the story and creates an engaging scavenger hunt for kids. Kids love finding the picture of the cat on every page. Think of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" by Dr. Seuss, with a kitten involved.