This specification describes the Apple Audiobook Package format for delivering audiobook content to Apple Books. An Audiobook Package is a directory that contains the data necessary to describe a product: individual audio files, audiobook artwork, and the metadata describing the content. Each package represents a single audiobook within Apple Books.
Note: This Audiobooks Specification is based on the specification used to deliver music content. The structure used to deliver music uses the concepts of an "album" that consists of "tracks," as well as the concept of "artist." For audiobooks, the album represents the book and the track(s) represent the book’s audio files. Artists refer to the audiobook’s author and narrator, for example.
Audio and image files must be provided in very specific sizes and formats. For complete details and all requirements, see Audio Source Profile and Artwork Source Profile.
Package Format
All metadata and asset files must be delivered in the Audiobook Package format.
An Audiobook Package is a directory named vendor_identifier.itmsp containing:
an XML file named metadata.xml that describes the delivered content using the structure documented in this specification
digitally encoded source materials (audio, digital booklets), up to a maximum of 25 tracks per audiobook album
an associated image file
The name for the package directory is required to be the same as the vendor identifier used in the metadata file and should follow the format vendor_id.itmsp. The vendor identifier used in the package name must match the <vendor_id> provided in the accompanying XML file. The metadata XML file must be immediately (that is, at the top level) within the package directory. Vendor identifiers can only contain alphanumeric characters and the underscore mark ("_"); they cannot contain spaces, other punctuation or symbols, and must not start with an underscore. The vendor identifier is case-sensitive.
Metadata Details
Character Encoding
All metadata files must use UTF-8 Unicode character encoding. UTF-8 efficiently encodes non-Roman characters and helps to ensure that metadata displayed in Apple Books is the same as was intended by the repertoire owner. Your metadata file should not contain a byte-order mark (BOM) as it is not necessary for UTF-8 encoded data files nor is it supported by Apple Books at this time. Incorrectly encoded metadata files or files that include a BOM will cause delays or may prevent your content from importing.
Note that simply including encoding="UTF-8" in your XML declaration is not sufficient. The file itself must also be correctly encoded for accented characters and punctuation to appear correctly on Apple Books.
Checksums
All content files delivered to Apple Books must include an industry-standard MD5 checksum, a measure that helps to guarantee that the asset files received by Apple Books are correct and complete. Once received, the MD5 checksum contained in the metadata file (one for each asset file provided) is compared against the actual file received by Apple Books. If any differences are detected, the asset file and the entire corresponding package are rejected. See the Helpful Tools section of this document for tools that can generate MD5 checksums for your content.
XML Formatting
There should be no null data or empty tags in the XML (except where specifically mentioned in the annotations). The XML must be formatted to use line breaks and indentations as demonstrated in the examples included in this document. xmllint is a Unix command line tool that may be helpful to ensure that the provided XML is correctly formatted. Read the iTunes Schema Validation Guide for more information.
Audio Source Profile
The audiobook is delivered as an "album" and the <album_type> is audiobook to distinguish it from other content types. In the XML for the audiobook, the <album> tag represents the audiobook and the <track> tag within the <album> tag is used to deliver the track audio file. In this document, the term "track audio file" refers to an audio file that is less than 23 hours in length and it is delivered within one <track> tag. One <track> contains one audio file (see the following paragraphs for examples on how to handle longer audiobooks).
A track audio file can be a maximum of 23 hours in duration. Note that the 23-hour limit applies to one track; for longer audiobooks, you can deliver multiple tracks, and each track can be up to 23 hours long. If a single track audio file is longer than 23 hours, delivery will fail.
Keep the following in mind when delivering audiobook audio files:
Track audio files must have the same bit rate throughout; any variance may cause an error when the delivered package is processed by Apple.
If the duration of the audiobook is less than 23 hours, it must be delivered as a single track.
If the duration of the audiobook is 23 hours or longer, it must be delivered in multiple tracks.
When delivering multiple tracks, use the smallest possible number of tracks that adhere to the following requirements:
Each track must be under 23 hours in duration.
For books with multiple tracks, each track must be no less than 60 minutes in duration.
Audiobooks must consist of no more than 25 tracks.
Chapters must not span track boundaries.
Note: If your audiobook does not adhere to the specifications above, you will need to pre-process it before uploading to the store. For example, if your audiobook contains many short audio files, you will need to concatenate them into a smaller number of files, in adherence with the specifications above.
Important: If you are delivering MP3 files, and you need to concatenate them to adhere to the specifications above, you may need tools that Apple does not supply. See Concatenating MP3 Files to learn how to combine multiple audiobook MP3 files into a single track audio file.
Apple Books accepts audio with a sampling rate of 22.05kHz and 16-bit or greater or 96Khz with 24-bit resolution.
Track audio files must be provided in one of the audio formats in the table below, and must use the filename extension corresponding to the provided format.
Note: All other source formats listed are preferable to MP3.
Note: .mp3 files that are upscaled to .wav files will be rejected.
Artwork Source Profile
All images must conform to the following:
JPEG with .jpg or .jpeg extension (quality unconstrained) or PNG with .png extension (100% quality)
Color space: RGB (screen standard)
3000 x 3000 pixels minimum
Images must be square
1:1 aspect ratio
Important: CMYK (print standard) images will not be accepted.
Audiobooks Profile
Overview
This specification describes the Apple Audiobook Package format for delivering audiobook content to Apple Books. An Audiobook Package is a directory that contains the data necessary to describe a product: individual audio files, audiobook artwork, and the metadata describing how to put it all together. Each package represents a single audiobook within Apple Books.
Note: This Audiobooks Specification is based on the specification used to deliver music content to Apple Music. The structure used to deliver music uses the concepts of an "album" that consists of "tracks," as well as the concept of "artist." For audiobooks, the album represents the book and the track(s) represent the book’s audio files. Artists refer to the audiobook’s author and narrator, for example. See Audio Source Profile for more information audio source requirements.
For questions regarding this document, contact your Apple Technical Representative.
Basic Audiobook Metadata Example
The Audiobook Package profile is used for the delivery of audiobooks. Each package represents a single downloadable audiobook within Apple Books. It is not possible to combine content from different packages or to deliver source assets in segments.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><package xmlns="http://apple.com/itunes/importer" version="music5.3"> <language>en</language> <provider>AppleseedBooks</provider> <album> <album_type>audiobook</album_type> <vendor_id>9781106701657</vendor_id> <title>Dracula (Unabridged)</title> <original_release_date>2009-01-05</original_release_date> <label_name>Apple Publishing Group</label_name> <genres> <genre code="CLASSICS-00"/> </genres> <copyright_pline>2008 Apple Publishing Group</copyright_pline> <copyright_cline>2008 Apple Publishing Group</copyright_cline> <artwork_files> <file> <file_name>cover.jpg</file_name> <size>56723</size> <checksum type="md5">58a9947e2e5de47bc3039092964ad3a3</checksum> </file> </artwork_files> <description format="html"><![CDATA[Dracula is the seminal gothic horror novel of its time as Bram Stoker introduced the world to the legendary vampire Count Dracula. Published in 1897 and told through a series of diary entries and letters, the story journeys into the dark world of Count Dracula through the eyes of several different narrators. The novel explores many themes, the role of women in Victorian culture, conventional and conservative sexuality, immigration, colonialism, post colonialism and folklore. Irish author Abraham "Bram" Stoker (1847 - 1912) was a writer of novels and short stories. He was also the personal assistant of the actor Henry Irving and the business manager of the Lyceum Theatre in London, which Irving owned.]]></description> <products> <product> <territory>AU</territory> <wholesale_price_tier>3</wholesale_price_tier> <sales_start_date>2009-01-05</sales_start_date> <cleared_for_sale>true</cleared_for_sale> </product> <product> <territory>GB</territory> <wholesale_price_tier>3</wholesale_price_tier> <sales_start_date>2009-01-05</sales_start_date> <cleared_for_sale>true</cleared_for_sale> </product> </products> <artists> <artist> <artist_name>Bram Stoker</artist_name> <apple_id>2683478</apple_id> <roles> <role>Author</role> </roles> <primary>true</primary> </artist> <artist> <artist_name>Christopher Saul</artist_name> <apple_id>301336965</apple_id> <roles> <role>Narrator</role> </roles> <primary>false</primary> </artist> </artists> <tracks> <track> <type>audiobook</type> <vendor_id>9781106701657_1</vendor_id> <title>Dracula Track 1 (Unabridged)</title> <label_name>Apple Publishing Group</label_name> <explicit_content>none</explicit_content> <track_number>1</track_number> <audio_file> <file_name>9781106701657_1.wav</file_name> <size>172149800</size> <checksum type="md5">2e669877c1913f59c6686a86b4d84d1d</checksum> </audio_file> <audio_language>en</audio_language> <preview_start_index>240</preview_start_index> <artists> <artist> <artist_name>Bram Stoker</artist_name> <apple_id>2683478</apple_id> <roles> <role>Author</role> </roles> <primary>true</primary> </artist> <artist> <artist_name>Christopher Saul</artist_name> <apple_id>301336965</apple_id> <roles> <role>Narrator</role> </roles> <primary>false</primary> </artist> </artists> <chapters> <chapter> <chapter_start_time>00:00:00.000</chapter_start_time> <chapter_title>Chapter 1 - Jonathan Harker’s Journal</chapter_title> </chapter> <chapter> <chapter_start_time>02:00:08.567</chapter_start_time> <chapter_title>Chapter 2 - Jonathan Harker’s Journal Continued</chapter_title> </chapter> <chapter> <chapter_start_time>03:59:40.321</chapter_start_time> <chapter_title>Chapter 3 - Jonathan Harker’s Journal Continued</chapter_title> </chapter> <!-- additional chapters here as needed --> </chapters> </track> <!-- additional tracks here as needed --> </tracks> </album></package>
Basic Audiobook Metadata Annotated
Package Metadata Fields
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
XML Declaration (required)
The character encoding of your document must be defined.
Apple Books only accepts UTF-8 encoding as it efficiently encodes non-Roman characters.
Important: The metadata.xml file must not contain a byte-order mark (BOM).
The xmlns (for XML namespace) attribute is required and is needed for schema validation. It is used to declare the namespace (and associated schema) to which the tags in the XML are expected to conform. The namespace must be:
http://apple.com/itunes/importer
The version attribute is required. Packages created to this specification must indicate version="music5.3". The “music” portion of the attribute must be in lowercase letters.
<language>en</language>
Language (required)
The primary language of the metadata for this package. Fields such as title are expected to appear in this language.
As a best practice when specifying a language, use the region subtag (for example, the US of en-US) only when it conveys helpful information, such as spelling variations between countries. See Language Codes for more information.
The language codes are formatted according to the best practices recommended by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) in a group of documents known collectively as BCP 47, and in particular, RFC 5646, which is part of BCP 47. For an overview of these best practices, see https://www.w3.org/International/articles/language-tags/.
Provider Metadata Fields
<provider>AppleseedBooks</provider>
Provider (required, Apple-supplied)
This value should be the Apple-defined provider name used for partner identification.
Album Metadata Fields
<album>
Album (required)
Begins the album block to describe the audiobook and its contents.
<album_type>audiobook</album_type>
Album Type (required)
Specifies that the “album” being delivered is an audiobook. You must indicate the type as audiobook to distinguish it from other content types.
<vendor_id>9781106701657</vendor_id>
Audiobook Vendor ID (required)
The permanent value that uniquely identifies this audiobook separately from any other audiobook given by the same provider. Apple strongly recommends using the audiobook 13-digit ISBN-13 identifier for easier content management. The <vendor_id> cannot be updated.
Important: If another form of vendor identifier is provided, it can only contain alphanumeric characters and underscores ("_"). Packages delivered with identifiers containing other characters are rejected.
