Apple Books on the BookBird Author Score
Author Score · publishing platforms · #11 of 12
Best for: Authors adding Apple readers to wide ebook distribution
55.6 of 100 points = 5.6 out of 10. How this score is calculated
Author jobs, from Apple Books’s own pages
- Yes: Ebooks
- No: Paperbacks (no)
- No: Hardcovers (no)
- Yes: Free to publish
- Yes: Royalty rate stated
- Not stated: Non-exclusive (not stated)
- No: Distribution to other stores (no)
- No: Library distribution (no)
- Not stated: Free ISBN (not stated)
Apple Books pricing
The platform takes a share of sales. There is a free plan. The plans as Apple Books’s own site listed them on October 7, 2026, in US dollars:
- Publishing account: Free
Free sign-up. 70% royalty on every ebook regardless of price, no file delivery fees.
What Apple Books offers
From Apple Books’s own pages, checked on October 7, 2026:
- 70% ebook royalty at any price, with no delivery fees
- Free books allowed without restriction
- Upload EPUB from the web or publish straight from Pages
- Digital narration turns an ebook into an audiobook
- Promo codes for free copies
- Apple Affiliate tokens pay commission on Apple Books purchases from your links
Runs on: web. Needs an internet connection.
Who Apple Books suits, and what its pages do not say
Best for: Authors adding Apple readers to wide ebook distribution.
Not confirmed on Apple Books’s pages when we checked: paperbacks, hardcovers, non-exclusive, distribution to other stores, library distribution and free ISBN. That is what the vendor states, not a test; a feature can exist without being described, and the score only credits what is.
About 260 people a month search Google in the US for “apple books for authors”, up 98% over the past year (Google Ads data via DataForSEO).
Apple Books alternatives
| Software | Score | Price from | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon KDP | 9.9 | No upfront fee | Authors selling mainly on Amazon, including Kindle Unlimited readers |
| IngramSpark | 9.6 | No upfront fee | Authors wanting print books in bookstores and libraries beyond Amazon |
| Lulu | 9.2 | No upfront fee | Authors selling print books direct to readers as well as on Amazon |
| Draft2Digital | 7.9 | $12 a year | Authors going wide with ebooks who accept a small activation fee |
| Blurb | 7.8 | No upfront fee | Illustrated and photo-heavy books sold in print |
Compare: All publishing platforms · All software for authors
Apple Books questions
How much does Apple Books cost?
No upfront fee.
What does Apple Books run on?
web, according to its own site.
How the score is computed: the formula, step by step. Prices and features were read from Apple Books’s own site on October 7, 2026; nobody pays to be listed.