How Do I Publish a Book in the Apple iPad iBookstore?

Hi, Steve. Thanks for innovating. We love your work. But there’s just this one thing that’s irking us now. As an independent publisher who’s primary channel for sales is digital, how can I delivery our titles to iPad owners?

This much we know:

• The iPad is basically a larger iTouch. Yes, there are differences, but let’s just start there.
• The iPad will have a native app called “iBooks” which is the way iPad owners will access the iBookstore at Apple.
• HarperCollins, Penguin, Simon & Schuster, Macmillan and Hachette Book Group are already confirmed publishers with books available in the iBookstore.
• The ePub format will be supported by the iBookstore.
• And according to Steve Jobs in his Keynote: “We’re going to open the flood gates for the rest of the publishers in the world starting this afternoon.”

Where’s the flood?

I’m asking this because we’ve been researching this for our own book. We have new titles that will be ready for the iPad launch in 58 days. And if it takes weeks to get a book approved (in the same way it takes weeks to get an app approved) we need to have our ePub book(s) ASAP. I’m not sweating. Really. I’m sure Apple will indeed open the floodgates. But they’re already two days late.

After searching, I’m forced to lob this plea publicly: How do I as a publisher get a book in the Apple iBookstore?