iBooks Author: The Beginning of the End for Printed Books?

       How many children have their parents read them books when they are first learning how to read, and dream of growing up to be an author? Now that dream is much easier to attain. Apple has created a program called iBooks Author, which allows anyone with an iPad to create a book available to others with an iPad. iBooks Author has many interesting features, most importantly that anyone can make a book. It is not necessary to have a connection with a publishing company. There are many great features that are integrated with iBooks Author, including the ability to easily put pictures on pages of the book straight from the internet, or, since the books created are e-Books, there can be meaningful links right from the text.

The books on iBooks Author are incredibly versatile
        The books have almost identical features to Microsoft products, with many templates and widgets available for insertion into the book. The books can be very interactive, with tables and charts easily added for factual support as well as visual stimulation. Books can contain entire photo albums, mathematical equations, and full color backgrounds that are more or less unavailable to books made for print. If the author wants it to read like a novel, it can read like a novel. If the author wants it to read like a cookbook full of recipes and pictures of the food it describes, it can do that too. The only limitation is that the program is only available to people with an iPad, and the books are only available for viewing on iPads.

Apple restricts the sale of the published iBooks     
       The distribution and sale of the e-Books created using the iBooks Author program is where the whole operation gets a bit tricky. The book may be distributed to anyone at any time at any location if the book is being distributed for free. However, if the author wants to make money off of his or her product, he or she must purchase an ISBN number for the book, essentially publishing it. The book also must only be sold in the Apple Bookstore, and cannot be sold anywhere else. An application must be sent to the Bookstore, which must be approved by Apple administration before sales can begin.

Should authors write books using iBooks Author?
       There are pros and cons to pursuing an authorship on iBooks Author. It is very easy to create the book. It can be customized, with almost any effect imaginable. It can even be converted into pdf format to make it easier to open. Anyone can create one, and it is free to make it. However, if one is serious about publishing a book, he or she may want to consider other options. Many people do not have iPads, so the market for the book will be severely limited. Also, since many of the iBooks created are free, many people who are in the market for reading the iBooks are looking to read the ones that don't cost anything, and would not be interested in purchasing one. Lastly, the fact that the book must be sold directly through the Apple Bookstore severely limits the possibility of sales. While there are both pros and cons for creating a book on iBooks Author, it is clearly an impressive innovation that will revolutionize reading and could possibly be a step in getting rid of printed books for good.