Apple’s (AAPL) digital stores — App Store, iTunes, iBooks — are known for their strict policies and painful approval processes; even the slightest error can get an author’s work barred from the company’s ecosystem. In a rather frightening story, author Holly Lisle, who is known for her online writing guides, described her recent conflict with Apple. Lisle’s latest book, “How To Think Sideways Lesson 6: How To Discover (Or Create) Your Story’s Market,” was rejected from the Cupertino-based company’s iBook store because it contained “live links” to an Amazon (AMZN) website. After the author removed the links, however, Apple rejected the title once more, telling her that the company wouldn’t sell her book because it mentioned an Apple competitor.
“This is not professional behavior from a professional market,” Lisle said. “And cold moment of truth here—you cannot write a writing course that includes information on publishing and self-publishing and NOT mention Amazon. It’s the place where your writers are going to make about 90% of their money.”
As a result of Apple’s actions, Lisle has pulled all of her work from the iBooks store and no longer recommends the service. “I’m deeply disappointed by the loss of Apple as a viable market,” the author wrote. “I know a lot of folks hate the company. I loved it, though—and recent decisions on this issue as well as the issue of sandboxing in the next OS make me realize it’s working hard at making itself a company I won’t be able to support.”
[Via BoingBoing]
