For those thinking of publishing an Apple i-book, here’s a few tips:
For those thinking of going down the Apple i-Book publishing road, here’s a few things I’ve picked up along the way:
- The i-book is incredibly simple to create; just download the free, i-book Author program (http://www.apple.com/au/ibooks-author/), drag and drop pics and text into a template and check it on your i-pad. As you’ll see, it looks fantastic. The templates are stylish, graphic and they work well with photography – vastly superior to the host of e-book formats that are available (the difference in appearance is like comparing a novel with a few pictures inserted between paragraphs to a beautifully designed coffee table book).
- Uploading it is the hard part. Prepare to spend ages trying to get a straight answer from a host of faceless “Aggregators” who Apple will refer you to if you haven’t got an American tax file number or you don’t want the hassle of getting an ISBN number (two things you will need to get it published). They all want to charge you, shaft you and waste your time. For AUD$100 per book (various other packages are available but this will get you started), a company called Tablo Publishing will represent your interests and get your book up there. I can highly recommend them (http://www.tablo.com.au).
