1.1. Use of Apple Inc. Copyrighted Terms. Audiobooks not produced by Apple Inc. must not use Apple trademarks (such as the Apple logo, “Apple Inc.,” “Apple Books,” “iBook,” “Apple Books Store,” “Book Store,” or “iBooks Author”) in the audiobook asset, cover art, or metadata in a way that makes the content appear to be Apple-branded or created by Apple. The term “Apple Books” should be used to refer to the entire Apple Books ecosystem, including Apple Books for iOS, Apple Books for Mac, and the Book Store.

Don’t use the word “iBook” to refer to a publication or to the general category of ebooks.

To learn more, see Guidelines for Using Apple Trademarks and Copyrights.

1.2. Accuracy. Metadata, cover art, audio files, and the booklet asset must match and accurately represent the audiobook. For example, if the cover art and the audiobook asset are for an audiobook titled Paradiso, but the metadata is for Purgatorio, then the items don’t match.

1.3. Advertising. Content should not contain advertising. For example, metadata shouldn’t contain references to competitors of iTunes, nor to any URLs, logos, or dates for future product releases. Search terms and keywords should not be included in title metadata.

1.4. Explicit Content Flagging. Explicit content must be flagged Explicit with a parental advisory tag.

1.5. Track Count Limit. Tracks on any audiobook are not to exceed 500.

1.6 Language. The appropriate language must be set in the Audiobook Package. Language codes should match the language of the metadata and the audio.

1.7. Audiobook Track Audio Language. The appropriate audio language must be set in the metadata at track level. Language code(s) should match the language spoken or sung in the audio.

1.8. Localizations. Provide metadata, including titles, in the native language you’ve chosen for your content. Provide accurate localizations for all languages you have available, unless you want the metadata to appear in the native language in all territories. Note that Simplified Chinese localizations are always required for Chinese-language content. If a title is an intentional mix of more than one language, don’t localize that title.

For an artist name in a native language that uses a non-Latin script such as Hebrew or Arabic, provide metadata in the local script for the native artist name and provide transliterated English for the English localization.

1.9. Repeated Submissions. Content may be hidden using the reason: Repeated Submissions if multiple copies of the same content and/or audio files are submitted with a slightly different title and/or artist.

1.10. Nazi Propaganda. Content must not depict Nazi symbolism as restricted by the Strafgesetzbuch section 86a if the content is cleared for sale in Germany (DE), Austria (AT), Switzerland (CH), or any other country that restricts Nazi propaganda. If content violating Strafgesetzbuch section 86a (cleared for sale in DE, AT, CH, or any other country that restricts Nazi propaganda) is submitted three times, your entire catalogue will be suspended in DE, AT, CH, and any other applicable country for up to six months.

1.11. iTunes Store and Apple Music Terms and Conditions. All audiobooks submitted to iTunes are bound by the iTunes Store and Apple Music Terms and Conditions. The iTunes Service may offer interactive features that allow you to submit materials (including links to third-party content) on areas of the iTunes Service accessible and viewable by the public. You agree that any use by you of such features, including any materials submitted by you, shall be your sole responsibility, and shall not infringe upon or violate the rights of any other party. You also agree that these materials will not violate any laws, contribute to or encourage infringing or otherwise unlawful conduct, or otherwise be obscene, objectionable, or in poor taste.

1.12. Editorial Corrections. iTunes reserves the right to modify metadata as reasonably necessary to improve the customer experience.

1.13. Misleading. Content may be hidden using the reason: Misleading if designed to mislead customers by mimicking popular content or search terms.

1.14. Cultural Sensitivities. It is the content provider’s responsibility to be knowledgable about local regulations and cultural sensitivities. Content sold must be legal and appropriate for the countries the content is cleared. This content may be hidden using the reason: Refusal.

1.15. Artificial Narration. Audiobooks narrated by artificial intelligence must explicitly state this in either the title or narrator field. It must also be referenced in the product description to avoid customer confusion.

