Quote:
Originally Posted by brad flora
Hitch,
I am the community manager for the Small Publishers Association of North America's online community.
In regard to your questions about publishing directly to the iBookstore, we have written an http://www.spannet.org/page/apple-ibookstore-now-open"]article that deals with this issue.
It should be noted that one of the technical requirements for working direct with Apple IS an Intel based Mac. At this point, we have speculated that the Mac requirement is software based issue, and that this channel may eventually be opened up to Windows users.
Working direct with Apple cuts out the middleman, and Apple takes 30% of sales. However, Apple has regional payment thresholds that must be met before a check can be written. So, if you have strong local sales, but are not meeting the regional thresholds it might be a while before a check is cut if you go direct with Apple.
Here is the article:
http://www.spannet.org/page/apple-ibookstore-now-open
And here is an article we wrote about working the 3rd party Content Aggregators:
http://www.spannet.org/how_do_I_get_...iBookstore.htm
Hope this helps! And if you do have any more questions I would be happy to elaborate, as we are always working to stay on top of this and other issues that relate to independent publishers.
bradley flora
SPANnet.org |
Hi, Bradley:
I've reviewed all the third-party content aggregators, and a bigger bunch of scamming
crapola is hard to imagine. Most of them don't list their "fee" for carrying your content (you have to email them with your publication list and they'll "custom quote" you), and LibreDigest won't even return emails or phone calls, even though I've called them several times and told them what authors--
not unknowns, I might add--I'm trying to assist. (I have an Edgar-nominee in addition to a guy with a brand-new book--his 15th professionally published--coming out that has not one but TWO starred reviews from PW and Booklist).
The idea that it requires a Mac to "upload" content is so absurd it makes my head hurt. This is
not directed at you; but let's face it, you don't need a Mac to FTP a file.
It's pathetic that some self-pubbing bozo with a Word file that has crappy formatting will be able to get it on iBooks via Smashwords, but my professional authors with 1.05-validating epubs, and their own ISBN's for their rights-reverted works, can't, because neither they nor I have Macs, and the so-called "content aggregators" are greedy little pigs. I don't mind people making their pound of flesh, I really don't--but this entire "let's hose the authors" iBook scenario is simply infuriating.
But,
thank you for your post; it's helpful, particularly to those who haven't already had the pleasure of trying to figure out how to get their content (or client's content) on the iBook platform.