iBooks Japan Store
If I use iBooks author can I sell the books I make in the iBooks store in Japan?
If I use iBooks author can I sell the books I make in the iBooks store in Japan?
See Is iBooks available in every country with an App Store?
Sorry. Somehow that link doesn't seem to be working on my computer...
Currently there are 32 stores where you can have your books sold but none are in Asia. You can ask Apple to expand it here:
Japan is not in one of the 32 stores that you can sell iBooks to.
The stores are in US, UK, Canada, Australia and EU countries.
If you want to sell Japanese books, I don't see why you couldn't just publish books that are in Japanese through the U.S. iBookstore.
I searched for "日本語" in the U.S. store and didn't get any results, but when I searched "Español" I got plenty. So apparently there's no rule that dictates you can't publish books of other languages in the U.S. store, or any other country's store for that matter.
Japanese customers would have to create U.S. Apple IDs to purchase your books but it's better than not having any Japanese iBooks available - which is the way it is now.
Besides, many people already have multiple Apple IDs for different countries out of necessity because people can't always find what they're looking for in their home country's iTunes/iBooks store.
(※_※) wrote:
Japanese customers would have to create U.S. Apple IDs to purchase your books but it's better than not having any Japanese iBooks available - which is the way it is now.
That's not all that easy to do because it requires a credit card with a US billing address.
Michi.
Sometimes it might not be possible. I am not sure about whether there is a Japanese option in iTunes Connect - but there isn't a Chinese option there, so I can't even upload a Chinese book. I tried 2 Chinese books - one just waiting forever (OK, about 3 months now), and the other I have to make it looks like a "Learn Chinese" book with English title to get it through.
Apple did care about what you put up in the US Store.
It is easy to have US credit card for Japanese people, actually.
There is no Japanese option neither. I am trying to publish a book that is written by the Great East Japan Earth Quake victims themselves, but I am able to publish English translated version only. No good...
ynaoto wrote:
It is easy to have US credit card for Japanese people, actually.
Is it. Let me in the secret please! 🙂
I would have thought that quite difficult: need to open an account with a US bank, establish a credit history with them, provide SSN, have a US billing address… Are there proxy services for this kind of thing?
Michi.
Actually it's quite easy. The only thing needed is an iTunes Gift Card (search: アメリカ itunes ギフトカード購入) and a U.S. Apple ID (which is free to create). You will need to provide a U.S. address and phone number when you set up your Apple ID, but you can just enter the info of a friend who lives in the States. That's what I did when I set up my Japanese Apple ID - just entered my Japanese friend's info. Or even a hotel address or some random address will work. It's not like Apple is actually going to mail or call you. :-)
A normal Japanese reader probably won't go through all these just to get a Japanese book in US iBookstore.
Does it show an error, or the "publish" option disappears, or what? Please provide more details.
Well, the options are: either publish your Japanese ebook through the U.S. iBookstore or publish an .epub file from your own website (most sellers don't do this because of DRM complications), or just don't publish your Japanese ebook for Apple devices at all. I figure it's better to at least sell it through the U.S. store than to not sell it at all. Unfortunately, publishers are at Apple's mercy and since Apple hasn't provided any means of publication your only choices are to take matters into your own hands or give up entirely. And giving up is lame.
iBooks Japan Store