A complete guide to publishing, distributing, and optimizing your eBook on Apple Books — one of the world’s largest digital reading platforms.
Apple Books gives authors access to millions of iPhone, iPad, and Mac users worldwide. While Amazon dominates market share, Apple Books attracts a premium audience within the Apple ecosystem.
Publishing on Apple Books can diversify your income and reduce dependency on a single platform.
If you are creating books with modern AI publishing tools, start with our AI eBook Creator guide to learn how authors are producing professional eBooks faster than ever.
Apple Books (formerly iBooks) is Apple's digital bookstore available on iOS and macOS devices.
Authors publish through Apple Books Connect and distribute directly to readers inside the Apple ecosystem.
To publish directly, you must register with Apple Books Connect and complete tax and banking information.
Alternatively, you can use an aggregator like Draft2Digital to distribute to Apple Books and other platforms simultaneously.
Apple prefers EPUB format for eBooks. Proper formatting ensures compatibility across iPhones, iPads, and Macs.
Review our guide on exporting and formatting your eBook before submission.
Just like Amazon, your metadata determines discoverability. Optimize:
Apple typically offers a 70% royalty rate in most regions.
Unlike Amazon, Apple Books has less internal discoverability. Marketing efforts are essential:
Build a repeatable publishing system using our eBook workflow guide .
Amazon provides unmatched reach while Apple Books provides diversification and premium ecosystem access.
Smart publishers use both platforms to expand market coverage and reduce platform risk.
Learn the strategy in our Launch vs Publish guide .
The strongest digital publishing businesses diversify across Amazon, Apple Books, and direct sales platforms.
Explore additional platforms in our guide on where to sell eBooks online .
Write, format, and export your EPUB file using a streamlined publishing workflow.
Start Creating with eBook Creator AI