<title>Dracula (Unabridged)</title>
Audiobook Title (required; can be updated, but may require a ticket; seeContent Update Behavior)
The title of the audiobook in the primary language of the package (as delivered in the <language> tag).
If an audiobook has a title version, it should be included in the audiobook title in parentheses "( )." Generally, the title version is used to distinguish different versions of the same audiobook (for example, "Abridged," "Unabridged," or “Original Staging”). If the audiobook does not have a different version, do not include this information in the metadata.
For single-byte characters (such as those drawn from the ASCII character set), there is a limit of 256 characters for album titles. For multiple-byte characters (for example, Japanese), the limit is 1024 bytes, which can equate to as many as 256 characters.
Original Release Date (required; can be updated but may require a ticket; seeContent Update Behavior)
The original date of the first consumer-available physical audiobook release (cassette, 8-track, CD, or other physical media). This is not the digital release date, unless this audiobook has not previously been released on any format. This is the field presented to the user on Apple Books.
This field is cosmetic only and does not impact "available date" or "street date" on Apple Books. For audiobooks that are re-releases (for example, re-mastered, or releases on new media types such as CD, digital, and so on), do not use the date of re-release.
This field must be in YYYY-MM-DD format. If the <original_release_date> is more than 90 days later than the earliest <sales_start_date>, the package is rejected.
<label_name>Apple Publishing Group</label_name>
Label Name (required; can be updated)
The name of the publisher that released the audiobook.
<genres>
<genre code="CLASSICS-00"/>
</genres>
Audiobook Genres (required; can be updated, but may require a ticket; see Content Update Behavior)
Genres to associate with the audiobook. Apple recommends defining at least one, but no more than two genres.
All audiobook genres have an Apple genre code, which is supplied using the attribute named code used with the <genre> tag. The code attribute is required. The genre must be specified using following format:
Important: Genre information may be reassigned at the discretion of Apple Books.
<copyright_pline>2008 Apple Publishing Group</copyright_pline>
Audiobook Copyright P-Line (optional; can be updated)
Performance copyright line for the audiobook. Must be in the form YYYY copyright info as in the example. Do not add the p-line symbol (℗) or “p”; it is added automatically. Some audiobooks don't have this P-line available. Remove this tag if this is the case.
<copyright_cline>2008 Apple Publishing Group</copyright_cline>
Audiobook artwork is required, and you must provide the <file_name>, <size>, and <checksum>. The file name can contain only alphanumeric characters (A-Z, a-z, 0-9) and these symbols: underscore ("_"), dash (“-”), and period (“.”). The file name must not start with an underscore, dash, or period and cannot contain spaces, other punctuation or symbols.
The artwork file must be minimum of 3000 by 3000 pixels. See Artwork Source Profile for complete file requirements.
Important: If providing a metadata-only update, the <artwork_files> block should be omitted.
<description format="html"><![CDATA[Dracula is the seminal gothic horror novel of its time as Bram Stoker introduced the world to the legendary vampire Count Dracula. Published in 1897 and told through a series of diary entries and letters, the story journeys into the dark world of Count Dracula through the eyes of several different narrators. The novel explores many themes, the role of women in Victorian culture, conventional and conservative sexuality, immigration, colonialism, post colonialism and folklore. Irish author Abraham "Bram" Stoker (1847 - 1912) was a writer of novels and short stories. He was also the personal assistant of the actor Henry Irving and the business manager of the Lyceum Theatre in London, which Irving owned.]]></description>
Audiobook Description (required; can be updated; up to 4000 characters)
A description of the audiobook in the language specified in the <language> tag, up to a 4,000 character limit. The book description requires a minimum of 50 characters.
The format attribute identifies the format of the text sent in the <description> tag. The format can be HTML ("html") or the default text format, which is unformatted plain text ("plain"). Note that the <description> field is the only field for which HTML markup is supported.
The <description> tag holds the actual text. You can enclose the text in a special structure called a character data block CDATA. In a CDATA block, the <, >, [, ], and & characters are allowed. CDATA is only acceptable if those characters are not escaped or otherwise HTML encoded.
Note: Character counts are for standard 8-bit characters (such as those drawn from the ASCII character set). Fewer multiple-byte characters (for example, Japanese symbols) are allowed.
Audiobook Products Metadata Fields
<products>
<product>
Product (required; can be updated)
For each territory in which an audiobook is to be sold there must be a defined product, which supplies information such as salability, pricing, and sales start date. Product information can be updated by redelivering a metadata-only update.
<territory>AU</territory>
Audiobook Territory (required; can be updated)
The territory in which this audiobook is cleared for sale. Must be specified as an ISO 3166-1 alpha 2 country code. Some countries in the ISO 3166-1 alpha 2 country list contain other countries (for example, United States includes Puerto Rico).
The wholesale price tier for the audiobook. Must be a wholesale price tier number as specified in your contract with Apple.
Review your contract to verify the tiers available to you. If you provide an invalid price tier, Apple reserves the right to reject the package or to use default pricing. Contact your Technical Representative for more details.
<cleared_for_sale>true</cleared_for_sale>
Cleared for Sale (optional; can be updated)
Specifies whether the audiobook is cleared for sale in the territory for the product. Must be true or false. If not specified, the default is true.
<sales_start_date>2009-01-05</sales_start_date>
Sales Start Date (optional; can be updated)
The date that this audiobook is made available for sale to customers in the specified territory only. This is also known as the "street date" of the audiobook and is written in the format YYYY-MM-DD.
In this example, "2009-01-05" is the sales start date and the audiobook was made available for sale starting January 5, 2009.
Important: Omitting this tag on an initial upload makes the audiobook available for sale immediately after normal quality assurance processing.
</product>
</products>
<artists>
<artist>
<artist_name>Bram Stoker</artist_name>
<apple_id>2683478</apple_id>
<roles>
<role>Author</role>
</roles>
<primary>true</primary>
</artist>
<artist_name>Christopher Saul</artist_name>
<apple_id>301336965</apple_id>
<roles>
<role>Narrator</role>
</roles>
<primary>false</primary>
</artist>
</artists>
Audiobook Artists (required; can be updated, but may require a ticket; see Content Update Behavior)
Name, primary status, and roles for each artist. In this context, "artist" may be any contributor including the book author or narrator. Individual artists, such as co-authors, should be listed separately and not grouped together (for example, "Walter Isaacson", "Dylan Baker" should each have their own <artist> block instead of "Walter Isaacson and Dylan Baker" listed in one <artist> block).
Artist
You can refer to the artist by Apple identifier (using the <apple_id> tag) or by name (using the <artist_name> tag). Apple assigns every artist a unique Apple identifier. Apple recommends that artists be delivered with the Apple identifier to avoid the ambiguity in cases where audiobook artists share the same name as other authors, music artists, actors, or crew members. You can supply the <apple_id>, the <artist_name>, or both the <apple_id> and <artist_name>. If you supply both tags, the <artist_name> tag is ignored in favor of the Apple identifier. If you do not know the audiobook artist's Apple identifier, you can do a metadata lookup on an existing audiobook and look for the <apple_id> tag. For any subsequent updates, you can use the <apple_id> tag instead of or in addition to the name, to avoid ambiguity.
For single-byte characters (such as those drawn from the ASCII character set), there is a limit of 256 characters for artist names. For multiple-byte characters (for example, Japanese), the limit is 1024 bytes, which can equate to as many as 256 characters.
Role
The following roles are required for audiobooks:
Author
Narrator
Other roles may be provided if appropriate. See Contributor Roles for a complete list of accepted roles.
Apple strongly recommends that you list the authors before the narrators in the metadata.
Note: Supplying the narrator role is optional during the pre-order period. Once assets have been supplied, it is required.
The role names must be in English in order to be imported into Apple Books. But the names are localized if needed when displayed on Apple Books.
Primary Status
Primary status indicates whether the audiobook appears on the artist’s page in Apple Books. Typically, there are one or two primary (lead) artists (such as the author or co-authors). For audiobooks without an author (for example, a book that has an editor or translator instead of an author), the primary status should be set to true (<primary>true</primary>) for that contributor.
Artist names appear in the order in which they are specified in the provided metadata.
Note: The primary status for the narrator role should be set to false (<primary>false</primary>).
Audiobook Track Metadata Fields
<tracks>
<track>
Audiobook Track (required)
Begins the <tracks> block. Within the <tracks> block, each track audio file is specified using its own <track> tag. An individual track can be up to 23 hours long.
Apple recommends that you use as few <track> tags as possible. If a track audio file becomes over 23 hours, then split the audiobook by adding another <track>. See Audiobook Example with Multiple Tracks for an example XML delivery.
Note: A track audio file does not equal a chapter. Each track audio file can have several chapters.
<type>audiobook</type>
Audiobook Track Type (required)
Specifies the track as an audiobook as opposed to a regular song or ringtone.
<vendor_id>9781106701657_1</vendor_id>
Audiobook Track Vendor Identifier (required)
The permanent value that uniquely identifies this track audio file separately from any other track audio file given by the same provider. Apple recommends using the audiobook 13-digit ISBN-13 identifier for easier content management. For multi-track audiobooks, keep in mind that each track’s vendor identifier must be unique. For example, the vendor identifier for this first track is the ISBN-13 identifier, followed by an underscore and the number 1.
The <vendor_id> cannot be updated.
Important: If another form of vendor identifier is provided, it can only contain alphanumeric characters and underscores ("_"). Packages delivered with identifiers containing other characters are rejected.
<title>Dracula Track 1 (Unabridged)</title>
Audiobook Track Title (required; can be updated, but may require a ticket; see Content Update Behavior)
The title of the track audio file in the primary language of the package (as delivered in the <language> tag). Note that this is the name of the track, not a chapter title. Chapter titles are delivered within the <chapter> block (see below).
For single-byte characters (such as those drawn from the ASCII character set), there is a limit of 256 characters for track titles. For multiple-byte characters (for example, Japanese), the limit is 1024 bytes, which can equate to as many as 256 characters.
<label_name>Apple Publishing Group</label_name>
Audiobook Track Label Name (optional; can be updated)
The name of the publisher that released the audiobook. If not specified, the <label_name> from the <album> level is used
<explicit_content>none</explicit_content>
Audiobook Track Parental Advisory (optional; can be updated)
Denotes whether a track audio file contains explicit content. The value can be clean, explicit, or none. If omitted, none (that is, a track for which neither a clean or explicit version exists) is assumed.
Important: A track must only be marked clean if it is an edited version of the original explicit form of the track.
<track_number>1</track_number>
Audiobook Track Number (required)
The track number, used to order tracks within an audiobook. Must be a positive integer. The track number must be unique across all tracks in an audiobook.
<audio_file>
Audiobook Track Audio File (required; can be updated)
Begins the <audio_file> block for specifying the track audio file asset file. You must provide the <file_name>, <size>, and <checksum>.
See Concatenating MP3 Files to learn how to combine multiple audiobook MP3 files into a single track audio file.
<file_name>9781106701657_1.wav</file_name>
Audio File Name (required)
The name of the track audio file included in this delivery package. The name should be relative to the package (containing no path reference; neither "C:\" nor "/Macintosh HD/" should appear in this path) and it must contain the filename extension (".wav" in this example). The file name can contain only alphanumeric characters (A-Z, a-z, 0-9) and these symbols: underscore ("_"), dash (“-”), and period (“.”). The file name must not start with an underscore, dash, or period and cannot contain spaces, other punctuation or symbols. See Audio Source Profile for more information.
Important: Filenames are case-sensitive.
<size>172149800</size>
Audio File Size (required)
Size in bytes of the provided audio file for the track.
The MD5 checksum of the data file. See Checksums for more information.
</audio_file>
<audio_language>en</audio_language>
Track Audio Language (required)
Use the <audio_language> tag to specify the language of audio on the track audio file. It is especially important to include this information for audio performed in languages other than English.
