iTunes Connect shutting down for winter holiday Dec. 21 to Dec. 28, delivery deadline set for book publishers

Update Nov. 8: Apple has notified developers that the App Store also falls in the Dec. 21 to Dec. 28 category. More details below.

Does this seem early, or what? Apple’s iBooks team began emailing publishers to notify them that iTunes Connect will shutdown for the winter holidays Dec. 21 to Dec. 28. Presumably, the holiday also applies to developers a part of the App Store review process. Last year, Apple set aside Dec. 22 to Dec. 29 for what we imagine is some much-needed RNR.

As many of you know, the iTunes Connect holiday is a yearly tradition. It is a time where apps and books will not be updated and price changes will be locked. Apple recommends that no changes be submitted during this time.

We strongly recommend that you do not schedule any pricing changes in iTunes Connect that would take effect between December 21 and December 28, 2012. Pricing changes scheduled to take effect during this date range will not be reflected on the iBookstore and your book will become unavailable for purchase.

We also recommend that you do not schedule any books to go live during the shutdown. Releases scheduled with a start date between December 21 and December 28, 2012 will not go live on the iBookstore until after the shutdown.

In a separate email, which we anticipate will be sent in November, aimed at App Store developers, rather than book publishers, Apple will more than likely warn “attempting to schedule app updates or price changes from December 29 through December 29 may result in an entry being unavailable for purchase,” like it did last year.

Apple further added in its email today: “To accommodate these holiday shutdowns, we are adjusting our deadlines for books launching in the weeks surrounding Thanksgiving and the winter holiday.” Apple set the following deadlines for publishers:

In the email, Apple said its corporate offices would close Nov. 17 to Nov.25 and for the winter holidays from Dec. 22 to Jan. 31. Employees are probably happy about the extended Thanksgiving holiday that CEO Tim Cook awarded earlier this week. You can read the full email below: Thanks, Scott!