How I published my interactive ebook to the Apple Books store [Case Study]
Getting your ebook approved by Apple Books can be a pain in the butt. Apple can be extremely strict with requirements. But the great potential and users behind its stores makes it all worthwhile. In this post, we’re interviewing Mark Kroeze, from San Antonio Texas, who has lately published his interactive ebook Sleeping Time Series to the Apple Books store.
First tell us about yourself
I was raised on a farm in northern Minnesota, United States near the border of Canada. We worked hard on the farm and I always enjoyed the outdoors and the weekends when my father and I could go fishing. I graduated from the University of Minnesota and work as a forester for the State of Texas. My fiancé works as a Colon and Rectal Surgeon in Texas. My four year old son is a little nature boy too and we love our talking pet parrots!
What is your book about?
The book series puts your child and their friends at the center of the story by allowing the reader to insert their own names in the text boxes for the characters in the story. It is an outdoor adventure based series and the stories center on a child learning about the outdoors and exploring along the way.
What inspired you to write?
A parent reading to their child is a fundamental bonding and development opportunity. The current books on the market are often short and put someone else at the center of the story. I wanted a story that was longer, could be read on an iPad or iPhone, and would have new ideas for the parent to interact with their child. When telling stories to children, they really like it when you put their name in the story, so I thought that doing it with an ebook would be great for the parent to read on the phone while putting their children to bed.
Where can readers download or purchase your ebook?
The book series is available on the Apple Books button on any Apple product. Once you open Apple Books, you can type in ‘Mark Kroeze’ or ‘Sleep Time Adventure Series’ in the search function. The website is https://itun.es/us/0_q0ab.l
How did you find out about Kotobee?
I found Kotobee through searching on the internet for a publisher of Ebooks. The customization of the ‘Sleep Time Adventure Series’ required interactive computer coding that was above and beyond what I knew how to do. The rapid response from Kotobee with my questions and a draft of the coding was beyond my expectations and made it obvious that Kotobee would be able to deliver the product that I desired.
What is your favorite feature in Kotobee Author?
The programing was mastered by computer programmers so I can do what I like to do- write. The program buttons and organization are intuitive, and I didn’t have to spend any time learning it, because it made sense the first time I tried using it. The fact that Kotobee has figured out how to add interactive computer coding into the product is revolutionary for the reader. My favorite aspect is how Kotobee works with you to ensure you get what you want.
How was your experience so far with support?
Kotobee is operated literally on the other side of the ocean from Texas, but it feels like they are just one click away. The turn-around on document was literally hours and I don’t know if they sleep! In fact, it took Apple took over 6 weeks to explain the issue with iTunes Publisher and the EPUB file that was submitted, and once I forwarded the errors to Kotobee it was resolved in a couple of days. I would work with Kotobee through Facebook Messenger and email. I never experienced any misunderstanding our delays in communication.
Do you plan to use Kotobee again?
Absolutely, I couldn’t imagine a better collaborator than Kotobee and would use the word ‘life-changing’ to describe Kotobee. I use the word ‘life-changing’ because for a time I didn’t think it was possible to accomplish my dream of a customized book. This company is truly exceptional and I will be publishing the entire series of books through Kotobee. If you give them a try you will most likely have a similar experience, so long as you communicate what you want clearly and have a good idea of what you want to do.
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