1.16. AI-Generated Content Transparency. Audiobook content that is AI-generated (i.e., a material portion of the content is generated by an AI-based tool as opposed to a human author), must be labeled as such using “AI Generated by” artist role and declaring the AI-generated creation method in the description. AI-assisted content (i.e., AI has been used by a human author as a tool in idea generation, research, editing, refining text, or producing images for a book composed by a human author) does not require disclosure.

1.17 Other. Other issues that can lead to customer confusion and complaints may result in the removal of the audiobook from Apple Books.

2.1. Incorrect Audio. All audio files should be correct and contain the content indicated by their cover art and metadata.

2.2. Incomplete Audio. All audio files must be complete and must not be missing chapters or other content. Tracks must not cut off audio content and audio must play for the entirety of the run time.

2.3. Audio Quality. Sound quality must be audible, clear, and free of issues that could cause customer complaints such as static or other extraneous noises, distortion, skipping, and so forth.

3.1. Primary Author Designation. The names of the authors that typically appear on the cover of an audiobook need to be listed as Primary.

Primary status indicates whether or not the audiobook appears on the artist’s page in the Store. Typically, there are one or two primary (lead) artists (such as the author or co-authors) and one or more supporting artists (such as the narrator). At least one artist must be designated as a primary artist.

Only primary artists are presently displayed with the audiobook on the Store. Artist names will appear in the Store in the order in which they are specified in the provided metadata.

3.2. Artist Roles. The following roles are accepted:

• Author

• Narrator

Other roles may be provided if appropriate. If another role is provided, see the iTunes Store Package Music Specification for more information.

3.3. Artist Formatting. Format the artist’s name correctly. It’s ok to use middle names, middle initials, organization names, nicknames, name suffixes (for example, “Jr.”), and academic titles (for example, “Ph.D.”).

Standard artist name spellings (full artist name) and capitalization need to be used for all artists. Nonstandard capitalization (for example, all caps or all lowercase) should only be used when consistent with the artist’s name as it appears in the physical version of the audiobook and in publicity materials (for example, “e.e. cummings”).

Use the First Last format (for example, “John Doe”). Enter the same artist name in Last, First format (for example “Doe, John”) in the following field, which is how we sort alphabetically on the Store.

Artist names written in Japanese (Kanji, Hiragana, Katakana) or Chinese (Simplified or Traditional) characters should be formatted as LastFirst, with no space or punctuation between the last and first names.

The exceptions are first names and last names consisting of only one character each. Those names should include a half-width (single-byte) space between the first and last name.

If the artist is commonly referred to in Katakana format, or transliterated Chinese characters, insert a full-width black dot (点) “・” between the first name and the last names.

3.4. Extra Information. Artist names shouldn’t include any additional information beyond the name. Do not use roles (such as Illustrator), dates (such as birthdate), or any other information.

3.5. Using “Anonymous” or “Unknown” as the Artist. Only artists that have published anonymously to remain unknown, or artists that are historically unidentified, can be designated as “Anonymous” or “Unknown” in the metadata. Otherwise, audiobooks without a credited artist need to use the publisher’s name as the artist in the metadata.

3.6. Compound. Keep to a single contributor per artist field. Two or more authors in the same artist field will result in a “compound author” error. If more than one author is credited on the cover art and in the audiobook, list those authors individually and identify each one as Primary.

3.7. Incorrect Presentation of “Various Artists.” Variations or abbreviations of “Various Artists” (for example, “V/A,” “V.A.,” “Various,” “Various Artist,” or “Varios”) must not be used as an artist name. Various Artists must not be a track-level artist.

3.8. Generic Artist Names. Generic artists, such as Narrator 1, Yoga, Workout, Meditation, Baby, Christmas, Top Hits, Chorus, Orchestra, or Singer are not accepted in any genre.

3.9. Artificial Narration. Audiobooks narrated by artificial intelligence must explicitly state this in either the title or narrator field. It must also be referenced in the product description to avoid customer confusion.

3.10. Missing AI-Generated Role. Content that is AI-generated must be labeled as such using the “AI Generated by” artist role.

