Back in the saddle y’all! Let’s get to it!!
Wow, it’s been a while since yours truly has written anything for Burning Embers.
To be honest I needed a break and I thank JQM for handling things while I was on hiatus.
So, what’s brought me back to the typewriter? What’s got me all fired up?
I’ll tell ya 😉
Apple has launched Apple Books for Authors! Woohoo!
It has a lot of cool things that make me want to do a series exclusive to Apple Books only and stop putting all my eggs into the KDP basket.
Why is Apple Books good? Well, as you know KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) has been dominating the indie publishing sphere since 2015 and frankly it’s gotten a bit too tight in restrictions for many authors.
The glory golden days of KDP are gone and over with and thus you either play by the might Zon’s rules or you get booted. Once you get booted you didn’t have many options…
Well, there is Draft2Digital but still KDP was the go to spot for your average reader in the mindset to buy and not peruse.
With Apple Books on the scene making it super easy for authors to publish on their platform I bet there’s going to be a huge change in the market. Will it be for good? Only time will tell.
The game changer
So, what’s got me absolutely crazy about Apple Books and why should you even bat an eye at it?
Take a gander at these wonderful options my fellow author friend:
| Apple Books | Kindle Direct Publishing | |
| 70% royalties on every book, regardless of price | ✔️ | ❌ |
| No file delivery fees | ✔️ | ❌ |
| No limitations on offering free books to customers | ✔️ | ❌ |
| No payments for preferential store placement | ✔️ | ❌ |
| No price matching | ✔️ | ❌ |
| No third-party ads | ✔️ | ❌ |
Pretty stellar, right?
I thought so too and is super inticing for me to ditch KDP all together. However, keep in mind that Apple Books does not have a program like Kindle Unlimited.
Nor do I know if you can do print books through them or get free ISBNs (yes in some countries like the USA you have to pay for your ISBN numbers) through Apple Books.
Overall, I would have to say that this is a huge step up for Apple and I hoping this gives KDP a run for their money. A little competition helps keep things fair and we indie authors have been needing this for a while now.
What are you thoughts on Apple Books? Are you excited to give it a shot? Let me know.
Until next time…
Keep on rising above the ashes of obscurity!