The book is now on the iBookstore and available to the world. Surely by now I’m a millionaire. All you have to do is write a book, publish it, and BOOM…success, right?
…NO, I’m afraid not
Don’t worry, I wasn’t under any assumptions. What I did hope to find were answers, and so far that’s what I’ve done. This post shares my initial iBooks Author Feedback, but first, let’s recap the experiment so far:
And if you’re interested, you can buy How To Build An Author House HERE.
What The Readers Say
I’ve been asking for feedback in recent weeks, and it seems several people have an opinion regarding iBooks Author. Here are some of those insights:
My books are available on the iBookstore, but I had a terrible time uploading them, and the process to make them available worldwide is cumbersome.
Lauren
I’d be interested in the results myself, though like you, I think you won’t make much money, since only iPad owners can use it and must go through iBookstore. Amazon is not just a giant. It’s quickly becoming a beast.
Monica
I can’t speak for anyone else else, but I definitely won’t be buying any ebook through Apple. I don’t know if you were aware, but their ebooks can’t be viewed in iTunes desktop, there is no iBook desktop set up, so ebooks from Apple are useless for anyone who doesn’t have an iPad or iPhone.
Jessica
I would like to buy the book, but I just deleted iTunes, do not want it back, and am not sure how else to get it.
Margarett
Proudly purchased, but only after:
*being thwarted by my ipad because I only have ibooks (not 2!)
*being messed with my my pc, because the I had to find the proper itunes download compatible with my PC
… now if only itunes would let me open the book itself!
Laura
What This All Means
First of all, a huge thanks to everyone who bought the book and offered their opinion. I truly appreciate it. As for the general consensus, well, it isn’t positive.
People have issues with both the process and the authority of Apple. These seem to be the main issues:
- You need iTunes (or an iPad or iPhone)
- iBooks viewing limitations are a big issue
- The general buying process is annoying at best
Apple, in general, are very particular. For authors using the iBooks Author software, this results in headaches. This I can stomach, so long as it provides a great service for my readers. However, it doesn’t, and this is a HUGE issue.
People need iTunes.
People need up-to-date software.
People need an iPad or iPhone.
Obviously, I understand this from Apple’s point of view, but it certainly makes it difficult for an author to use iBooks Author. It might be worth making your book available on the iBookstore, but to use the iBooks Author software and hand over full rights, well, it doesn’t seem worth it, does it?
The Initial Sales
I would like to start by saying I’ve done very little in terms of promoting. Other than my initial emails and launch post, I’ve done nothing. There is a reason for this, and that was to see if the iBookstore brings organic sales.
To date I have sold 3 books!
And I’m pretty sure all three have come via my initial email (huge thanks to those people by the way 🙂
Therefore I feel confident in saying that the iBookstore offers little in terms of organic traffic. I’m not saying you can upload your book to Amazon and pray, but it does seem people browse the Kindle Store more. The iBookstore, unfortunately, seems to be a ghost town.
To Conclude
It may be too early to say this experiment is doomed, but the consensus is that iBooks Author is a no-go for authors.
We have a responsibility to our readers, and it does seem that using the iBooks Author software alienates a very large section of our audience. Simply put, this is a terrible thing any author can do!
People enjoy freedom, and Apple don’t offer this. What worked with music (iTunes) doesn’t seem to hold true for books. I can only assume this is down to Amazon, and although they too offer restrictions, they are much less severe.
I hope you’re enjoying the iBooks Author Experiment so far. If you have any questions or would like to share your thoughts, please leave a comment below.
And if you would like to buy your own copy of How To Build an Author House, you can do so HERE (or download for FREE HERE)
Turndog Millionaire – @turndog_million