4.1. Accuracy. The title and subtitle need to be spelled correctly and match the cover art and audiobook asset file.

4.2. Title Case for Titles and Subtitles. Title case needs to be used for all English titles and subtitles. For any other general cases not addressed in this guide, refer to The Chicago Manual of Style.

4.3. Extra Information. Titles and subtitles can’t include additional information, such as search terms, keywords, or advertising, that isn’t necessary to identify the audiobook.

4.4. Audio Must Match. Audio files must match the track titles. iTunes will not accept placeholder audio.

4.5. Chapter Titles. 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 audiobook 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.

4.6. Unnecessary Version Information. Do not submit any title version information that is already addressed with iTunes badges. iTunes displays a badge or blurb for the following, so titles must not include:

• Clean Version

• Explicit Version

• Mastered for iTunes

4.7. Audiobook Subtitle Formatting. Titles and subtitles should be separated by a colon. Don’t use a hyphen or dash unless that’s the format used on the audiobook cover.

4.8. Audiobook Title Version. If an audiobook has a title version, or is part of a series, 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.

Example: Les Misérables (Abridged)

4.9. Booklet Title. Digital Booklet title should follow the format:

• Digital Booklet - audiobook title

4.10. Multiple Books. Multiple audiobook titles in the title field must be separated by a slash. Note that you must place a space before and after the slash.

4.11. Censoring Words. The title or subtitle must be written as the author intended. All words should be completely spelled out and no words should be censored. The Store automatically censors certain explicit words in titles (for example, f**k and s**t). Don’t insert the asterisks yourself unless they were included in the original title.

4.12. Use of Exclusive. The word “Exclusive” must not be part of the title or subtitle when used as a claim, because the titles are a permanent part of the audiobook, and the “Exclusive” claim may only apply for a limited time.

4.13. Pricing. Titles shouldn’t include any wording on pricing, such as “Reduced Price,” “Low Price,” “Available for $9.99,” or “For Promo Use.”

4.14. References to Physical Content or Content Not Included. Titles and subtitles can’t include wording that refers to physical content or content that isn’t included, such as “CD,” “Poster,” or “Audiobook.” For example:

• E-Release

• Digital Only

• Digital Download

• Digital Single

• E-Album

• 2 CD set

4.15. Competing Websites. Titles and subtitles shouldn’t include references to other booksellers to describe the audiobook, such as “Amazon Version,” “Kindle Version,” or “Nook Version.”

4.16. Nonstandard Capitalization. Don’t use titles or subtitles in all capitals, all lowercase, or a mixture of both, even if shown that way on the cover art.

4.17. English Title Casing. English titles and subtitles need to be in title case format and follow the casing conventions outlined in Appendix 2: Case Styles. For example:

• How to Talk to Famous People

• The War (A Brief History)

• To Be, or Not to Be

• The One and Only

• Some Kind of Trouble

• Michael Jackson: A Life In Music

4.18. French, Italian, Swedish, Spanish, and Portuguese Casing. Titles and subtitles in these languages should use sentence case. For example:

• El coronel no tiene quien le escriba

• Cien años de soledad

• El amante liberal

• O homem sem nome

• L’amour dans la rue

• Il mondo che vorrei

• C’è chi dice no

• Hoppa upp!

• För sent för edelweiss

• Du côté de chez Swann

4.19. German Casing. German titles and subtitles also need to use sentence case, and capitalize the first letter of every noun. For example:

• Die Leiden des jungen Werthers

• Aus meinem Leben

• Die Philosophie im tragischen Zeitalter der Griechen

5.1. Accuracy. The description needs to be accurate and not for another audiobook.

5.2. Incomplete. The description should be complete. The description shouldn’t repeat information already provided in the metadata. For example, “Book by author” or “Action adventure book” are not complete descriptions.

5.3. Formatting. The description needs to be formatted correctly. Use sentence case for descriptions with the correct use of line breaks. The description can’t be in all bold text.

5.4. HTML Tags. When you enter a description in the audiobook package you can use HTML tags. But don’t use the following HTML tags, since these can cause issues on the Store:

<font>

<table>

<div>

<ol>

Also, make sure you don’t have any “escaped” HTML tags. For example, the string <B> will appear as <B> in a description, instead of making the text bold.

