Along with iBooks 2, Apple also unveiled iBooks Author, which is a Mac application that will enable content creators to create and publish multi-touch digital texbooks for the iPad.
Apple aims to reinvent textbooks with iBooks 2 and iBooks Author by bringing a new textbook experience for the iPad. iBooks Author is also now available in the Mac App Store.iBooks Author includes the following features:
Apple-designed templates
- Give your book a great beginning with templates that include a choice of page designs with matching fonts, colors, and textures
- Easily customize your book with text and images, create new layouts, and even save a custom template
- Use the Book Navigator to organize your book and add a cover and table of contents
Beautiful text and layouts
- Use a variety of text styles in each template to give your book a rich yet consistent look
- Add text, shapes, charts, tables, and media anywhere on the page
- Import a chapter written in Pages or Microsoft Word and apply a great-looking layout from your current template
- Add any word to the glossary with a single click and easily include photos, images, charts, tables, and shapes next to any definition
- Automatically create a portrait view of your book, which allows readers to focus on the text
Multi-Touch widgets
- Choose from a variety of widgets that add Multi-Touch interactivity to your book
- Add a photo gallery, chapter review, movie, Keynote presentation, interactive image with callouts, 3D object, or custom HTML anywhere in your book
- Widgets include placeholders for titles and captions and are automatically numbered so you can reference them in your main text
- Add accessibility descriptions to any widget so that it can be used by sight-impaired readers easily with VoiceOver
Export for iBookstore or iTunes U
- Preview your book in iBooks on an iPad to see how it looks and works
- Easily add a cover, video introduction, copyright page, dedication, and foreword
- Submit your book to the iBookstore for sale or free download with a few simple steps*
- Export your book in iBooks format to share on iTunes U or to give to others
- Create a version of your book as a PDF file
Here are some of the requirements for iBooks Author to work properly:
- Keynote ’09 (v5.1.1 or later) is required for Keynote widgets
- iBooks 2 is required for previewing
- iTunes 10.5.3 is required for syncing
The best thing is iBooks Author is available for free in the Mac App Store and you can download it using this link.
Amazing, I have been waiting for this. Just imagine a book that caters to all different learning types.
Auditory learners: can listen to their book read to them
Visual Learners: have media to focus on.
Tactile learners: Have media they can manipulate to learn.
WOW. The future!