The language codes are formatted according to the best practices recommended by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) in a group of documents known collectively as BCP 47, and in particular, RFC 5646, which is part of BCP 47. An overview of these best practices is provided here: https://www.w3.org/International/articles/language-tags/.
Note: The language specified in the <audio_language> tag must not contain script information. For example, the language for Mandarin audio must be cmn, not cmn-Hant or cmn-Hans; the language for Cantonese audio must be yue, not yue-Hant. If a track is sung in Chinese, but you do not know if it is Mandarin or Cantonese, you can send zh as the audio language. But you get a warning when you deliver the metadata. This tag can be updated, so you could change zh to cmn or yue once you know if it is Mandarin or Cantonese.
<preview_start_index>240</preview_start_index>
Audiobook Track Preview Start (optional; can be updated)
Specifies a custom start time for the preview audio. The <preview_start_index> tag should be specified in seconds from the track start.
Important: If not specified, the default is 90 seconds for content over 180 seconds in duration and progressively earlier for shorter content.
<artists>
<artist>
<artist_name>Bram Stoker</artist_name>
<apple_id>2683478</apple_id>
<roles>
<role>Author</role>
</roles>
<primary>true</primary>
</artist>
<artist_name>Christopher Saul</artist_name>
<apple_id>301336965</apple_id>
<roles>
<role>Narrator</role>
</roles>
<primary>false</primary>
</artist>
</artists>
Audiobook Track Artists (required; can be updated, but may require a ticket; see Content Update Behavior)
Name, primary status, and roles for each artist. In this context, "artist" may be any contributor including the book author or narrator. Individual artists, such as co-authors, should be listed separately and not grouped together (for example, "Walter Isaacson", "Dylan Baker" should each have their own <artist> block instead of "Walter Isaacson and Dylan Baker" listed in one <artist> block).
Artist
You can refer to the artist by Apple identifier (using the <apple_id> tag) or by name (using the <artist_name> tag). Apple assigns every artist a unique Apple identifier. Apple recommends that artists be delivered with the Apple identifier to avoid the ambiguity in cases where audiobook artists share the same name as other authors, music artists, actors, or crew members. You can supply the <apple_id>, the <artist_name>, or both the <apple_id> and <artist_name>. If you supply both tags, the <artist_name> tag is ignored in favor of the Apple identifier. If you do not know the audiobook artist's Apple identifier, you can do a metadata lookup on an existing audiobook and look for the <apple_id> tag. For any subsequent updates, you can use the <apple_id> tag instead of or in addition to the name, to avoid ambiguity.
For single-byte characters (such as those drawn from the ASCII character set), there is a limit of 256 characters for artist names. For multiple-byte characters (for example, Japanese), the limit is 1024 bytes, which can equate to as many as 256 characters.
Role
The following roles are required for audiobooks:
Author
Narrator
Other roles may be provided if appropriate. See Contributor Roles for a complete list of accepted roles.
Apple strongly recommends that you list the authors before the narrators in the metadata.
Note: Supplying the narrator role is optional during the pre-order period. Once assets have been supplied, it is required.
The role names must be in English in order to be imported. But the names are localized if needed when displayed on Apple Books.
Primary Status
Primary status indicates whether the audiobook appears on the artist’s page in Apple Books. Typically, there are one or two primary (lead) artists (such as the author or co-authors). For audiobooks without an author (for example, a book that has an editor or translator instead of an author), the primary status should be set to true (<primary>true</primary>) for that contributor.
Artist names appear in the order in which they are specified in the provided metadata.
Note: The primary status for the narrator role should be set to false (<primary>false</primary>).
<chapter_title>Chapter 2 - Jonathan Harker’s Journal Continued</chapter_title>
</chapter>
</chapters>
Audiobook Track Chaptering (required; can be updated)
Defines chapters within a given track audio file. Both <chapter_start_time> and <chapter_title> are required.
Chapter start time is in HH:MM:SS.sss format (hour, minute, second, milliseconds) and end time is inferred from the start time of the next defined chapter, or the track’s end time. Supplying the decimal point and milliseconds is optional.
Important: A chapter start time should not exceed the audio file duration. For example, if the delivered audio file is 18:43 minutes long, and you specify a chapter start time of 37:22:00, delivery fails.
Note: If you are concatenating files, and introducing chapter marks at points that were formerly boundaries between those files, be aware that regardless of whether you are specifying milliseconds in your chapter points, you must still track the precise cumulative duration of the files. You may choose to round to the nearest second in specifying the chapter marks. But you should use sub-second precision in tracking the cumulative length of the concatenated files. Otherwise, your chapter points gradually become more inaccurate further into the track as the imprecision is compounded.
For chapter titles, use customer-friendly naming conventions if possible, and stay as close as possible to the chapter names of the printed book. If chapters are named in the book, list the chapter number and then the chapter title, for example:
Chapter 1 - From the Beginning
Chapter 2 - The Next Day
Keep in mind that chapters and track audio files are not the same thing, and the chapter titles should not reflect the track numbers or titles at all. For example, do not include words such as "Track 1", "Track 2" in the chapter titles. Do not restate the title of the book in the chapter titles. If you include chapter numbers in chapter titles, do not restart the chapter numbering with each track audio file in a multiple-track delivery.
There is no limit to the total number of chapters specified, but generally chapters should follow the physical product chapter structure.
There is a 255-byte limit strictly enforced for chapter titles. The data is stored in the UTF-8 encoding, so for single-byte characters (such as those drawn from the ASCII character set), this equates to a 255-character limit; for multiple-byte (for example, Japanese) characters, this can equate to as few as 71 characters.
</track>
</tracks>
</album>
</package>
Updates
If product offerings change at any point, you can deliver an updated package. The newly sent package is compared against the current offering and changes are automatically applied. An update can be metadata-only, product-only, or can be a complete redelivery of the entire package, including metadata and assets; however, all delivered metadata XML must always be correct and complete. If it is not, the update is not processed.
Not every part of an audiobook can be updated. The following updates are the only currently-available changes automatically applied by delivering the XML:
Adding territories (that is, <product> tags)
Changing copyrights (<copyright_pline> and <copyright_cline> tags)
Changing clearance state (<cleared_for_sale> tag) for track audio files and booklets
Changing <preview_start_time> for audio
Changing sales start date (<sales_start_date> tag) for audiobooks. (This is not updated if the existing <sales_start_date> is in the past.)
Changing wholesale price tier (<wholesale_price_tier> tag) for audiobooks
Changing parental advisory state (<explicit_content> tag) for track audio files and booklets
Changing <label_name> for audiobook albums and tracks
Changing <audio_language> for tracks
Replacing audio files. (This change is applied only if the checksum of the new audio differs from the checksum of the audio currently in the Apple database.)
Replacing audiobook cover art. (This change is applied only if the checksum of the new cover differs from the checksum of the cover currently in the Apple database.)
Replacing booklets. (This change is applied only if the checksum of the new booklet differs from the checksum of the booklet currently in the Apple database.)
Important: Any changes should be considered "effective immediately" and cannot be made at a guaranteed date or time. Updates are usually applied within hours and should appear on Apple Books within 24-48 hours of delivery.
Japanese and Chinese Language Support
Apple provides support for Japanese and Chinese phonetic translations using the <phonetic_title> and <phonetic_name> tags. The <phonetic_name> and <phonetic_title> tags (optional) should only be used where the language is Japanese or Chinese. You can supply phonetics for titles and artist names at the <album> and <track> levels.
For Japanese, the tag provides the reading (furigana) of the audiobook title and artist names in full-width Hiragana or Katakana. For Chinese, the tag provides the reading of the audiobook title and artist names in Pinyin and in Cantonese Jyutping. Providing the phonetics provides a better search experience for the user.
Title and Artist Phonetic Translation Metadata Example
The following metadata example for a Japanese novel shows how to deliver phonetic translations for titles and artist names. The novel is for sale only in Japan, so English translations need not be supplied. For the sake of brevity, only three chapters are shown.
Title and Artist Phonetic Translation Metadata Annotations
Only the tags relevant to title and artist phonetic translation support are described. Refer to Basic Audiobook Metadata Annotated for annotations on the remaining tags.
<title>蜘蛛の糸</title>
Audiobook Title (required)
The title of the audiobook in the primary language of the package (as delivered in the <language> tag).
For single-byte characters (such as those drawn from the ASCII character set), there is a limit of 256 characters for album titles. For multiple-byte characters (for example, Japanese), the limit is 1024 bytes, which can equate to as many as 256 characters.
<phonetic_title>くものいと</phonetic_title>
Audiobook Phonetic Title (optional)
The <phonetic_title> tag should only be used where the language is Japanese or Chinese. Providing the phonetic title provides a better search experience for the user.
For Japanese, the tag provides the reading (furigana) of the audiobook title in full-width Hiragana or Katakana. For Chinese, the tag provides the reading of the audiobook title in Pinyin or Jyutping. If any meaningful separation units exist they should be delimited using a space character.
<artists>
<artist>
<artist_name>芥川龍之介</artist_name>
<apple_id>314204078</apple_id>
Audiobook Artist Name (required)
Name or Apple identifier for each artist on the audiobook in the primary language of the package (see <language> in the metadata example in Basic Audiobook Metadata Annotated); in this example, the primary language is Japanese. Note that the <artist> block also includes the artist’s role (the <role> tag) and primary status (the <primary> tag). See Basic Audiobook Metadata Annotated for annotations on those tags.
Artist names appear in Apple Books in the order in which they are specified in the provided metadata.
<phonetic_name>あくたがわ りゅうのすけ</phonetic_name>
Audiobook Artist Phonetic Name (optional)
The <phonetic_name> tag (optional) should only be used where the language is Japanese or Chinese. Providing the phonetic name provides a better search experience for the user.
For Japanese, the tag provides the reading (furigana) of the artist name in full-width Hiragana or Katakana. For Chinese, the tag provides the reading of the artist name in Pinyin or Jyutping. If any meaningful separation units exist they should be delimited using a space character.
<title>蜘蛛の糸</title>
Track Title (required)
The title of the track in the primary language of the package (as delivered in the <language> tag). Note that this is the name of the track, not a chapter title. Chapter titles are delivered within the <chapter> block.
For single-byte characters (such as those drawn from the ASCII character set), there is a limit of 256 characters for track titles. For multiple-byte characters (for example, Japanese), the limit is 1024 bytes, which can equate to as many as 256 characters.
<phonetic_title>くものいと</phonetic_title>
Track Phonetic Title (optional)
The <phonetic_title> tag (optional) should only be used where the language is Japanese or Chinese. Providing the phonetic title provides a better search experience for the user.
For Japanese, the tag provides the reading (furigana) of the track title in full-width Hiragana or Katakana. For Chinese, the tag provides the reading of the track title in Pinyin or Jyutping. If any meaningful separation units exist they should be delimited using a space character.
<artists>
<artist>
<artist_name>芥川龍之介</artist_name>
<apple_id>314204078</apple_id>
Track Artist Name (required)
Name or Apple identifier for each artist on the track audio file in the primary language of the package (see <language> in the metadata example in Basic Audiobook Metadata Annotated); in this example, the primary language is Japanese. Note that the <artist> block also includes the artist’s role (the <role> tag) and primary status (the <primary> tag). See Basic Audiobook Metadata Annotated for annotations on those tags.
Artist names appear in Apple Books in the order in which they are specified in the provided metadata.
<phonetic_name>あくたがわ りゅうのすけ</phonetic_name>
Track Artist Phonetic Name (optional)
The <phonetic_name> tag (optional) should only be used where the language is Japanese or Chinese. Providing the phonetic name provides a better search experience for the user.
For Japanese, the tag provides the reading (furigana) of the artist name in full-width Hiragana or Katakana. For Chinese, the tag provides the reading of the artist name in Pinyin or Jyutping. If any meaningful separation units exist they should be delimited using a space character.
