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Apple Books for Authors vs Kobo Writing Life
Last updated: July 09, 2023
Apple Books for Authors and Kobo Writing Life are both platforms designed to help authors self-publish their books, but they have distinct differences in terms of their features, distribution options, and market reach. One key difference lies in their ecosystem and market reach. Apple Books for Authors is specifically tailored for authors looking to publish their books on Apple Books, which is Apple's digital bookstore. By publishing through Apple Books for Authors, authors gain access to Apple's vast user base of iOS and macOS device users. This allows for potential exposure to a large market and potential readership within the Apple ecosystem. On the other hand, Kobo Writing Life is a platform focused on publishing e-books specifically for the Kobo e-reader platform. While Kobo may not have the same market reach as Apple, it still offers access to a global audience of e-book readers, making it a viable choice for authors seeking to distribute their books to a dedicated e-reading audience.
Another notable difference between Apple Books for Authors and Kobo Writing Life lies in their publishing and formatting processes. Apple Books for Authors provides a user-friendly interface and a range of tools to assist authors in formatting and preparing their books for publication on Apple Books. The platform offers options for creating and customizing book layouts, adding multimedia content, and previewing how the book will appear on different devices. It also provides an easy way to manage metadata, track sales, and access performance analytics. Kobo Writing Life, on the other hand, offers a simpler and streamlined publishing process, allowing authors to easily upload and format their e-books using the platform's intuitive interface. While Kobo Writing Life may not provide the same level of advanced formatting options as Apple Books for Authors, it offers essential features for managing metadata, setting prices, and tracking sales.
In terms of royalty rates and pricing control, there is also a difference between Apple Books for Authors and Kobo Writing Life. Apple Books for Authors allows authors to set their own book prices within certain parameters and offers a royalty rate based on the book's price. The royalty rate varies depending on the country of sale and whether the book is sold through Apple Books or other sales channels. On the other hand, Kobo Writing Life also allows authors to set their own prices within specific guidelines and offers competitive royalty rates based on a percentage of the book's retail price. Both platforms provide authors with control over pricing, allowing them to adjust and experiment with different price points to maximize their earnings.
Another notable difference between Apple Books for Authors and Kobo Writing Life lies in their publishing and formatting processes. Apple Books for Authors provides a user-friendly interface and a range of tools to assist authors in formatting and preparing their books for publication on Apple Books. The platform offers options for creating and customizing book layouts, adding multimedia content, and previewing how the book will appear on different devices. It also provides an easy way to manage metadata, track sales, and access performance analytics. Kobo Writing Life, on the other hand, offers a simpler and streamlined publishing process, allowing authors to easily upload and format their e-books using the platform's intuitive interface. While Kobo Writing Life may not provide the same level of advanced formatting options as Apple Books for Authors, it offers essential features for managing metadata, setting prices, and tracking sales.
In terms of royalty rates and pricing control, there is also a difference between Apple Books for Authors and Kobo Writing Life. Apple Books for Authors allows authors to set their own book prices within certain parameters and offers a royalty rate based on the book's price. The royalty rate varies depending on the country of sale and whether the book is sold through Apple Books or other sales channels. On the other hand, Kobo Writing Life also allows authors to set their own prices within specific guidelines and offers competitive royalty rates based on a percentage of the book's retail price. Both platforms provide authors with control over pricing, allowing them to adjust and experiment with different price points to maximize their earnings.
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Share your story with the world. Get the knowledge, tools, and inspiration to help the world read or listen to yours. Turn your book into an audiobook with digital narration.
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Do you have a story to tell? Are you an author with a bestseller just waiting to be discovered? Want to reach out to millions of readers in over 190 countries? Do you own the digital rights to your work? Then have we got the tool for you! Kobo Writing Life is the one-stop, do-it-yourself publishing portal.
Apple Books for Authors vs Kobo Writing Life in our news:
2020. iBooks Author is being discontinued
Apple has recently made an announcement stating that iBooks Author will be discontinued in July. Consequently, the app will be removed from multiple platforms, including the Mac Store. However, books that have been previously published using iBooks Author will continue to be accessible. Going forward, Apple is promoting two alternative methods for distributing digital content. The first option involves directly uploading EPUB or audiobook files via iTunes Connect. To facilitate this process, Apple has developed a comprehensive publishing portal that provides detailed guidance on publishing with their platform. The second alternative involves utilizing Pages, their free word processing program, for content creation and distribution.
2020. Apple launched publishing portal Apple Books for Authors
Apple has recently unveiled a comprehensive publishing portal called Apple Books for Authors. This platform serves as a valuable resource for authors interested in self-publishing or for publishing companies seeking to submit content. It offers a wealth of instructions and guidance on various aspects of ebook creation, with contributions from bestselling authors, including videos that delve into their personal workflows. By exploring this portal, authors can gain insights into the sales reporting system and learn effective book marketing strategies. For those looking to directly submit an ebook to the Apple Book Store, a new publishing tool is now available. Simply log in to iTunes Connect or register a new account, upload the metadata and book files, and start selling without delay.
2019. Kobo Writing Life now accepts Audiobook submissions
Writing Life serves as the self-publishing division of Kobo, enabling authors to submit their ebooks for distribution across various markets where Kobo offers digital content, spanning a significant portion of the globe. Independent authors now have a convenient platform through the user-friendly dashboard to effortlessly upload, promote, and sell their audiobooks. They can also customize pricing and select the countries in which they wish to make their audiobooks available. While the roll-out of this feature is currently undergoing beta testing, it will soon be accessible to all users. Initially, audiobook capabilities are accessible for English language titles, with plans to expand availability to additional languages by the end of 2019. Kobo Writing Life competes with other self-publishing platforms such as Audible, Findaway Voices, Draft2digital, and several others in the market.
2018. Apple iBooks is making it easy for publishers to earn commission
Apple introduced a new toolbox for their iBooks program a few months ago, enabling book bloggers, YouTubers, authors, and content publishers to incorporate various elements such as audiobooks, books, badges, app icons, or basic text links into their websites, blogs, or newsletters. The recent addition to the Apple Books Toolbox is a valuable feature that allows users to easily create interactive audiobook preview widgets. Users can select any audiobook available on Apple Books, customize the dimensions, and obtain the embed code to display on a website or newsletter. These widgets enable users to listen to a sample of the audiobook, providing a glimpse into the production quality. Publishers earn a commission if someone purchases an audiobook from Apple.
2017. iBooks Author gets new tools
Apple has recently rolled out an update for its ebook creation software, iBooks Author, introducing several new features. Notably, users can now easily incorporate images and videos from the Mac photo management app, Photos. Additionally, the update includes minor changes, such as support for wide color gamut images. Despite these improvements, many individuals have transitioned to alternative digital publishing applications. The primary reason for this shift is that iBooks Author is exclusively compatible with Apple products and does not function with online retailers like Amazon and Google. Consequently, some have criticized Apple for seemingly neglecting the digital publishing sector. Furthermore, the latest iOS update has removed the subcategories within the "Magazines & Newspapers" section, making it exceedingly challenging to discover new digital edition apps.