# Apple Books affiliate links (Apple Services Performance Partners)
Skill harvest 26 Oct 2026. Earn a commission on top of royalties when our own links send readers to Apple Books. Depends on Cedwyn being on Apple Books direct (apple-books-direct-promo-codes-preorders.md: owner steps still open).

## The terms (primary: Apple's program pages, read 26 Oct 2026)
- **Rate: 7% of sales revenue on Apple Books**, standard program; **30-day cookie** (any book bought on Apple Books within 30 days of the click counts, not only ours). Payment cycle **60-90 days**.
- Cost: none. Run on **Partnerize**; separate application even if already on Partnerize.
- **Acceptance is selective**: "only accepting a limited number of partners who can drive volume and quality". Rejections include: no website, site under construction, **no visible privacy policy**, Apple trademark in the domain, copying Apple's text/images, misleading click prompts, not replying to Apple's queries.
- Authors: on top of the 70% royalty; Apple's author page frames it as extra revenue for links in social posts, site, newsletters.
- **Links**: Apple Books links must come from the **Apple Books Toolbox** (no hand-built links). Token `at=` and campaign `ct=` lower case; **one `?` per link**; `ct` max 40 chars, no `? ! &`.
- **Payout**: set bank in Partnerize (Settings > Payments); auto-selfbill threshold defaults to **US$30**; you must withdraw to be paid; no Partnerize fee; FX via American Express with its fees passed on; Partnerize adds/deducts no tax (self-assess); VAT ID optional on selfbills.
- **Privacy**: no user- or device-level IDs in links (no click IDs) — campaign names only.
- Also free from Apple: badges, Promote-page assets, a universal **landing page** listing every store the book is on.

## Is it worth it? (the honest arithmetic)
- Commission on our own £9.99 e-book ~ £0.70 per Apple sale, plus 7% of anything else the reader buys on Apple Books in 30 days. Kindlepreneur and others list the same 7% / 30 days (secondary).
- It matters only where we already send traffic to Apple. Our default buy path stays /ebooks/ (Stripe/Gumroad, higher margin). Use Apple affiliate links only where a reader is Apple-native (iPhone readers, the Apple Books badge on the store-choice row).

## How to set up (checklist)
1. Cedwyn live on Apple Books direct first (owner: Apple account, agreement, bank/tax).
2. Check cedwyn.bucklerfamily.estate shows a **privacy policy link in the footer** (a stated rejection reason). Fix as a patch if missing.
3. Apply at performance-partners.apple.com (owner: legal name, bank, tax). Expect selection; if refused, keep plain Apple links, nothing lost.
4. Build each Apple link in the Toolbox, `ct=` per placement, e.g. `ct=cedwyn-ebooks-row`, `ct=nl-2026-11`, `ct=ig-bio` (<=40 chars, no ?!&).
5. Monthly: export Partnerize report next to Stripe/Gumroad in the growth report.

## How we apply it to Cedwyn
- **Where**: the store-choice row on /ebooks/ (Apple badge next to our direct buy button, direct stays first), the newsletter's "also on" line, the Apple badge in each EPUB's back matter for Apple editions only.
- **Disclosure**: add one line to the site's privacy/affiliate note: "Some Apple Books links earn us a small commission at no cost to you." (UK CAP Code/ASA affiliate disclosure practice.)
- **Owner steps**: Apple Books account, Performance Partners application, bank/tax. Zero spend. Never Draft2Digital.

## Sources
- performance-partners.apple.com (Apple Books 7%, 30 days, 60-90 day cycle, US$30 default threshold, FX/VAT/tax)
- performance-partners.apple.com and /faq (cost, selectivity, rejection reasons, no user-level tracking)
- performance-partners.apple.com (Toolbox-only Books links, at/ct rules)
- authors.apple.com (author framing, 30 days, landing page)
- itunespartner.apple.com
- kindlepreneur.com (7%/30 days, secondary)