Updating Metadata
Overview
If product offerings change at any point after initial delivery, you can send an update using Transporter. The newly-sent package is compared against the current offering and changes are automatically applied. A metadata-only update delivers the product information, but without including the audiobook assets (artwork and audio files). After a successful, initial upload of metadata and assets, you can make changes to the metadata by delivering a metadata-only update. You do not need to include any asset files with metadata-only deliveries and you can omit the <artwork_files> block and the <audio_file> block for each track from the metadata.xml file.
Note: If asset files are provided and properly referenced in the metadata, then the corresponding checksums is compared to the checksums of the assets currently on file. If any checksums are different, the assets are updated as necessary. If the checksums are unchanged, then the import package (.itmsp) does not need to contain the asset files, even if they are listed in the metadata, because those asset files are ignored.
Metadata-Only Update Example
In the following example, the sales start date for Australia has changed. The <artwork_files> block and the <audio_file> block have been removed.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><package xmlns="http://apple.com/itunes/importer" version="music5.3"> <language>en</language> <provider>AppleseedBooks</provider> <album> <album_type>audiobook</album_type> <vendor_id>9781106701657</vendor_id> <title>Dracula (Unabridged)</title> <original_release_date>2009-01-05</original_release_date> <label_name>Apple Publishing Group</label_name> <genres> <genre code="CLASSICS-00"/> </genres> <copyright_pline>2008 Apple Publishing Group</copyright_pline> <copyright_cline>2008 Apple Publishing Group</copyright_cline> <artwork_files> <file> <file_name>cover.jpg</file_name> <size>56723</size> <checksum type="md5">58a9947e2e5de47bc3039092964ad3a3</checksum> </file> </artwork_files> <description>Dracula is the seminal gothic horror novel of its time as Bram Stoker introduced the world to the legendary vampire Count Dracula. Published in 1897 and told through a series of diary entries and letters, the story journeys into the dark world of Count Dracula through the eyes of several different narrators. The novel explores many themes, the role of women in Victorian culture, conventional and conservative sexuality, immigration, colonialism, post colonialism and folklore. Irish author Abraham "Bram" Stoker (1847 - 1912) was writer of novels and short stories. He was also the personal assistant of the actor Henry Irving and the business manager of the Lyceum Theatre in London, which Irving owned.</description> <products> <product> <territory>AU</territory> <wholesale_price_tier>3</wholesale_price_tier><sales_start_date>2009-03-10</sales_start_date> <cleared_for_sale>true</cleared_for_sale> </product> <product> <territory>GB</territory> <wholesale_price_tier>3</wholesale_price_tier> <sales_start_date>2009-01-05</sales_start_date> <cleared_for_sale>true</cleared_for_sale> </product> </products> <artists> <artist> <artist_name>Bram Stoker</artist_name> <apple_id>2683478</apple_id> <roles> <role>Author</role> </roles> <primary>true</primary> </artist> <artist> <artist_name>Christopher Saul</artist_name> <apple_id>301336965</apple_id> <roles> <role>Narrator</role> </roles> <primary>false</primary> </artist> </artists> <tracks> <track> <type>audiobook</type> <vendor_id>9781106701657_1</vendor_id> <title>Dracula Track 1 (Unabridged)</title> <label_name>Apple Publishing Group</label_name> <explicit_content>none</explicit_content> <track_number>1</track_number> <audio_language>en</audio_language> <preview_start_index>240</preview_start_index> <artists> <artist> <artist_name>Bram Stoker</artist_name> <apple_id>2683478</apple_id> <roles> <role>Author</role> </roles> <primary>true</primary> </artist> <artist> <artist_name>Christopher Saul</artist_name> <apple_id>301336965</apple_id> <roles> <role>Narrator</role> </roles> <primary>false</primary> </artist> </artists> <chapters> <chapter> <chapter_start_time>00:00:00.000</chapter_start_time> <chapter_title>Chapter 1 - Jonathan Harker’s Journal</chapter_title> </chapter> <chapter> <chapter_start_time>02:00:08.567</chapter_start_time> <chapter_title>Chapter 2 - Jonathan Harker’s Journal Continued</chapter_title> </chapter> <chapter> <chapter_start_time>03:59:40.321</chapter_start_time> <chapter_title>Chapter 3 - Jonathan Harker’s Journal Continued</chapter_title> </chapter> <!-- additional chapters here as needed --> </chapters> </track> <!-- additional tracks here as needed --> </tracks> </album></package>
Product-Only Update Example
In the following example, new territory pricing and clearances are being added for Canada and New Zealand, and Australia is being removed. This update includes only the <products> block and <vendor_id> tag within the <album> block. You do not need to include the <artwork_files> block, the <audio_file> block, or any of the tags in the <metadata> block that contain the bibliographic information. The territory for GB is not delivered because there are no changes being made.
To remove content from Apple Books, set <cleared_for_sale> to false for the specified <territory>. In the <product> block, supply only the <cleared_for_sale> and <territory> tags; you do not need to supply any other tags within the <product> block for the territory you are removing.
Note: Include only the territories you are adding, modifying, or removing; you do not need to deliver all territories.
This example shows an audiobook that includes two track audio files. The first track audio file ends with Chapter 6 at 22 hours. Chapter 7 is longer than one hour and would push the first track audio file length to more than 23 hours. The remaining chapters are delivered in a second track audio file.
If you split your audiobook into multiple tracks, do not allow a track break to interrupt a chapter. Ideally, you should minimize the number of <track> tags to make processing your delivery as efficient as possible.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><package xmlns="http://apple.com/itunes/importer" version="music5.3"> <language>en</language> <provider>AppleseedBooks</provider> <album> <album_type>audiobook</album_type> <vendor_id>9781106701657</vendor_id> <title>Dracula (Unabridged)</title> <original_release_date>2009-01-05</original_release_date> <label_name>Apple Publishing Group</label_name> <genres> <genre code="CLASSICS-00"/> </genres> <copyright_pline>2008 Apple Publishing Group</copyright_pline> <copyright_cline>2008 Apple Publishing Group</copyright_cline> <artwork_files> <file> <file_name>cover.jpg</file_name> <size>56723</size> <checksum type="md5">58a9947e2e5de47bc3039092964ad3a3</checksum> </file> </artwork_files> <description>Dracula is the seminal gothic horror novel of its time as Bram Stoker introduced the world to the legendary vampire Count Dracula. Published in 1897 and told through a series of diary entries and letters, the story journeys into the dark world of Count Dracula through the eyes of several different narrators. The novel explores many themes, the role of women in Victorian culture, conventional and conservative sexuality, immigration, colonialism, post colonialism and folklore. Irish author Abraham "Bram" Stoker (1847 - 1912) was writer of novels and short stories. He was also the personal assistant of the actor Henry Irving and the business manager of the Lyceum Theatre in London, which Irving owned.</description> <products> <product> <territory>AU</territory> <wholesale_price_tier>3</wholesale_price_tier> <sales_start_date>2009-01-05</sales_start_date> <cleared_for_sale>true</cleared_for_sale> </product> <product> <territory>GB</territory> <wholesale_price_tier>3</wholesale_price_tier> <sales_start_date>2009-01-05</sales_start_date> <cleared_for_sale>true</cleared_for_sale> </product> </products> <artists> <artist> <artist_name>Bram Stoker</artist_name> <apple_id>2683478</apple_id> <roles> <role>Author</role> </roles> <primary>true</primary> </artist> <artist> <artist_name>Christopher Saul</artist_name> <apple_id>301336965</apple_id> <roles> <role>Narrator</role> </roles> <primary>false</primary> </artist> </artists> <tracks> <track> <type>audiobook</type> <vendor_id>9781106701657_1</vendor_id> <title>Dracula Track 1 (Unabridged)</title> <label_name>Apple Publishing Group</label_name> <explicit_content>none</explicit_content> <track_number>1</track_number> <audio_file> <file_name>9781106701657_1.wav</file_name> <size>172149800</size> <checksum type="md5">2e669877c1913f59c6686a86b4d84d1d</checksum> </audio_file> <audio_language>en</audio_language> <preview_start_index>240</preview_start_index> <artists> <artist> <artist_name>Bram Stoker</artist_name> <apple_id>2683478</apple_id> <roles> <role>Author</role> </roles> <primary>true</primary> </artist> <artist> <artist_name>Christopher Saul</artist_name> <apple_id>301336965</apple_id> <roles> <role>Narrator</role> </roles> <primary>false</primary> </artist> </artists> <chapters> <chapter> <chapter_start_time>00:00:00.000</chapter_start_time> <chapter_title>Chapter 1 - Jonathan Harker’s Journal</chapter_title> </chapter> <chapter> <chapter_start_time>02:00:08.567</chapter_start_time> <chapter_title>Chapter 2 - Jonathan Harker’s Journal Continued</chapter_title> </chapter> <chapter> <chapter_start_time>03:59:40.321</chapter_start_time> <chapter_title>Chapter 3 - Jonathan Harker’s Journal Continued</chapter_title> </chapter> <chapter> <chapter_start_time>12:10:23.331</chapter_start_time> <chapter_title>Chapter 4 - Jonathan Harker’s Journal Continued</chapter_title> </chapter> <chapter> <chapter_start_time>19:16:30.692</chapter_start_time> <chapter_title>Chapter 5 - Letter from Miss Mina Murray to Miss Lucy Westenra</chapter_title> </chapter> <chapter> <chapter_start_time>21:01:40.423</chapter_start_time> <chapter_title>Chapter 6 - Mina Murray's Journal</chapter_title> </chapter> </chapters> </track> <track> <type>audiobook</type> <vendor_id>9781106701657_2</vendor_id> <title>Dracula Track 2 (Unabridged)</title> <label_name>Apple Publishing Group</label_name> <explicit_content>none</explicit_content> <track_number>2</track_number> <audio_file> <file_name>9781106701657_2.wav</file_name> <size>148149543</size> <checksum type="md5">c6686213f7c19b4d84d1d59a86e66987</checksum> </audio_file> <audio_language>en</audio_language> <preview_start_index>240</preview_start_index> <artists> <artist> <artist_name>Bram Stoker</artist_name> <apple_id>2683478</apple_id> <roles> <role>Author</role> </roles> <primary>true</primary> </artist> <artist> <artist_name>Christopher Saul</artist_name> <apple_id>301336965</apple_id> <roles> <role>Narrator</role> </roles> <primary>false</primary> </artist> </artists> <chapters> <chapter> <chapter_start_time>00:00:00.000</chapter_start_time> <chapter_title>Chapter 7 - Cutting from "The Dailygraph"</chapter_title> </chapter> <chapter> <chapter_start_time>03:34:26.561</chapter_start_time> <chapter_title>Chapter 8 - Mina Murray's Journal</chapter_title> </chapter> <chapter> <chapter_start_time>05:15:24.387</chapter_start_time> <chapter_title>Chapter 9 - Letter, Mina Harker to Lucy Westenra</chapter_title> </chapter> <chapter> <chapter_start_time>07:23:05.911</chapter_start_time> <chapter_title>Chapter 10 - Letter, Dr. Seward to the Hon. Arthur Holmwood</chapter_title> </chapter> <chapter> <chapter_start_time>09:52:26.345</chapter_start_time> <chapter_title>Chapter 11 - Lucy Westenra's Diary</chapter_title> </chapter> <chapter> <chapter_start_time>11:31:07.838</chapter_start_time> <chapter_title>Chapter 12 - Dr. Seward's Diary</chapter_title> </chapter> </chapters> </track> </tracks> </album></package>
Pre-orders
Overview of Pre-orders
This chapter describes how to deliver pre-orders for an audiobook. Pre-orders allow customers to order an audiobook before it is available for sale. This ensures they will receive the audiobook as soon as it is available.
