14 DAY TRIAL // iTunes Connect users, including e-book publishers, have received a message from the company headquartered at 1 Infinite Loop, Cupertino, California, informing them that promo codes are now available for iBookstore content. This and other new benefits offered to iBookstore publishers are detailed below.
People making a buck selling e-books through Apple’s iBookstore can now request promo codes from the Mac maker so that they can distribute free copies of their book to the press, or anyone else they believe deserves to receive the book for free.
Promo codes are generally used for App Store applications. Developers use these codes to offer free copies of their app to the media for review. The same can be done with books now.
Unfortunately, Apple hasn’t been specific about iBooks Textbooks getting their own promo codes. Hopefully, they will.
In addition to allowing publishers to yield promo codes for their iBookstore titles, Apple is now offering the possibility to submit screenshots (1024 x 768 pixels) to better promote their books.
The move is, again, replicated from the iTunes (iOS) App Store and Mac App Store where imagery is vital to promote an app. Undoubtedly, this will also pay off for any publisher selling a title in the iBookstore.
Last, but not least, publishers will now be able to announce pre-orders without submitting any assets to the iBookstore.
Users will be able to purchase any title at the time of announcement and download the book when Apple approves the finished binary.
Apple recently held an educational event in New York City where it announced iBooks 2 with interactive textbook support, and iBooks Author, a Mac application that enables anyone to create stunning e-books with audio and video for the company’s iOS platforms.
Readers can learn more about Apple’s recent developments in education here.