Booktango

DIY E-Book Publishing

Published 06/29/2012 and rated 5 out of 5 stars
by Robyn Valenzuela

Booktango is an online e-book editor that authors can use to format, develop and market their e-book. Through Booktango, users will have access to a powerful control center with many of the tools necessary to publish and sell one's book on their own. Users can design their own cover for their work through this app as well, since there are many stock cover images available or users can upload their own artwork. Booktango will have the authors describe their e-book so that the important information can get out to the retailers an the customers. Once a book is published, authors can make their work available through any of the major retailers of their choice. This in turn can lead to the author cashing in for their creativity or knowledge and they can begin making money off of their published work. The site is advising that through July 4, 2012, authors will receive 100% of their royalties, so it is a good incentive for authors to access the site and start publishing now. It is unclear what their policy will be after July 4, 2012.

Booktango is a US-based company out of Indiana. It is apart of the publishing company Author Solutions, considered the world leader in indie book publishing. The app has helped over 140,000 authors publish and promote more than 170,000 titles all on their own! Booktango is a publishing tool that can be accessed anywhere and that contains all of the tools necessary to get a book "out there." Author Solutions was founded in 1997 and employs over 200 employees.

Booktango offers both a free and premium offering to its users both consisting of a publishing and editing tool plus a means to promote and sell one's e-Book via iTunes, Amazon or Barnes & Noble or even other retailers. It is also unique in that it allows its users to reap all of the rewards from the proceeds of the book (at least until July 4, 2012).

Booktango is very easy to use, and writers who are used to working within Microsoft Word or Publisher will be able to acclimate quickly to the Booktango editor. Additionally its cover art services are beneficial, however if one is serious about their e-book and they do not have their own artwork, then they really should consider Booktango's add-on service for custom cover art. During the trial there were no bugs or errors encountered and the site seemed to be responsive and fast. There were no complaints in terms of Booktango's usability.

To register for Booktango users just need to provide them with their first and last name, email address, password, and a forgot password question and answer. Users will also need to accept the Booktango Terms of Use.

Booktango offers a free version of its service which provides users with a free ISBN assignment, an online e-book editor, online cover designer and the ability to sell one's content through major retailers. Alternatively, Booktango offers a premium plan called "Time Saver" which includes all of the free services but also includes formatting and correction services, interior images and a free copy of E-book. This service costs $49.00. Finally, Booktango's ultimate plan is their Defender plan which allows users to upload a manuscript, DIY formatting services, US Copyright registration and access to an author learning center. This plan costs $189.00. The site offers other peripheral services such as a custom cover design as well.

Booktango is an excellent resource for a writer who is looking to monetize their work or put it together in a professional and digital manner. Their free service is very robust and their premium services can save authors a ton of money too since they do so many of the things that other publishing services charge for. Overall, this is a great service for anyone who has developed content that others may want to read.

• Edit books online
• Sell ebooks to anyone across the globe for iPad, Nook or Kindle
• Publish books and receive cash from royalities