To make an audiobook available for pre-order, deliver the <preorder_sales_start_date> tag in the <product> block, by territory. Once it is activated, the pre-order becomes available on the date specified in all territories that have a <preorder_sales_start_date>. When the pre-order period ends, the pre-orders fulfill on the <sales_start_date> for each territory.
There are three delivery options for pre-orders:
Metadata-only (without track information): Deliver just the album metadata, including the pre-order tags in the product block for each territory.
Metadata-only (without track information) with cover art: Deliver just the album metadata, including the pre-order tags in the product block for each territory, and cover art in the content delivery.
Asset-complete (with tracks, cover art, and audio files): Deliver the album and track metadata along with the audio files and cover art in the content delivery. Also deliver booklet asset and metadata, if appropriate.
Keep the following in mind when delivering audiobook pre-orders:
Pre-orders are not available for free audiobooks (<wholesale_price_tier>0</wholesale_price_tier>).
If you do not deliver cover art (<artwork_files>), Apple Books will generate a cover template for you to display until you deliver the actual cover art.
The maximum length of the pre-order period is 366 days. This means that the date specified with the <preorder_sales_start_date> tag cannot be more than 366 days prior to the date specified with the <sales_start_date> tag.
Supplying the narrator role is optional for metadata-only deliveries, but required for asset-complete deliveries.
Pre-order sampling can be managed using the <preorder_previews> tag.
If a <preorder_sales_start_date> is not specified for a given territory’s product, then the pre-order date will be automatically assigned to be the date of delivery.
For initial delivery, if <preorder_sales_start_date> is not specified, the pre-order date will be automatically assigned to be the date of delivery, but only if the <sales_start_date> is in the future. If the <sales_start_date> is in the past, all assets must be supplied.
For initial delivery, any assets referenced in the metadata must be included in the package delivery.
Metadata-Only Pre-orders
To set up a pre-order initially, provide only album metadata and pricing information. You can add the track metadata and the assets (cover art and audio files) later.
Pre-order Metadata-Only Example
The following shows how to deliver a metadata-only audiobook pre-order.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> <package xmlns="http://apple.com/itunes/importer" version="music5.3"> <language>en</language> <provider>AppleseedBooks</provider> <album> <album_type>audiobook</album_type> <vendor_id>9781106701657</vendor_id> <title>Dracula (Unabridged)</title> <original_release_date>2009-01-05</original_release_date> <label_name>Apple Publishing Group</label_name> <genres> <genre code="CLASSICS-00"/> </genres> <copyright_pline>2008 Apple Publishing Group</copyright_pline> <copyright_cline>2008 Apple Publishing Group</copyright_cline> <preorder_previews>true</preorder_previews> <description>Dracula is the seminal gothic horror novel of its time as Bram Stoker introduced the world to the legendary vampire Count Dracula. Published in 1897 and told through a series of diary entries and letters, the story journeys into the dark world of Count Dracula through the eyes of several different narrators. The novel explores many themes, the role of women in Victorian culture, conventional and conservative sexuality, immigration, colonialism, post colonialism and folklore. Irish author Abraham "Bram" Stoker (1847 - 1912) was writer of novels and short stories. He was also the personal assistant of the actor Henry Irving and the business manager of the Lyceum Theatre in London, which Irving owned.</description> <products> <product> <territory>AU</territory> <preorder_sales_start_date>2021-06-05</preorder_sales_start_date> <wholesale_price_tier>3</wholesale_price_tier> <cleared_for_sale>true</cleared_for_sale> <sales_start_date>2022-04-05</sales_start_date> </product> <product> <territory>GB</territory> <preorder_sales_start_date>2021-06-05</preorder_sales_start_date> <wholesale_price_tier>3</wholesale_price_tier> <cleared_for_sale>true</cleared_for_sale> <sales_start_date>2022-04-05</sales_start_date> </product> </products> <artists> <artist> <primary>true</primary> <artist_name>Bram Stoker</artist_name> <apple_id>2683478</apple_id> <roles> <role>Author</role> </roles> </artist> </artists> </album> </package>
Pre-order Metadata With Cover Art Example
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> <package xmlns="http://apple.com/itunes/importer" version="music5.3"> <language>en</language> <provider>AppleseedBooks</provider> <album> <album_type>audiobook</album_type> <vendor_id>9781106701657</vendor_id> <title>Dracula (Unabridged)</title> <original_release_date>2009-01-05</original_release_date> <label_name>Apple Publishing Group</label_name> <genres> <genre code="CLASSICS-00"/> </genres> <copyright_pline>2008 Apple Publishing Group</copyright_pline> <copyright_cline>2008 Apple Publishing Group</copyright_cline> <!-- Cover art --> <artwork_files> <file> <file_name>cover.jpg</file_name> <size>56723</size> <checksum type="md5">58a9947e2e5de47bc3039092964ad3a3</checksum> </file> </artwork_files> <preorder_previews>true</preorder_previews> <description>Dracula is the seminal gothic horror novel of its time as Bram Stoker introduced the world to the legendary vampire Count Dracula. Published in 1897 and told through a series of diary entries and letters, the story journeys into the dark world of Count Dracula through the eyes of several different narrators. The novel explores many themes, the role of women in Victorian culture, conventional and conservative sexuality, immigration, colonialism, post colonialism and folklore. Irish author Abraham "Bram" Stoker (1847 - 1912) was writer of novels and short stories. He was also the personal assistant of the actor Henry Irving and the business manager of the Lyceum Theatre in London, which Irving owned.</description> <products> <product> <territory>AU</territory> <preorder_sales_start_date>2021-06-05</preorder_sales_start_date> <wholesale_price_tier>3</wholesale_price_tier> <cleared_for_sale>true</cleared_for_sale> <sales_start_date>2022-04-05</sales_start_date> </product> <product> <territory>GB</territory> <preorder_sales_start_date>2021-06-05</preorder_sales_start_date> <wholesale_price_tier>3</wholesale_price_tier> <cleared_for_sale>true</cleared_for_sale> <sales_start_date>2022-04-05</sales_start_date> </product> </products> <artists> <artist> <primary>true</primary> <artist_name>Bram Stoker</artist_name> <apple_id>2683478</apple_id> <roles> <role>Author</role> </roles> </artist> </artists> </album> </package>
Asset-Complete Pre-orders
The following example shows how to deliver a complete package for an audiobooks pre-order. It includes album and track metadata, chapters, cover art, and audio files.
Pre-order Asset-Complete Metadata Example
This example shows an audiobook pre-order that includes a single track audio file (less than 24 hours in length). Because the example shows an asset-complete delivery, it includes the cover art, track metadata, track audio file(s), and chapters. See the annotations in Pre-order Metadata Annotations for details on the pre-order tags.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> <package xmlns="http://apple.com/itunes/importer" version="music5.3"> <language>en</language> <provider>AppleseedBooks</provider> <album> <album_type>audiobook</album_type> <vendor_id>9781106701657</vendor_id> <title>Dracula (Unabridged)</title> <original_release_date>2009-01-05</original_release_date> <label_name>Apple Publishing Group</label_name> <genres> <genre code="CLASSICS-00"/> </genres> <copyright_pline>2008 Apple Publishing Group</copyright_pline> <copyright_cline>2008 Apple Publishing Group</copyright_cline> <!-- Cover art is required for an asset-complete pre-order delivery --> <artwork_files> <file> <file_name>cover.jpg</file_name> <size>56723</size> <checksum type="md5">58a9947e2e5de47bc3039092964ad3a3</checksum> </file> </artwork_files> <preorder_previews>true</preorder_previews> <description>Dracula is the seminal gothic horror novel of its time as Bram Stoker introduced the world to the legendary vampire Count Dracula. Published in 1897 and told through a series of diary entries and letters, the story journeys into the dark world of Count Dracula through the eyes of several different narrators. The novel explores many themes, the role of women in Victorian culture, conventional and conservative sexuality, immigration, colonialism, post colonialism and folklore. Irish author Abraham "Bram" Stoker (1847 - 1912) was writer of novels and short stories. He was also the personal assistant of the actor Henry Irving and the business manager of the Lyceum Theatre in London, which Irving owned.</description> <products> <product> <territory>AU</territory> <preorder_sales_start_date>2021-06-05</preorder_sales_start_date> <wholesale_price_tier>3</wholesale_price_tier> <cleared_for_sale>true</cleared_for_sale> <sales_start_date>2022-04-05</sales_start_date> </product> <product> <territory>GB</territory> <preorder_sales_start_date>2021-06-05</preorder_sales_start_date> <wholesale_price_tier>3</wholesale_price_tier> <cleared_for_sale>true</cleared_for_sale> <sales_start_date>2022-04-05</sales_start_date> </product> </products> <artists> <artist> <artist_name>Bram Stoker</artist_name> <apple_id>2683478</apple_id> <roles> <role>Author</role> </roles> <primary>true</primary> </artist> <artist> <artist_name>Christopher Saul</artist_name> <apple_id>301336965</apple_id> <roles> <role>Narrator</role> </roles> <primary>false</primary> </artist> </artists><!-- Track metadata is required for an asset-complete pre-order delivery --> <tracks> <track> <type>audiobook</type> <vendor_id>9781106701657_1</vendor_id> <title>Dracula Track 1 (Unabridged)</title> <label_name>Apple Publishing Group</label_name> <explicit_content>none</explicit_content> <volume_number>1</volume_number> <track_number>1</track_number> <!-- Audio files are required for an asset-complete pre-order delivery --> <audio_file> <file_name>9781106701657_1.wav</file_name> <size>172149800</size> <checksum type="md5">2e669877c1913f59c6686a86b4d84d1d</checksum> </audio_file> <audio_language>en</audio_language> <preview_start_index>240</preview_start_index> <artists> <artist> <artist_name>Bram Stoker</artist_name> <apple_id>2683478</apple_id> <roles> <role>Author</role> </roles> <primary>true</primary> </artist> <artist> <artist_name>Christopher Saul</artist_name> <apple_id>301336965</apple_id> <roles> <role>Narrator</role> </roles> <primary>false</primary> </artist> </artists> <!-- Chapters are required for an asset-complete pre-order delivery --> <chapters> <chapter> <chapter_start_time>00:00:00</chapter_start_time> <chapter_title>Chapter 1 - Jonathan Harker’s Journal</chapter_title> </chapter> <chapter> <chapter_start_time>02:00:08</chapter_start_time> <chapter_title>Chapter 2 - Jonathan Harker’s Journal Continued</chapter_title> </chapter> <chapter> <chapter_start_time>03:59:40</chapter_start_time> <chapter_title>Chapter 3 - Jonathan Harker’s Journal Continued</chapter_title> </chapter> </chapters> </track><!-- additional chapters here as needed --> </tracks> </album> </package>
Pre-order Preview Availability (optional; can be updated)
Allowed values are true and false. If the <preorder_previews> tag is omitted in an initial upload, it is assumed true and samples will be available during the pre-order period once assets have been supplied. If this tag is omitted in an update, it is interpreted to mean no change to the value originally sent. Note that pre-orders are automatic, so if this is an embargoed or like title that should not be previewed before the publication date in the specified territory, you must deliver the <preorder_previews> set to false. Failure to do so will result in the sample being available to customers before publication.
Important: This tag is available at the album-level only, and applies to every territory and every track.
<products>
<product>
Product (required; can be updated)
For each territory in which an audiobook is to be sold there must be a defined product, which supplies information such as salability, pricing, and sales start date. Product information can be updated by redelivering the metadata.
<territory>AU</territory>
Audiobook Territory (required; can be updated)
The territory in which this audiobook is cleared for sale. Must be specified as an ISO 3166-1 alpha 2 country code. Some countries in the ISO 3166-1 alpha 2 country list contain other countries (for example, United States includes Puerto Rico).
