iBooks Author

iBooks Author (iBA) is an e-book authoring application by Apple Inc. Books created with iBooks Author export as ".ibooks" files and can be published to the Apple iBooks Store, or they may be exported as PDF.

iBooks Author
Original author(s)Apple Inc.
Initial releaseJanuary 19, 2012 (2012-01-19)
Stable release
2.6.1[1] / September 24, 2018 (2018-09-24)
Operating systemOS X 10.11 or later[1]
Size419 MB
Available in29 Languages
TypeWord processor, Desktop publishing, Digital distribution
LicenseProprietary freeware
Websitewww.apple.com/ibooks-author/

Apple released iBooks Author on January 19, 2012 at an education-focused special event in New York City.[2] Simultaneously, Apple also released iBooks 2 and a new iBooks Bookstore category for textbooks.[3] The software is proprietary and available only for macOS. Apple offers it for free download in the Mac App Store.

Apple describes iBooks Author as a tool for "educators and smaller publishers to create their own books".[2] Documents created by iBooks Author may only be sold for a fee if they are accepted by and distributed by Apple,[4][5] but authors also have the option to distribute their work anywhere if the work is being distributed for free.[6]

Many aspects of a document may be edited in WYSIWYG fashion, including text, fonts, colors, foreground and background images, interactive widgets, and charts. Tables of contents and glossaries may be managed with some automation. The user interface and editing features have been described as nearly identical to Apple's Keynote and Pages products.[7]

Apple clarified its position on rights of ebooks generated by iBooks Author on Feb 3, 2012 to address some controversy that its ebooks could be sold only through the Apple Bookstore, specifying that only books carrying the .ibooks suffix were subject to such restrictions.[8] Apple also specified that the use of the software to create text or PDF files are within the terms of its user agreement. To offer your book on the iBookstore, an International Standard Book Number, or ISBN, is recommended but not required. An ISBN is a standardized identifier for books and is necessary for industry-wide sales charts and data sharing. Note that you can only provide an ISBN during the initial book delivery.[9]

The output of iBooks Author is a proprietary Apple file format similar to the EPUB standard, but with extensions that prevent it from being universally readable or editable as an EPUB document.[10] The format uses undocumented, proprietary XML namespaces and undocumented extensions to CSS.[11]

A new version of iBooks Author was released on October 23, 2012. It includes embedded fonts, mathematical equation rendering, and more interactivity options.[12] On October 22, 2013, iBooks Author received another update which included compatibility with OS X Mavericks.

On October 16, 2014, Apple updated iBooks Author to version 2.2, adding several new features,[13] namely EPUB import, InDesign IDML import, and the addition of a blank template for ease of use.[14][15]

On June 30, 2015, Apple updated iBooks Author to version 2.3, adding two significant new features: iPhone compatibility for Multi-Touch Format books created in iBooks Author, and export of EPUB-format books created in iBooks Author.[16][17] Further, the terms and conditions of iBooks Author were changed to allow iBooks Author users to monetize EPUB-format books exported out of iBooks Author any way they choose.[18]

On October 7, 2015, Apple updated iBooks Author to version 2.4, adding minor updates including the new ability of EPUB-format books created in iBooks Author to use the Pop-Over widget, as well as minor enhancements to the interface and to EPUB-format book function.[19] Version 2.5 was released in late 2016.

iBooks Author adoption[20] has grown since version 2.2's release[21] leading to the creation of the iBooks Author Conference which has taken place in Nashville, Tennessee,[22] in October 2015 [23][24][25] and October 2016.[26] A follow-up conference for 2017 has been announced,[27] keynoted by NASA astrophysicist Dr. Scott Bolton.

References
  1. "Mac App Store - iBooks Author". Apple Inc. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
  2. Chloe Albanesius (January 19, 2012). "Apple Targets Educators Via iBooks 2, iBooks Author, iTunes U App". PCMag.com.
  3. Josh Lowensohn (January 19, 2012). "Apple unveils iBooks 2 for digital textbooks, self-pub app (live blog)". CNET.
  4. "If you publish with iBooks Author, does Apple 'own' you?". Los Angeles Times. January 20, 2012.
  5. Gary Marshall (January 20, 2012). "Hands on: iBooks Author review". TechRadar.com.
  6. Apple modifies EULA for iBooks: Lays no claim to content, allows authors to distribute elsewhere. 9to5Mac. Retrieved February 4, 2012.
  7. Dilger, Daniel. "First Look: Apple's new iBooks Author". Apple Insider. Retrieved January 22, 2012.
  8. "Apple updates iBooks Author license, clarifies sales restrictions". Macworld. February 3, 2012. Retrieved November 14, 2015.
  9. "Four open questions about iBooks Author". Macworld. January 20, 2012. Retrieved November 14, 2015.
  10. Bott, Ed (January 22, 2012). "How Apple is sabotaging an open standard for digital books". ZDNet. Retrieved January 30, 2012.
  11. Daniel Glazman (January 20, 2012). "iBooks Author, a nice tool but." www.glazman.org. Retrieved February 6, 2012.
  12. Caldwell, Serenity (October 23, 2012). "Apple reveals updated iBooks Author with portrait-only orientation". Macworld. Retrieved October 23, 2012.
  13. "iBooks Author updated with ePub and InDesign importer, and more". October 17, 2014. Retrieved October 17, 2014.
  14. "iBooks Author Gains New Import Options". Retrieved November 14, 2015.
  15. "Apple updates iBooks Author, adds in support for importing ePub and InDesign files". October 17, 2014. Retrieved November 14, 2015.
  16. "Apple releases update to iBooks Author with added iPhone support via ePub templates". June 30, 2015. Retrieved November 14, 2015.
  17. "Correction: iBooks Author Updated, Can Now Make and Export Epub3 Files". The Digital Reader. July 2015. Retrieved November 14, 2015.
  18. "iBooks Author 2.3 adds support for ePub 3, opens up ebook creation to anyone". iMore. July 14, 2015. Retrieved November 14, 2015.
  19. "iBooks Author 2.4". Retrieved November 14, 2015.
  20. "17 Ways to Use iBooks Author Right Now".
  21. "iBooks Author enjoying a newfound renaissance". Retrieved November 14, 2015.
  22. "米国で第1回「The iBooks Author Conference」開催、日本のアニメ原画集「セロ弾きのゴーシュ 資料集」が受賞". Retrieved November 14, 2015.
  23. "The iBooks Author Conference - October 8–9 - Nashville, Tennessee". Retrieved November 14, 2015.
  24. Chris Well. "Media from the 2015 iBooks Author Conference". DIY Author. Archived from the original on November 17, 2015. Retrieved November 14, 2015.
  25. Ayumi Fukuda Bennett. "Apple, NASA, Southwest headed to Nashville for iBooks Author Conference". SouthernAlpha. Archived from the original on November 17, 2015. Retrieved November 14, 2015.
  26. "iBooks Author Conference 2016". Eventbrite. Retrieved November 14, 2015.
  27. "iBooks Author Conference 2017". Eventbrite. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
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