So today I looked into adding “Brigitta of the White Forest” to the Apple iTunes bookstore. Now, I’m a pretty tech-savvy guy, but WOW. Apple is doing themselves no favor by having the application process so convoluted and difficult to get through. In fact, two years after they set this up, you still can’t find any information on what you’re supposed to do!

I tried to sign in to my “iTunes Connect” account and got nothing but an error saying that someone had already submitted an application through this ID. Well, I guess that was me, right? But there was NO WAY to find out. None. No information in my iTunes account, or in my profile, or anywhere.

I tried Googling this problem and came up with very little. Some people had this problem, but nobody had a common method for correcting it. In most cases, they had to write the Apple support team and wait for a response. NO PHONE NUMBER. I even tried calling a random Apple number I came up with and was referred to an email address. Wonderful.

Turns out I had applied a couple of weeks ago and my application was delayed because my EIN wasn’t correct. I only found this out by doing a search through my email for “do_not_reply@apple.com”. I came up with a cryptic email telling me this much. I tried inputting my SSN again, but haven’t received a reply.

In the meantime, I decided to just pick up the phone and call the IRS about my EIN, since they’re the ones who issued it. A very polite man at the other end was all too happy to look me up (nope! you don’t have one!) and issue me a brand spankin’ new EIN. And there you go. I guess I’m an official business now.

I emailed this into the Apple black hole and am now waiting for a response. Apparently, this isn’t automated. There are monkeys at the other end who take care of this. And so I wait, and wait, and wait …

What an ordeal. Just for one book. But this will, of course, allow me to post others.

Life in the internet age. Pah.