Pre-order Sales Start Date (optional; can be updated)
The date that this audiobook is made available for pre-order sale to customers in the specified territory only. The date is written in the format YYYY-MM-DD. The pre-order start date must be before the <sales_start_date> for the territory.
The pre-order period ends on the <sales_start_date> of each territory.
If a <preorder_sales_start_date> is not specified for a given territory’s product, then the pre-order date will be automatically assigned to be the date of delivery. Pre-order availability is automatic and this tag is provided as a service to the publisher if a specific date is required to align with marketing promotions. Customers will not receive the book asset until the <sales_start_date> has been reached.
The <preorder_sales_start_date> tag can be updated if the updated value is not in the past (that is, not earlier than the current date) and if the date is not later than the <sales_start_date>.
Updates: When sending a metadata update, if you omit the <preorder_sales_start_date> tag, the date previously delivered is not changed and remains in effect. To remove the existing pre-order sales start date, send an empty tag: <preorder_sales_start_date/>.
Note: The maximum length of the pre-order period is 366 days. This means that the date specified with the <preorder_sales_start_date> tag cannot be more than 366 days prior to the date specified with the <sales_start_date> tag.
<wholesale_price_tier>3</wholesale_price_tier>
Wholesale Price Tier (required; can be updated)
The wholesale price tier for the audiobook. Must be a wholesale price tier number as specified in your contract with Apple.
Review your contract to verify the tiers available to you. If you provide an invalid price tier, Apple reserves the right to reject the package or to use default pricing.
<sales_start_date>2022-04-05</sales_start_date>
Sales Start Date (optional; can be updated)
The date that this audiobook is made available for sale to customers in the specified territory only. This is also known as the "street date" of the audiobook and is written in the format YYYY-MM-DD.
In this example, "2022-04-05" is the sales start date and the audiobook will be made available for sale starting April 5, 2022.
Important: Omitting this element on an initial upload will make the audiobook available for sale immediately after normal quality assurance processing.
</product>
</products>
</album>
</package>
Turn Off a Pre-Order
To turn off a pre-order, re-deliver the metadata with an empty <preorder_sales_start_date> tag in the <product> block of the territory. In the example below, the pre-order for Australia will be removed, but the pre-order will remain available for Great Britain.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> <package xmlns="http://apple.com/itunes/importer" version="music5.3"> <language>en</language> <provider>AppleseedBooks</provider> <album> <album_type>audiobook</album_type> <vendor_id>9781106701657</vendor_id> <title>Dracula (Unabridged)</title> <original_release_date>2009-01-05</original_release_date> <label_name>Apple Publishing Group</label_name> <genres> <genre code="CLASSICS-00"/> </genres> <copyright_pline>2008 Apple Publishing Group</copyright_pline> <copyright_cline>2008 Apple Publishing Group</copyright_cline> <preorder_previews>true</preorder_previews> <description>Dracula is the seminal gothic horror novel of its time as Bram Stoker introduced the world to the legendary vampire Count Dracula. Published in 1897 and told through a series of diary entries and letters, the story journeys into the dark world of Count Dracula through the eyes of several different narrators. The novel explores many themes, the role of women in Victorian culture, conventional and conservative sexuality, immigration, colonialism, post colonialism and folklore. Irish author Abraham "Bram" Stoker (1847 - 1912) was writer of novels and short stories. He was also the personal assistant of the actor Henry Irving and the business manager of the Lyceum Theatre in London, which Irving owned.</description> <products> <product> <territory>AU</territory> <preorder_sales_start_date></preorder_sales_start_date> <wholesale_price_tier>3</wholesale_price_tier> <cleared_for_sale>true</cleared_for_sale> <sales_start_date>2022-04-05</sales_start_date> </product> <product> <territory>GB</territory> <preorder_sales_start_date>2021-06-05</preorder_sales_start_date> <wholesale_price_tier>3</wholesale_price_tier> <cleared_for_sale>true</cleared_for_sale> <sales_start_date>2022-04-05</sales_start_date> </product> </products> <artists> <artist> <primary>true</primary> <artist_name>Bram Stoker</artist_name> <apple_id>2683478</apple_id> <roles> <role>Author</role> </roles> </artist> </artists> </album> </package>
Booklets
Overview of Booklets
One or more booklets can be included with an audiobook. A booklet can be any track in the audiobook (it can appear in any order in the <tracks> block).
Note: PDF booklets are currently the only accepted type of booklets. Audiobooks containing QuickTime movie assets are rejected at time of delivery See Booklet Assets for details regarding acceptable file types.
A booklet is described in the audiobook package’s metadata.xml file by adding a <booklet> XML tag. There must be one <booklet> tag for each booklet file added.
Booklet Assets
The asset is the actual file downloaded from Apple Books and is delivered to Apple in the same way as track audio file assets: it must be included in the package directory alongside the metadata and audio, and must be referenced in the metadata.xml file.
However, unlike for-sale track assets, booklet assets do not have FairPlay DRM applied to them. The customer can only obtain the booklet by purchasing the entire associated audiobook, and after initial purchase, its use is not controlled.
In this example, a PDF document is delivered in an Audiobook Package as a booklet.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><package xmlns="http://apple.com/itunes/importer" version="music5.3"> <language>en</language> <provider>AppleseedBooks</provider> <album> <album_type>audiobook</album_type> <vendor_id>9781106701657</vendor_id> <title>Dracula (Unabridged)</title> <original_release_date>2009-01-05</original_release_date> <label_name>Apple Publishing Group</label_name> <genres> <genre code="CLASSICS-00"/> </genres> <copyright_pline>2008 Apple Publishing Group</copyright_pline> <copyright_cline>2008 Apple Publishing Group</copyright_cline> <artwork_files> <file> <file_name>cover.jpg</file_name> <size>56723</size> <checksum type="md5">58a9947e2e5de47bc3039092964ad3a3</checksum> </file> </artwork_files> <description>Dracula is the seminal gothic horror novel of its time as Bram Stoker introduced the world to the legendary vampire Count Dracula. Published in 1897 and told through a series of diary entries and letters, the story journeys into the dark world of Count Dracula through the eyes of several different narrators. The novel explores many themes, the role of women in Victorian culture, conventional and conservative sexuality, immigration, colonialism, post colonialism and folklore. Irish author Abraham "Bram" Stoker (1847 - 1912) was a writer of novels and short stories. He was also the personal assistant of the actor Henry Irving and the business manager of the Lyceum Theatre in London, which Irving owned.</description> <products> <product> <territory>AU</territory> <wholesale_price_tier>3</wholesale_price_tier> <sales_start_date>2009-01-05</sales_start_date> <cleared_for_sale>true</cleared_for_sale> </product> <product> <territory>GB</territory> <wholesale_price_tier>3</wholesale_price_tier> <sales_start_date>2009-01-05</sales_start_date> <cleared_for_sale>true</cleared_for_sale> </product> </products> <artists> <artist> <artist_name>Bram Stoker</artist_name> <apple_id>2683478</apple_id> <roles> <role>Author</role> </roles> <primary>true</primary> </artist> <artist> <artist_name>Christopher Saul</artist_name> <apple_id>301336965</apple_id> <roles> <role>Narrator</role> </roles> <primary>false</primary> </artist> </artists> <tracks> <track> <type>audiobook</type> <vendor_id>9781106701657_1</vendor_id> <title>Dracula Track 1 (Unabridged)</title> <label_name>Apple Publishing Group</label_name> <explicit_content>none</explicit_content> <track_number>1</track_number> <audio_file> <file_name>9781106701657_1.wav</file_name> <size>172149800</size> <checksum type="md5">2e669877c1913f59c6686a86b4d84d1d</checksum> </audio_file> <audio_language>en</audio_language> <preview_start_index>240</preview_start_index> <artists> <artist> <artist_name>Bram Stoker</artist_name> <apple_id>2683478</apple_id> <roles> <role>Author</role> </roles> <primary>true</primary> </artist> <artist> <artist_name>Christopher Saul</artist_name> <apple_id>301336965</apple_id> <roles> <role>Narrator</role> </roles> <primary>false</primary> </artist> </artists> <chapters> <chapter> <chapter_start_time>00:00:00.000</chapter_start_time> <chapter_title>Chapter 1 - Jonathan Harker’s Journal</chapter_title> </chapter> <chapter> <chapter_start_time>02:00:08.567</chapter_start_time> <chapter_title>Chapter 2 - Jonathan Harker’s Journal Continued</chapter_title> </chapter> <chapter> <chapter_start_time>03:59:40.321</chapter_start_time> <chapter_title>Chapter 3 - Jonathan Harker’s Journal Continued</chapter_title> </chapter> <!-- additional chapters here as needed --> </chapters> </track> <!-- additional tracks here as needed --> <booklet> <vendor_id>GBBFT0501345</vendor_id> <title>Digital Booklet - Dracula</title> <copyright>2008 Apple Publishing Group</copyright> <explicit_content>none</explicit_content> <volume_number>1</volume_number> <track_number>2</track_number> <artists> <artist> <artist_name>Bram Stoker</artist_name> <apple_id>2683478</apple_id> <roles> <role>Author</role> </roles> <primary>true</primary> </artist> <artist> <artist_name>Christopher Saul</artist_name> <apple_id>301336965</apple_id> <roles> <role>Narrator</role> </roles> <primary>false</primary> </artist> </artists> <file> <file_name>booklet.pdf</file_name> <size>7243623</size> <checksum type="md5">ddfe4b8ab433e43e7dde429df86cabb2</checksum> </file> </booklet> </tracks> </album></package>
Booklet Metadata Annotations
Only the additional elements added for booklets are described. Items marked "required" below are required only if booklets are to be included.
<booklet>
Booklet (required if delivering a booklet)
Identifies a booklet within the metadata. Any number of booklets may be included in a package and in any order among the tracks.
<vendor_id>
Booklet Vendor Identifier (required)
A unique and unchanging identifier for this booklet. Only has to be unique with respect to the vendor identifiers of any other booklets included in the same package.
Important: Vendor identifiers can only contain alphanumeric characters and the underscore mark; they cannot contain spaces, other punctuation or symbols, and must not start with an underscore. The vendor identifier is case- sensitive.
<title>Digital Booklet - Dracula</title>
Booklet Title (required)
The title of the booklet, as it should appear on Apple Books.
The naming convention for PDF booklets is "Digital Booklet - Audiobook name"
For single-byte characters (such as those drawn from the ASCII character set), there is a limit of 256 characters for album titles. For multiple-byte characters (for example, Japanese), the limit is 1024 bytes, which can equate to as many as 256 characters.
<copyright>2008 Apple Publishing Group</copyright>
Booklet Copyright (required)
The copyright of the booklet, as it should appear on Apple Books.
<track_number>2</track_number>
Booklet Track Number (required)
The track number identifies the order in which the booklet appears. A booklet can be any track in the audiobook.
The booklet track number must be numbered sequentially over the entire audiobook, which means that the booklet starts with whatever the next track number would have been on the audiobook. The audiobook in this example has one track audio file; the track number for the booklet is 2.
<explicit_content>none</explicit_content>
Booklet Parental Advisory (optional; can be updated)
Denotes whether or not a booklet contains explicit content. May be clean, explicit, or none. If omitted, none (that is, a booklet for which neither a clean or explicit version exists) is assumed.
Important: A booklet must only be marked clean if it is an edited version of the original explicit form of the booklet.
<artists>
<artist>
<artist_name>Bram Stoker</artist_name>
<apple_id>2683478</apple_id>
<roles>
<role>Author</role>
</roles>
<primary>true</primary>
</artist>
<artist_name>Christopher Saul</artist_name>
<apple_id>301336965</apple_id>
<roles>
<role>Narrator</role>
</roles>
<primary>false</primary>
</artist>
</artists>
Booklet Artists (required)
Name, primary status, and roles for each artist. In this context, "artist" may be any contributor including the book author or narrator. Individual artists, such as co-authors, should be listed separately and not grouped together (for example, "Walter Isaacson", "Dylan Baker" should each have their own <artist> block instead of "Walter Isaacson and Dylan Baker" listed in one <artist> block).