5.5. Misleading. The audiobook’s description shouldn’t be misleading. For example, the description can’t include wording that refers to physical content or other content that isn’t included, like “CD,” “Disc,” or “PDF.”

5.6. Upselling. The description can’t try to upsell to another, more complete version of the same product.

5.7. Competing Websites. The description can’t promote competing websites that sell audiobooks or compete with the Store.

5.8. Pricing. Don’t include pricing words in your description, such as “Reduced Price,” “Low Price,” or “Available for $9.99.”

5.9. References to Future Versions or Updates. The description shouldn’t reference or promote content that isn’t included in the current version of the audiobook. In other words, don’t reference or promote content that is coming in a future update.

5.10. Unique Description. The description should be unique for each audiobook, even those included in a series. No duplicate descriptions for multiple audiobooks.

5.11. Advertising. The description can’t advertise or market other products or services.

5.12. Explicit Content. The description should not contain explicit text.

5.13. Additional Information. The description should be free from extraneous information—such as search terms or keywords beyond what’s necessary to describe the audiobook.

5.14. Artificial Narration. Audiobooks narrated by artificial intelligence must reference this in the product description.

5.15. AI Generated. The description must reference if the content of the audiobook has been generated by AI.

6.1. Accents and Characters Required. Supported languages need to always use the appropriate accents and characters. For example, French titles with appropriate accents should be included even on capital letters.

For example:

• Hôtel d’Angleterre

• À la recherche du temps perdu.

• Révérence

• Kärlek är ett brev skickat tusen gånger

• Max Gazzè

• L’uomo più furbo

6.2. German Characters. Don’t use digraphs instead of common German characters, such as Ä, ä, Ö, ö, Ü, ü, and ß.

6.3. Zhuyin or Bopomofo (注音符號) Characters. The 36 Zhuyin or Bopomofo characters, such as ㄅ, ㄆ, ㄇ, or ㄈ are not supported.

7.1. Accuracy. The genre needs to best describe the audiobook. Audiobooks must not be egregiously misclassified. For example, a nonfiction history audiobook should not be submitted as “Sci-Fi & Fantasy”.

For a complete list of acceptable genres, see the Audiobooks Specifications. Not every genre has a genre page in iTunes and the list may change at any time. You must only select genres from this list, regardless of what language your content may be in. Genre names are automatically translated for each Store.

The first genre listed will be the primary genre and must be the best description for the content. The secondary genre provides an additional search term that may help users find the content. A second genre is not required, but it should be used when applicable.

Content will only chart in the first primary genre.

8.1. Accuracy. Album and release dates should be the original date of the first consumer-available physical audiobook release (cassette, 8-track, CD, or other physical media), regardless of country, or whether it was released digitally versus physically. 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 the Store.

This field is cosmetic only and does not impact "available date" or "street date" on the Store. 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.

9.1. Accuracy. Deliver the audiobook’s original cover art whenever possible, and don’t use generic art templates. Use art that matches the audiobook you’re delivering.

9.2. Cover Art Size. Cover art must be at least 3000 x 3000 pixels. Larger images are recommended. The aspect ratio must be 1:1.

9.3. Quality. Images must not be blurry, pixelated, mismatched, misaligned, rotated, incorrect, or have other quality issues.

9.4. Unique Cover. The art should be unique for each title. Don’t submit duplicate images for multiple audiobooks.

9.5. Misleading. The art for the audiobook must not be misleading. For example, the art shouldn’t include wording that refers to physical content or other content that isn’t included, such as “CD,” “Disc,” or “PDF.”

9.6. Upselling. The art must not upsell to another, more complete version of the same product.

9.7. Competitors. The art must not promote websites or physical retailers that sell books or compete with Apple Books.

9.8. Unnecessary Borders. Don’t include unnecessary borders in your art that are extraneous or weren’t part of the original cover design.

