What you need before you start
Everything below is one-time account work. Apple will not let you set a price on a paid book until the tax and banking sections are complete, so do them before you upload anything.
An Apple ID
Apple Books for Authors runs on a standard Apple ID at authors.apple.com. Use one you control long term, because it becomes the owner of the publisher account and the books under it.
The paid books agreement
Free books need only the free agreement. Selling a book requires the paid books agreement, which unlocks the pricing and payment sections of the account.
Tax forms
Enter your tax identification number: a SSN or EIN in the US, or the equivalent plus a treaty declaration elsewhere. Apple states that processing of your banking information does not complete until the required tax forms for the paid agreement have been submitted.
A bank account
Royalties are deposited directly, so add the account that will receive them. This is part of the same agreements, tax and banking section as the forms above.
An ISBN decision
You do not need an ISBN-13 to publish on Apple Books, but if you have one, have it ready: it can only be entered the first time you submit the book. Using an Apple-supplied identifier is fine for an Apple-only edition; use your own ISBN if you want your imprint listed as publisher of record across every store.
Which AIWriteBook files go where
Apple Books is an ebook-only store, so two of your export files do all the work.
EPUB
This is the manuscript. Apple accepts EPUB 2.0.1 and EPUB 3.x, and does not accept Word documents or PDFs.
eBook cover JPG
This is the cover art, uploaded separately from the EPUB and used for the store listing. Apple checks its pixel dimensions and aspect ratio.
DOCX
Not accepted by Apple. Keep it for editing.
Print PDF
Not used. Apple Books does not sell print editions, so the print files go to KDP, IngramSpark or Lulu instead.
Wrap cover PDF
Not used, for the same reason. Apple wants the front cover only.
Exact file and metadata specs
Apple's asset checks run at upload, so a file that violates one of these is rejected before a human ever sees the book.
| Manuscript format | EPUB 2.0.1 or EPUB 3.x. Books built in Apple Pages can also be published directly from Pages, but EPUB is the portable choice because the same file works on every other store. |
|---|---|
| Cover dimensions | At least 1,400 pixels on the shorter side, in a 3:4 width-to-height ratio, which makes 1,400 x 1,873 pixels the practical minimum. |
| Cover format | JPEG or PNG in the RGB colour space. CMYK artwork intended for print has to be converted before upload. |
| ISBN | Optional. If you have one, enter it on the first submission, because the field cannot be changed afterwards. Leaving it blank lets Apple identify the book with its own identifier. |
| Title and author | Entered on the metadata screen and shown exactly as typed in the store. Match them to the cover art. |
| Description | Store copy for the listing. Write it as a blurb; it is the only sales text on the product page. |
| Category and audience | You set the subject category, the interest age and the book language on the metadata screen. Interest age is what drives the store's age filtering. |
| Sample | Apple takes a free sample alongside the full file. The sample is what a browsing reader reads first, so check that it starts at the story rather than in the front matter. |
| First review | A first submission from a new account can take up to about two weeks while the account itself is vetted. |
| Later reviews | Once the account is established, later submissions typically clear in one to three business days. |
The submission walkthrough, screen by screen
Apple's web flow is short: assets, then metadata, then pricing, then deliver. The account work in steps 1 and 2 is the part that takes real time.
- 1
Sign in and choose your publisher identity
Go to authors.apple.com and sign in with your Apple ID. Set your publisher or author name, which is the identity attached to everything you deliver from this account.
Click: Sign In, then complete your account profile.
- 2
Accept the agreements and finish tax and banking
Open the agreements, tax and banking section. Accept the paid books agreement, submit your tax forms, then add bank details. Banking will not finish processing until the tax forms for the paid agreement are in.
Click: Agreements, Tax, and Banking > Request Paid Books agreement.
- 3
Start a new book
From the publishing area, click Submit a New Book, then Continue to begin providing your assets.
Click: Submit a New Book > Continue.
- 4
Upload the EPUB, cover and sample
Provide your EPUB file, your cover art and the sample. Apple validates the EPUB and the cover dimensions immediately and tells you if either fails.
Upload: EPUB file, cover art, sample.
- 5
Enter the core metadata
Type the book title, the author name and the description. Add subtitle, series and contributors if they apply to your book.
Fields: Title, Author, Description, Series, Contributors.
- 6
Set category, interest age and language
Choose the subject category that matches the book, set the interest age, and confirm the book language. Then continue to the next screen.
Fields: Category, Interest Age, Language. Click: Continue.
- 7
Enter the ISBN if you have one
If you own an ISBN-13 for this edition, enter it now. You can only enter it on this first submission, so do not leave it for later.
Field: ISBN-13 (first submission only).
- 8
Choose territories and price
Set the price and select the territories where the book is for sale. Apple sells in many countries and you can restrict that list if your rights are limited.
Fields: Price, Territories.
- 9
Set the publication date
Choose whether the book goes on sale as soon as it clears review or on a scheduled date. A scheduled date gives you a launch you can announce with confidence.
