It has been almost a year since I began to blog and write with publishing as my goal. I had such a good experience with publishing my first eBook that I want to share the process with you. I finished A Story Made From Pictures and it went up onto iBooks in November 2018.
This was an exploration in reaching out with my gifts. It was meant to utilize the resources available to all of us at this time. By utilizing resources and working with creative energy, I have completed a work of which I am pleased and proud.
Publishing can be a journey to manifesting creativity in the manner that is a reflection of who we are at our core.
Some call this developing a personal style. Publishing small can help you see in reality what your style is at the moment and you decide how to develop that style into one you admire. Apple is helping me develop the online style for the iPad and Tablet culture that is so present today.
Apple has fantastic resources. The team members are very polite, kind and maintain a professional attitude. They have a live phone number with a team that will help you get your book from draft to finished work for sale. (1-877-206-2092) They take care of collecting the money and depositing it for you. They send the IRS a notice of your earnings. They are the big machine that does so much of what the print publisher used to do.
One of the drawbacks is the length of the contract you need to read before you sign on. You do need to read it though. To be aware of what Apple is requiring and what you must do to be part of their publishing arm is doing your due diligence.
In completing my book, A Story Made From Pictures, I wanted to see how my layout would translate onto the Apple platform. I wanted to see what a children's book looks like in an eBook format.
I used iBooks Author to do the layout on my laptop. The software is free from the App store. Once you have finished the design and writing and are ready to publish you simply choose Publish from the file menu. This sends you to a screen where you begin the publishing process to get your book into the Apple library.
You will be talked through downloading iTunes Producer which is the first tool you need to publish your book. iTunes Producer allows you to upload your book to iTunes Connect.
It is in iTunes Producer where you will create the descriptions and clips and price of your book. This is what the public sees first. Apple takes your input and lays it out for you.
If you are using an ePub template from iBooks Author a sample of your book will be generated and you will see this in iTunes Producer. This sample is one requirement of publishing an eBook to Apple. If you are not using iBook Author, you will need to create your own sample manually.
You will also be walked through making an iTunes Connect account. This account allows you to track your sales, email the team and maintain contact with your publisher — Apple.
Once submitted, a team looks over the content, links, and layout and accepts it for publishing or sends it back with notes for revision. To me, Apple provides authors with an Editorial Department, a Design Review Team and a Link/Connection Team.
After successful publication, how do we learn to alert the public that we are offering something of our voice for them to explore?
Apple has some marketing ideas that include: building a plan, using Apple’s tools, leveraging your media and joining the Apple Affiliate Program.
For the full list and how to implement the marketing side, visit the link: https://www.apple.com/apple-books/workingwithus/
There is also a “promotional coupon” program available to authors. Any author can send a promotional coupon that can be redeemed. I am testing out how these works with a small group of friends.
With a list of resources to whom one offers a promotional coupon, we might further the discovery of our work and help us get our voice heard by a wider audience than just family and friends.
To find my eBook, the URL is https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/a-story-made-from-pictures/id1440521232?mt=11