Artist
You can refer to the artist by Apple identifier (using the <apple_id> tag) or by name (using the <artist_name> tag). Apple assigns every artist a unique Apple identifier; Apple recommends that artists be delivered with the Apple identifier to avoid the ambiguity in cases where audiobook artists share the same name as other authors, music artists, actors, or crew members. You can supply the <apple_id>, the <artist_name>, or both the <apple_id> and <artist_name>. If you supply both tags, the <artist_name> tag is ignored in favor of the Apple identifier. If you do not know the audiobook artist's Apple identifier, you can do a metadata lookup on an existing audiobook and look for the <apple_id> tag. For any subsequent updates, you can use the <apple_id> tag instead of or in addition to the name, to avoid ambiguity.
For single-byte characters (such as those drawn from the ASCII character set), there is a limit of 256 characters for artist names. For multiple-byte characters (for example, Japanese), the limit is 1024 bytes, which can equate to as many as 256 characters.
Role
The following roles are required for booklets:
Author
Narrator
Other roles may be provided if appropriate. See Contributor Roles for a complete list of accepted roles.
Apple strongly recommends that you list the authors before the narrators in the metadata.
Note: Supplying the narrator role is optional during the pre-order period. Once assets have been supplied, it is required.
The role names must be in English in order to be imported. But the names are localized if needed when displayed on Apple Books.
Primary Status
Primary status indicates whether the booklet appears on the artist’s page in Apple Books. Typically, there are one or two primary (lead) artists (such as the author or co-authors). For booklets without an author (for example, a booklet that has an editor or translator instead of an author), the primary status should be set to true (<primary>true</primary>) for that contributor.
Artist names appear in the order in which they are specified in the provided metadata.
Note: The primary status for the narrator role should be set to false (<primary>false</primary>).
Information identifying the file within the package that contains the actual booklet asset (downloadable file).
This tag and all sub-tags are optional as it is permitted to initially deliver the booklet metadata and then deliver the asset in a subsequent package update.
When the <file> element is present, the <file_name>, <size>, and <checksum> tags are required. See the annotations in Basic Audiobook Metadata Annotated for details of their contents.
</booklet>
Interval Pricing
Overview
This chapter specifies how to deliver pricing in an interval format. Using interval pricing, you can set prices over an unlimited number of specific time periods. Interval pricing, if used, replaces the previous pricing model. You are not required to use interval pricing. Use intervals only when you want the price to change automatically. When supplying intervals, you can leave out the <end_date> and the price will not change again; the interval does not end and remains in effect indefinitely.
This chapter describes the metadata.xml for delivering interval pricing only. To see the complete annotations, see Basic Audiobook Metadata Annotated. For questions, contact your iTunes Technical Representative.
If you provide interval pricing, you must follow these requirements or delivery will fail:
You may deliver pricing intervals at any time for up to a year in advance.
Gaps between intervals are not allowed.
For the first interval, the <start_date> tag must either be omitted (meaning that the interval implicitly starts immediately), or it must contain a value that is no later than the current date. For subsequent intervals, the <start_date> may be any point in the future.
The end date of the first interval must not be earlier than the <sales_start_date>.
The last interval must have no end date.
Audiobook Example with Price Intervals
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><package xmlns="http://apple.com/itunes/importer" version="music5.3"> <language>en</language> <provider>AppleseedBooks</provider> <album> <album_type>audiobook</album_type> <vendor_id>9781106701657</vendor_id> <title>Dracula (Unabridged)</title> <original_release_date>2009-01-05</original_release_date> <label_name>Apple Publishing Group</label_name> <genres> <genre code="CLASSICS-00"/> </genres> <copyright_pline>2008 Apple Publishing Group</copyright_pline> <copyright_cline>2008 Apple Publishing Group</copyright_cline> <artwork_files> <file> <file_name>cover.jpg</file_name> <size>56723</size> <checksum type="md5">58a9947e2e5de47bc3039092964ad3a3</checksum> </file> </artwork_files> <description>Dracula is the seminal gothic horror novel of its time as Bram Stoker introduced the world to the legendary vampire Count Dracula. Published in 1897 and told through a series of diary entries and letters, the story journeys into the dark world of Count Dracula through the eyes of several different narrators. The novel explores many themes, the role of women in Victorian culture, conventional and conservative sexuality, immigration, colonialism, post colonialism and folklore. Irish author Abraham "Bram" Stoker (1847 - 1912) was writer of novels and short stories. He was also the personal assistant of the actor Henry Irving and the business manager of the Lyceum Theatre in London, which Irving owned.</description> <products> <product> <territory>AU</territory> <sales_start_date>2009-01-05</sales_start_date> <cleared_for_sale>true</cleared_for_sale> <intervals> <interval> <start_date>2009-01-05</start_date> <end_date>2009-08-20</end_date> <wholesale_price_tier>3</wholesale_price_tier> </interval> <interval> <start_date>2009-08-20</start_date> <end_date>2009-10-02</end_date> <wholesale_price_tier>5</wholesale_price_tier> </interval> <interval> <start_date>2009-10-02</start_date> <wholesale_price_tier>3</wholesale_price_tier> </interval> </intervals> </product> </products> <artists> <artist> <artist_name>Bram Stoker</artist_name> <apple_id>2683478</apple_id> <roles> <role>Author</role> </roles> <primary>true</primary> </artist> <artist> <artist_name>Christopher Saul</artist_name> <apple_id>301336965</apple_id> <roles> <role>Narrator</role> </roles> <primary>false</primary> </artist> </artists> <tracks> <track> <type>audiobook</type> <vendor_id>9781106701657_1</vendor_id> <title>Dracula Track 1 (Unabridged)</title> <label_name>Apple Publishing Group</label_name> <explicit_content>none</explicit_content> <track_number>1</track_number> <audio_file> <file_name>9781106701657_1.wav</file_name> <size>172149800</size> <checksum type="md5">2e669877c1913f59c6686a86b4d84d1d</checksum> </audio_file> <audio_language>en</audio_language> <preview_start_index>240</preview_start_index> <artists> <artist> <artist_name>Bram Stoker</artist_name> <apple_id>2683478</apple_id> <roles> <role>Author</role> </roles> <primary>true</primary> </artist> <artist> <artist_name>Christopher Saul</artist_name> <apple_id>301336965</apple_id> <roles> <role>Narrator</role> </roles> <primary>false</primary> </artist> </artists> <chapters> <chapter> <chapter_start_time>00:00:00.000</chapter_start_time> <chapter_title>Chapter 1 - Jonathan Harker’s Journal</chapter_title> </chapter> <chapter> <chapter_start_time>02:00:08.567</chapter_start_time> <chapter_title>Chapter 2 - Jonathan Harker’s Journal Continued</chapter_title> </chapter> <chapter> <chapter_start_time>03:59:40.321</chapter_start_time> <chapter_title>Chapter 3 - Jonathan Harker’s Journal Continued</chapter_title> </chapter> <!-- additional chapters here as needed --> </chapters> </track> <!-- additional tracks here as needed --> </tracks> </album></package>
Interval Pricing Annotations
<products>
<product>
<territory>AU</territory>
<cleared_for_sale>true</cleared_for_sale>
<sales_start_date>2009-01-05</sales_start_date>
Product (required; can be updated)
For each territory in which an audiobook is to be sold there must be a defined product, which supplies information such as salability, pricing, and sales start date. Product information can be updated by redelivering the metadata.
Note: When interval pricing is used, pricing may not be located outside of the <interval> tag (meaning you can’t deliver the <wholesale_price_tier> tag within the <product> block).
<intervals>
Intervals (required if using intervals)
The beginning of a group of intervals for a specific territory.
<interval>
Interval (required if using intervals)
The beginning of an individual interval for a specific territory. This interval will only be applied to the territory specified in the parent's (product) territory tag. Any number of intervals can be provided in any initial product delivery or subsequent update.
<start_date>2009-01-05</start_date>
Start Date (required except for the first interval)
The start date for the given interval in YYYY-MM-DD format. For the first start date, this tag must either be omitted or must be set to the current date (the same day that the import is sent). For subsequent start dates, the date may be any point in the future.
If you leave out the <start_date> tag for the first interval, the interval starts immediately by default. If the <start_date> of the first interval is other than the current date (either by default or by explicitly sending the current date), delivery will fail.
<end_date>2009-08-20</end_date>
End Date (optional)
The end date for the given interval. This may be any point at least 24 hours after the interval's start date and must follow the YYYY-MM-DD format. If the end date is not specified, the interval will last until the start date of the following interval. If no further intervals are specified, the interval will last indefinitely. If all pricing intervals end, the content will no longer be available on Apple Books.
<wholesale_price_tier>3</wholesale_price_tier>
Wholesale Price Tier (required)
The wholesale price tier for the audiobook for the given interval. Must be a wholesale price tier number as specified in your contract with Apple. Review your contract to verify the tiers available to you. If an invalid price tier is provided, Apple reserves the right to reject the package or to use default pricing.
</interval>
</intervals>
</product>
</products>
Audiobook Genres
Audiobook genres are identified by the attribute named code within the <genre> tag. Here are the Apple genre codes:
Genre
Apple Genre Code
Biography & Memoir
BIOGRAPHY-MEMOIR-00
Business
BUSINESS-00
Classics
CLASSICS-00
Comedy
COMEDY-00
Erotica
EROTICA-00
Fiction
FICTION-00
History
HISTORY-00
Kids & Young Adults
KIDS-YOUNG-ADULTS-00
Languages
LANGUAGES-00
Light Novels
LIGHTNOVELS-00
Mystery
MYSTERY-00
Nonfiction
NONFICTION-00
Religion & Spirituality
RELIGION-SPIRITUALITY-00
Romance
ROMANCE-00
Sci Fi & Fantasy
SCIFI-FANTASY-00
Science
SCIENCE-00
Self Development
SELF-DEVELOPMENT-00
Sports
SPORTS-00
Travel & Adventure
TRAVEL-ADVENTURE-00
Contributor Roles
The following table lists the accepted contributor roles used with the <role> tag within the <contributor> block. Note that even though the table shows the first word of a role name capitalized, the role name is case-insensitive.
Role Name
Abridged by
Actor
Adapted by
Afterword by
AI Generated by
Arranged by (music)
As told by
Associate editor
Author
Commentaries by
Compiled by
Contributions by
Cover design or artwork by
Created by
Designed by
Drawings by
Edited and translated by
Editor
Editor-in-chief
Editorial board member
Editorial coordination by
Epilogue by
Foreword by
Founded by
From an idea by
General editor
Guest editor
Illustrated by
Introduction by
Introduction and notes by
Inked or colored by
Instrumental soloist
Managing editor
Maps by
Narrator
Notes by
Original author
Other adaptation by
Other direction by
Performed by
Photographs by
Preface by
Preliminary work by
Prepared for publication by
Prologue by
Retold by
Revised by
Selected by
Supplement by
Text by
Translated by
Translated with commentary by
Vocal soloist
Volume editor
With
Content Updates
Content Updates
This appendix describes the process behind updating your content. Most tags can be updated by sending a redelivery, while other tags require a ticket. In addition, the following conditions may affect whether or not a tag can be updated:
current review status of the content
date the redelivery is sent (before or after the sales start date)
About Content Review Statuses
Before content can go live on Apple Books, Apple may review and confirm the quality of the metadata, cover art, and audio. Your ability to update your content changes based on the status your content is in during that review process. To see the current content review status of your content, do a metadata lookup on the package (see Use Lookup Metadata Mode in the Transporter User Guide) and locate the key="content-review-status" attribute in the <read_only_info> block:
Content has not yet been reviewed, and must be reviewed before it can go live.