Field: Publication / on-sale date.
- 10
Deliver the book
Review everything, then click Deliver to submit. The book enters review and appears in My Books with its status, where you can track progress and find its Apple ID.
Click: Deliver.
Royalty, pricing and payment
Apple's commercial terms are the shortest section in this whole series, because there is only one rate.
| Royalty rate | A flat 70% of the sale price, on every sale, regardless of what you price the book at. There is no lower band and no delivery-cost deduction. |
|---|---|
| Pricing freedom | Because the rate does not change with price, you can price a short work low or a reference book high without losing a percentage point. That is a genuine difference from Amazon and Kobo. |
| Payment timing | Royalties are paid 45 days after the end of each monthly reporting period. |
| Payment method | Direct deposit to the bank account in your account settings, which is why the banking section must be complete before you can price a paid book. |
| Free books | You can publish a free book under the free agreement alone, which is a common way to run a series starter or a reader magnet. |
| Territories | You choose the countries where the book is sold, so rights restrictions can be honoured by deselecting territories rather than by pulling the book. |
Proofing and common rejections
Apple rejects on assets far more often than on content. Each of these is caught at upload or in the first review.
Cover too small or the wrong shape
Under 1,400 pixels on the short side, or not in a 3:4 ratio, and the upload fails. Export the cover again at 1,400 x 1,873 pixels or larger rather than scaling the existing file up.
Cover in CMYK
Print-ready cover art is usually CMYK, and Apple wants RGB. Convert the colour space before uploading; the visible difference is small, the validation difference is absolute.
Invalid EPUB
An EPUB that fails validation, has broken internal links or a missing navigation document is refused. Re-export from your source rather than hand-editing the package.
Metadata does not match the cover
Title and author in the form must match the cover art. A subtitle that appears on the cover but not in the metadata is enough to be sent back.
Pricing blocked because the account is incomplete
If the tax forms or bank details are missing, the price fields stay unavailable. This reads like a bug and is not one; finish the agreements, tax and banking section.
ISBN entered too late
The ISBN field is only editable on the first submission. If you publish without one and later want your own ISBN on the record, you are looking at a new edition rather than an edit.
Sample starts in the front matter
Not a rejection, but it costs sales. Check what Apple's sample actually shows and, if it is three pages of copyright notice, move the front matter or adjust the sample.
After the book is live
Once the status in My Books turns to live, there are a few things worth doing immediately.
Find your Apple ID for the book
Every title gets an Apple ID, shown on the book detail page in My Books. It is what you use to build direct links to the book and to reference the title in support requests.
Build a direct store link
Apple publishes a link format for pointing readers straight at a book. Use it in your newsletter and on your site rather than making readers search the store.
Update rather than resubmit
Corrections to the EPUB, the cover or the metadata are delivered as an update to the same title. Submitting the book again as a new title splits its reviews and sales history.
Watch the first sales report
Reports appear per territory. Because the royalty is flat, your only real levers are price and territory, so read the reports by country before changing anything.
Pair it with the other stores
Apple Books is non-exclusive. Most authors run it alongside Kobo, Google Play and Amazon, or reach it through an aggregator if they would rather manage one dashboard.
Questions people actually ask
Do I need a Mac to publish on Apple Books?+
No. Apple Books for Authors is a web tool at authors.apple.com and works from any browser. Publishing directly from Apple Pages is an option, not a requirement.
Do I need an ISBN?+
No. You can publish without one, and Apple will identify the book with its own identifier. If you want your own ISBN on the record, enter it on the first submission, because the field is locked afterwards.
What royalty does Apple pay?+
A flat 70% of the sale price on every sale, at any price, with no delivery-cost deduction. Royalties are paid 45 days after the end of each month.
How long does review take?+
A first submission from a new account can take up to around two weeks. After the account is established, later submissions typically clear in one to three business days.
Can I sell the same book on Amazon?+
Yes, unless you have enrolled the digital edition in KDP Select, which requires Amazon exclusivity for 90 days. Without Select, Apple Books sits happily alongside every other store.
Why can I not enter a price?+
Almost always because the paid books agreement, the tax forms or the bank details are not finished. Complete the agreements, tax and banking section and the pricing fields open up.
The bottom line
Apple Books is the least fussy store on terms and the most particular on assets. A flat 70% at any price removes every pricing calculation, and in exchange Apple expects a valid EPUB and a cover that meets its dimensions exactly.
Do the account work first, in one sitting, and the actual submission takes minutes. If you wrote the book in AIWriteBook, the EPUB from the Export step and the cover JPG from the Format step are the only two files you need.
Complete guides for every other store
Seven platforms, seven walkthroughs. Each one covers the files, the form fields, the royalties and the rejections for that store.
Write the book, then put it in the Apple Books store
AIWriteBook drafts your book chapter by chapter, designs the cover, and exports the EPUB and cover image Apple Books asks for.
No credit card required. First chapter on the house.