9.9. Setup Shots. The art must not be a setup shot, three-quarter image, or a 3D representation of the audiobook. Don’t use photographs of the audiobook’s physical cover as cover art.

9.10. Pricing. The art must not include references to pricing, including “Reduced Price,” “Low Price,” “Available for $9.99,” or “For Promo Use.”

9.11. References to Physical Packaging or Retailers. Do not use any references to a book’s physical format, such as “Larger Text,” “Easy to Read,” “First time in print,” or something similar.

9.12. Nazi Propaganda. The cover art of your audiobook can’t depict Nazi symbolism as outlined in the Strafgesetzbuch section 86a if the content is cleared for sale in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, or any other country that restricts Nazi propaganda. If a cover art image violating Strafgesetzbuch section 86a (cleared for sale in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, or any other country that restricts Nazi propaganda) is submitted three times, your entire catalogue will be suspended in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and any other country that enforces this for up to six months.

9.13. Advertising. The cover art must not advertise or market any other products or services.

9.14. Rights Infringement. The cover art must not contain materials that infringe the rights of others (for example, copyright, right of publicity, trademark, and so on).

9.15. “iTunes” or “Apple Inc.” Art must not contain the words “iTunes” or “Apple Inc.”

9.16. Apple Logo or the Term “Exclusive.” Art must not contain the Apple logo or the term “Exclusive” without prior authorization from Apple.

9.17. Missing Content. Art must not contain references to content that the audiobook doesn't contain, such as “included DVD” or “includes poster.”

9.18. Digital Product. Art must not include references to it being a digital product.

10.1. Accuracy. The booklet must match the audiobook. Deliver original booklets whenever possible, and don’t use generic templates.

10.2. Quality. Booklets must be legible, functional, and free of issues that could cause customer complaints, such as blurry or pixelated images or text, misaligned or rotated text, and so on.

10.3. Competitors. Booklets must not promote websites or physical retailers that sell books or compete with Apple Books.

10.4. Advertising. Booklets must not advertise or market any other products or services.

10.5. Rights Infringement. Booklets must not contain materials that infringe the rights of others (for example, copyright, right of publicity, trademark, and so on).

10.6. Pricing. Booklets must not include references to pricing, including “Reduced Price,” “Low Price,” “Available for $9.99,” or “For Promo Use.”

10.7. Missing Content. Booklets must not contain references to content that the audiobook doesn't contain, such as “included DVD” or “includes poster.”

11.1. Duplicates. We’ll reject audiobooks that are too similar or identical to those already available on the Store, such as books in the public domain.

If you provide us with two audiobooks that are exact duplicates, one of them must be removed from the Store. However, if one of your audiobooks is enhanced to offer more content than the standard version of the audiobook, or is an abridged version of a book, you must indicate the difference in the title of the audiobook. See 4. Titles/Subtitles for a refresher on this.

11.2. Spamming. Publishers spamming us with many versions of similar audiobooks may be blocked from distributing their audiobooks on the Store. This also includes audiobooks that share or use the same images, text, or other content.

Audiobooks that primarily consist of content available for free elsewhere, including on the Internet, may be rejected. For example, we won’t accept audiobooks that repackage content from online sources such as free-access encyclopedias, Internet forums and tutorials, or question-and-answer websites.

12.1. Official Names. Use artists’ official names only. “Official name” is a name that appears on cover art, artist’s website, and publisher’s website. Nicknames and abbreviated names should not be used.

12.2. General Guidelines for Offers. When offering the additional services listed below, be sure to include details of the offer.

• Invitations to free seminars

• Downloadable audio file, movie clips, work sheets (for study guides and reference books)

• Giveaways: Upon offering additional services as listed above, be sure to state the following:

  • Are the additional services offered permanently? If not, be sure to include expiration dates to avoid confusion.

  • Will it be subject to any fee? If not, will it stay free permanently?

12.3. Use of the Word “Free” in Offers. Use the term “Free” only when customers can receive additional services by simply accessing designated websites.

Do not use the term “Free” when customers are asked to provide their personal information (age, e-mail address, and so on), and/or participate in surveys.