Ready / Reviewed
Content has been reviewed and will go live on the specified sales start date.
Ready / Not Reviewed
Content has not been reviewed, and will go live on the specified sales start date.
After the Sales Start Date
Not Live / Waiting for Review
Content has not yet been reviewed, and must be reviewed before it can go live.
Live / Reviewed
Content has been reviewed, and is live based on the specified sales start date.
Live / Not Reviewed
Content has not been reviewed, and is live based on the specified sales start date.
Content Update Behavior
By default, most tags can be updated, regardless of the content review status. When you send a metadata delivery to update those tags, the changes are applied without a review (see the definition of Pass-Through below).
Updates to the following tags will be ignored:
Language (the <language> tag under <package> and <artist>)
Provider
Vendor ID
Keep the following definitions in mind when sending metadata updates:
Pass-Through: When you send a metadata update to make changes to tags that do not require a ticket, those changes are applied without having to be reviewed by Apple; this is referred to as Pass-Through because the changes are applied automatically without a ticket and without review.
Ticket Required: For these fields, an outstanding ticket is required in order to make changes via XML. Changes will be applied to the ticket for review. When the ticket is approved by Apple, the changes will go live. If there is no outstanding ticket on the content when the XML is submitted, changes to these fields are ignored.
Ticket Optional: For these fields, changes will be applied immediately as a Pass-Through unless there is an outstanding ticket. If there is an outstanding ticket, then the changes are appended to the ticket instead of being applied immediately; when Apple approves the ticket, the changes will go live.
Create Ticket: For these fields, Apple will automatically create a ticket when you submit an update. The ticket is subject to review by Apple. When Apple approves the ticket, the change will go live.
The table below lists only the tags that may require a ticket in certain circumstances; it does not list the tags that are always Pass-Through or always ignored. Below each tag, review statuses are listed. Checkmarks appear in a column to indicate if the tag can be updated and under which conditions.
Album and Track Titles
Pass-Through
Ticket Optional
Create Ticket
Ticket Required
Cannot Be Updated
Not Live / Waiting for Review
√
Ready / Reviewed
√
Ready / Not Reviewed
√
Live / Reviewed
√
Live / Not Reviewed
√
Album and Track Artists; Artist Apple Identifier
Note: Updating artists includes adding or removing the artist, changing the order of the artists, or changing the primary status; you cannot update an artist to correct a typo or misspelling.
Pass-Through
Ticket Optional
Create Ticket
Ticket Required
Cannot Be Updated
Not Live / Waiting for Review
√
Ready / Reviewed
√
Ready / Not Reviewed
√
Live / Reviewed
√
Live / Not Reviewed
√
Album Genres
Pass-Through
Ticket Optional
Create Ticket
Ticket Required
Cannot Be Updated
Not Live / Waiting for Review
√
Ready / Reviewed
√
Ready / Not Reviewed
√
Live / Reviewed
√
Live / Not Reviewed
√
Track Audio Language
Pass-Through
Ticket Optional
Create Ticket
Ticket Required
Cannot Be Updated
Not Live / Waiting for Review
√
Ready / Reviewed
√
Ready / Not Reviewed
√
Live / Reviewed
√
Live / Not Reviewed
√
Original Release Date
Pass-Through
Ticket Optional
Create Ticket
Ticket Required
Cannot Be Updated
Not Live / Waiting for Review
√
Ready / Reviewed
√
Ready / Not Reviewed
√
Live / Reviewed
√
Live / Not Reviewed
√
Album Cover Art
Note: This change is applied only if the checksum of the new cover differs from the checksum of the cover currently in the iTunes database.
Pass-Through
Ticket Optional
Create Ticket
Ticket Required
Cannot Be Updated
Not Live / Waiting for Review
√
Ready / Reviewed
√
Ready / Not Reviewed
√
Live / Reviewed
√
Live / Not Reviewed
√
Parental Advisory for Songs and Booklets
Pass-Through
Ticket Optional
Create Ticket
Ticket Required
Cannot Be Updated
Not Live / Waiting for Review
√
Ready / Reviewed
√
Ready / Not Reviewed
√
Live / Reviewed
√
Live / Not Reviewed
√
Audio Files
Note: This change is applied only if the checksum of the new audio differs from the checksum of the audio currently in the iTunes database.
Pass-Through
Ticket Optional
Create Ticket
Ticket Required
Cannot Be Updated
Not Live / Waiting for Review
√
Ready / Reviewed
√
Ready / Not Reviewed
√
Live / Reviewed
√
Live / Not Reviewed
√
Booklet Files
Note: This change is applied only if the checksum of the new file differs from the checksum of the booklet currently in the iTunes database.
Pass-Through
Ticket Optional
Create Ticket
Ticket Required
Cannot Be Updated
Not Live / Waiting for Review
√
Ready / Reviewed
√
Ready / Not Reviewed
√
Live / Reviewed
√
Live / Not Reviewed
√
Concatenating MP3 Files
Apple requires that you deliver your audiobook as a single, large file, with metadata (in the form of an xml input file) designating the start of each chapter. The audio file is delivered in a <track> tag, with the file being less than 23 hours in length. (For longer audiobooks, you can deliver multiple tracks, and each track can be up to 23 hours long. If a single track audio file is longer than 23 hours, delivery will fail.) The goal is to send the audio in as few tracks as possible, with each track as close to the 23 hour limit as possible.
If your audiobook is currently broken up into multiple MP3 files of short duration, you must concatenate them into a single, longer track (or multiple long tracks, if the combined duration is longer than 23 hours). The required solution for concatenating MP3 files into a single, longer file is provided below.
When concatenating files, you must track the precise cumulative duration of the files. You may choose to round to the nearest second in specifying the chapter marks (see the annotation for Audiobook Track Chaptering in Basic Audiobook Metadata Annotated), but you should use sub-second precision in tracking the cumulative length of the concatenated files; otherwise, your chapter points will gradually become more inaccurate further into the track as the imprecision is compounded.
Important: When concatenating MP3 files, all files must have the same sample rate, bit rate, and channels (for example, mono vs stereo). If the sample rate, bit rate, or channels are different among the tracks, you must force them all to one value using the following arguments:
To concatenate the audio chapters into one long track, you use a command line tool called ffmpeg. It is available for all major operating systems (MacOS, Windows, Linux, etc). You can download ffmpeg here: https://www.ffmpeg.org.
ffmpeg has several ways to concatenate files, but only one method produces the required results. If you are concatenating MP3 files, you must use ffmpeg with the specific arguments and format listed below:
where chapter_list.txt is a list of all files in the exact form below (this example has 16 chapters; your audiobook might have fewer or more chapters):
Important: You must use ffmpeg with the specific arguments as shown above. Other similar tools and similar arguments will produce suboptimal results.
Language Codes
Language codes should be formatted according to the best practices recommended by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) in a group of documents known collectively as BCP 47, and in particular, RFC 5646, which is part of BCP 47. An overview of these best practices is provided here: https://www.w3.org/International/articles/language-tags/. When specifying languages, you can use any language as long as it is a valid BCP 47 code that consists of the language subtag, optional region subtag, and optional script subtag as appropriate. In addition to commonly-used alphabetic country codes, BCP 47 also includes support for UN M.49 region codes.
As a best practice when specifying a language, use the region subtag (for example, the US of en-US) only when it conveys helpful information, such as spelling variations between countries. For example, there is generally not a need to distinguish between Japanese as used in one country versus another, so you should use only the language code subtag (ja) instead of the language code and region subtags (ja-JP). In cases where specifying a region is appropriate, use the hyphen character to combine a language subtag with a region subtag. This identifies both the language and the specific location where the language is used. For English with American spelling, use en-US; for English with British spelling, use en-GB.
Although script subtags are valid (for example, Chinese can be written in either Traditional or Simplified characters, and you may need to indicate that localizations appear in a specific script), keep in mind that script subtags are for describing text and should not be used for describing audio. For example, you would deliver cmn to describe audio in Mandarin, not cmn-Hant or cmn-Hans.
Note that while any language code complying with the guidelines above will be accepted, Apple Books only displays content in a limited set of languages as shown in the table below. At present, the only UN M.49 region code supported by Apple Books is 419 and it is useful in forming the language tag es-419 to represent Spanish as used in Latin America (as distinct from Spanish as used in Spain).
Accented characters such as é and ü don’t appear correctly in my titles and descriptions.
Make sure you are correctly encoding your metadata in UTF-8. You can use one of the XML Metadata Production tools listed in the Helpful Tools chapter. There is an XML tool called xmllint that will help identify problems with your XML encodings. You can also try previewing your XML in a browser that renders XML trees such as Firefox.
How do I create a checksum for my files?
Apple accepts file checksums using the industry standard MD5 message digest. There are a variety of tools available to produce an MD5 checksum. See the tools listed in Helpful Tools.
I’m not familiar with XML. Where can I find a general tutorial for XML?
Some letters in XML have to be rewritten, what is that about? What’s wrong with my ampersand? My XML isn’t valid!
XML uses a small set of characters to denote structure in the document. If you need to use these characters within content in your XML file, you need to let the XML file know that the characters are not being used as structure by "escaping" them. For example the letters < and > designate an element tag marker, so if you have a value of "9 > 0" in your XML, you need to escape the greater than character with a set of characters called an entity. The entity for greater than ">" is ">", thus making your previous statement "9 > 0". If you cannot rewrite these characters, see the next section regarding using a Character Data (CDATA) block.
Here are the characters that need to be escaped, and their equivalent entities:
Character
Escaped Equivalent
>
>
<
<
&
&
I cannot rewrite my characters. Is there another option? What is CDATA?
XML does offer another solution when rewriting reserved characters is not possible. Element text may be enclosed in a special structure called a character data block CDATA. In a CDATA block, the <, >, and & characters are allowed; the only thing not allowed is the CDATA block closing sequence “]]>” which is unlikely to occur in your text.
Here’s an example using entity escaping:
<description>If 9 > 0, then take 0 & 9.<description>
And here is an example using a CDATA block:
<description><![CDATA[if 9 > 0, then take 0 & 9. ]]></description>
I don’t have a value for a tag that is shown in the XML.
For tags marked optional for which you have no value, Apple requires that you remove the tag entirely from the XML rather than leaving the tag empty. If the tag is marked required, you may not omit the tag.
Helpful Tools
These products are neither endorsed nor supported by Apple.
The following table lists the previously-released specifications and the revisions:
Date/Version
Summary
November 9, 2022 - Version 5.3.4
Minor updates and clarifications.
September 28, 2021 - Version 5.3.3
Added a chapter to describe how to deliver pre-orders for an audiobook.
March 16, 2020 - Version 5.3.2
Added a new guideline for audio source. Added an appendix to describe tag updating behavior.
June 24, 2019 - Version 5.3.1
Added audiobook genres.
December 11, 2018 - Version 5.3
First release of this specification.
Changes in Audiobooks Specification 5.3.4
General
Minor updates and clarifications.
Changes in Audiobooks Specification 5.3.3
Pre-orders
A new chapter has been added to describe how to deliver pre-orders for an audiobook. Pre-orders allow customers to order an audiobook before it is available for sale. This ensures they will receive the audiobook as soon as it is available. See Overview of Pre-orders for more information.
Changes in Audiobooks Specification 5.3.2
Audio Source Profile
Added a new guideline for audio source: Track audio files must have the same bit rate throughout; any variance may cause an error when the delivered package is processed by Apple. See the Audio Source Profile for more information.
Content Update Behavior
A new appendix describes the process behind updating content and includes definitions, descriptions of content review statuses, and a table listing the tags that may require a ticket in certain circumstances. See the appendix Content Updates for more information.
Changes in Audiobooks Specification 5.3.1
Audiobook Genres
Three genres have been added to the Audiobooks Genres chapter:
