General Info
Does Booktango publish all types of e-books?
ALMOST . . . BUT NOT QUITE
We welcome all subject matter, styles and genres from all authors. Our only restrictions come out of ethical and legal concerns.
Booktango will not publish e-books that violate or infringe upon any personal or proprietary right, including copyrights, trademark rights, trade secret rights, contract rights, privacy rights or publicity rights of any persons. In addition, we will not publish works that are defamatory, pornographic or obscene to a degree that they would not be carried by a traditional trade bookstore. E-books cannot in any way include recipes, formulas, instructions or recommendations that might be injurious to any reader, user or third person. Booktango does not publish works that are in the public domain. We require at least 75% of each book to contain original material from its author. We also reserve the right to decline or discontinue publication if a work is deemed to have a risk of litigation or other adverse commercial consequences.
Also, keep in mind that some types of print books don’t translate naturally to an electronic format. This means that for anything that relies heavily on images or complex page layout (such as textbooks, cookbooks, or children's picture books), you might have to get a little creative and be willing to sacrifice some traditional elements.
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What languages are supported by Booktango?
ENGLISH, FOR NOW
Currently, we only support publishing in the English language, but are working feverishly to enhance our processes to support other Latin-1 languages such as French, German and Spanish.
In addition, Apple doesn’t support the following foreign languages in e-books (e-books written in these languages won’t be available via the iBookstore):
Amharic
Arabic
Burmese
Central Khmer
Chinese
Hebrew
Japanese
Judeo-Arabic
Judeo-Persian
Lao
Mon-Khmer languages
Official Aramaic (700-300 BCE)
Imperial Aramaic (700-300 BCE)
Persian
Persian, Old
Samaritan Aramaic
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Will my e-book look the same as the print version of my book?
NO, BUT THAT'S OKAY
Print books and e-books just aren’t the same thing. While their purpose of spreading and sharing ideas remains consistent and true, the approach each format takes to achieve that goal cannot be the same. The way in which digital information is displayed in an e-book is different — must be different — from the way in which printed words are displayed on a piece of paper. Most reading devices and apps display e-book files differently and provide individual users with the option to alter their reading experience by changing things like text size, font and line spacing. This means that for an e-book to display properly on all devices for all users, it must be neutral and flexible in its formatting. Where in a printed book words and images exist at fixed points on a page, words in an e-book must be free-flowing, able to move and change based not only on the device but on the reader’s whim. Your e-book won’t have pages. It won’t have page numbers or columns or footnotes. But it will be professionally formatted, and it will display properly on a wide range of devices for a wide range of readers.
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What reading devices will be able to download my e-book?
THE MOST POPULAR ONES *
Booktango currently formats your manuscript as an e-book file available for download on the Amazon Kindle, Sony Reader, iPad, Nook, Kobo, Android Tablets, smartphones and PC or Mac computers (PDF). As new devices enter the market and e-book technology grows, you can rest assured we’ll do our best to keep our services and your e-book(s) current.
* Retailers reserve the right to accept or deny content for availability in their stores. Apple, for example, rejects titles for spelling and grammar errors within the book itself or in the marketing web copy, such as the About the Book description.
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Will I retain the rights to my work?
YES
With Booktango, the rights to your e-book will remain yours. Our non-exclusive contract allows you to continue exploring other publishing avenues at any time.
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Do I need to copyright my e-book?
IT’S UP TO YOU
You certainly don’t have to copyright your e-book. By common law, the moment you create a work, the rights to that work belong to you. However, the only official way to protect against people stealing your content or ideas is to register your work with the U.S. Copyright Office.
If you’re seriously considering obtaining a copyright for your e-book but don’t want to deal with the hassle, we can help. U.S. Copyright Registration can be added as an optional service and is included in our Trendsetter, Socializer, and Eye Catcher packages. If you choose to use our copyright service, Booktango will complete the necessary paperwork and submit it, along with two required copies of the e-book file, to the U.S. Copyright Office. Once registration is complete, you will receive an official certificate that verifies your e-book’s coverage under U.S. copyright regulations.
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What is DRM?
DIGITAL RIGHTS MANAGEMENT
The implementation of DRM is intended to inhibit unauthorized access and sharing of digital content. There is a wide range of specific DRM schemes applied by publishers and retailers that dictate the ways in which a digital book is copy-protected or, in some cases, limited to certain devices.
Booktango does not apply our own DRM scheme to the e-books we help publish, but the resellers that we work with might. This means sites like Amazon and the iBookstore will use their own discretion in deciding whether or not to wrap your e-book in their own specific DRM schemes.
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Does Booktango implement its own DRM schemes?
NO
We’ve chosen to create our e-books without DRM so that individual resellers and retailers can implement their own DRM schemes at their own discretion, based on their own sets of policies.
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What is an ISBN?
INTERNATIONAL STANDARD BOOK NUMBER
This unique 13-digit number serves to identify your e-book. Most online retailers require that an e-book have an ISBN number in order for them to stock and sell it on their site. It’s how they help keep track of your e-book in their systems and are able to report orders and sales.
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Will Booktango assign an ISBN number to my e-book?
YES
An ISBN number is included in all Booktango publishing packages, including our free publishing option. This unique identification number is essential to your e-book’s retail potential, so we’re not allowing you any excuses not to have one for your e-book.
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Will Booktango edit my e-book?
ONLY IF YOU WANT US TO
Editorial services are not included in any of our publishing packages; however, you may purchase line editing as an add-on service. With this service, a professional editor will check your manuscript for errors in spelling, grammar and punctuation, address syntax and word choice, and make light recommendations for improving overall readability of the work.
Regardless of whether or not you choose to use our editing services, we strongly recommend that you reach out to someone — whether a professional editor or an English-savvy friend — to help you edit your work. Typos and grammatical errors can easily distract, frustrate and turn away an otherwise interested reader.
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What are my cover design options with Booktango?
PLENTIFUL
We offer several different cover design options to help give you the level of control and professionalism that you’re looking for.
With our free DIY service, you’ll have access to the Online Cover Designer, where you will be able to upload your own original image or choose from an ever-growing library of royalty-free images. You’ll be able to add your title, subtitle and author name to your cover, having complete control over the placement, style, color, etc. of your text. This cover design option is included for free in all of our e-book publishing packages.
We also offer Custom Cover Design, so you have the option to work with a pro. With this upgrade, you can submit your own materials, ideas and input for a professional designer to use in creating the cover you envision.
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Can my e-book include images?
YES
Our free DIY service allows you to place your own images in your e-book through your Personal Media Library. If you purchase one of our higher-level packages: Time Saver, Trendsetter, Socializer, or Eye Catcher, these packages let you include up to 10 images which we will place in your book for you. Check our Planning FAQs for more information on how to prepare your images.
No matter which package you've purchased, you will be able to upload images to your Personal Media Library on the "Editor" tab by clicking the "Insert Image" icon or clicking the "Media Library" tool bar on the left-hand side of the page. For those who purchased the Time Saver, Trendsetter, Socializer, or Eye Catcher packages, a Booktango team member will contact you after you've uploaded your images so you can provide instructions on where to place your images.
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Can my e-book have color?
GOOD QUESTION
Currently, the iPad (and iPhone), Nook Color, Kindle Fire and other tablets are the only reading devices capable of displaying color images. While we can include color images in your e-book, be aware that they will display as black-and-white on many e-readers — such as the Kindle and the Sony Reader. This is because these e-readers use something called E Ink. The plus-side to E Ink is that it requires less power, greatly prolonging battery life. The downside is that — at least for now — it can only display black and white. For this reason, colored text is also impossible on most e-readers. We are currently NOT capable of creating colored text for any device.
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Can I really do this myself?
YES, YOU REALLY CAN . . . BUT YOU DON’T HAVE TO
With our user-friendly editing and publishing interface, if you want to do everything yourself, you can. But we also offer optional add-on services and assisted e-book publishing packages to help with everything from formatting to marketing. No matter your specific skill sets or goals, it’s possible to craft a Booktango experience that will work for you.
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Is your free DIY publishing really free?
IT SURE IS
Everything you need to publish an e-book for free is available to you with Booktango. Our Freetango publishing package includes an ISBN, access to our online e-book editor, online cover designer and the opportunity to be sold through all of our online retailer partners. Plus, we'll handle your sales tracking and royalty payments with acute accuracy — all free of charge.
We do charge fees for our optional services and higher-level publishing packages — but you are not required to purchase any of those extras in order to publish your e-book with Booktango.
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