13 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}
13 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}

How to Truly Protect my eBook

by JonathanR
10 replies
I have an eBook and a Paperback in a very narrow niche, those on their way to minimum security federal prison. Unfortunately or fortunately there is a real market for my product, which I have been selling since 2008. For those who select the eBook option, up until now, I have offered access via SecureEbook.com. This makes it very difficult to pirate the contents, but can only be used on PC's. No Mac. No Android. No iOS. This is of course costing me sales - more so in the last few years as these platforms have exploded. There is the option of ordering a paperback, but a lot of people want to pay now and start reading now.

I know if I made the book available on iBooks for example, that I would get more sales, but I am afraid that it would very quickly be pirated as the DRM are so easy to break and the book sells for $100 to $200. I don't sell hundreds of copies a month and if you can download it for free on a torrent site or the like, I think my sales may disappear.

So, to get to the point, is anyone aware of a solution where I could sell an eBook across all platforms without having to worry about it being pirated? Or in this day and age, in this situation, am I better off just offering it as a paperback/sticking with a PC only eBook?

Thanks for any comments!
#ebook #protect
  • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
    Banned
    Normally, I'd suggest that you offer the product as a PDF and simply use e-Junkie as your product delivery system, taking advantage of the PDF-stamper which is available there (a huge disincentive to upload the product to any torrent/file-sharing/black-hat sites, because it stamps the buyer's name and PayPal/payment details on each page of the product before each download).

    It is "breakable" but only by people who really know what they're doing and put a lot of time and effort into it, so in reality, it "works". (Maybe the same is effectively true of DRM, also?)

    But whether that's realistically going to be so much of a disincentive to people who are already on their way to federal prisons, I don't know.

    Unusual niche!

    .
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9785029].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author agmccall
      Originally Posted by Alexa Smith View Post


      It is "breakable" but only by people who really know what they're doing and put a lot of time and effort into it, so in reality, it "works". (Maybe the same is effectively true of DRM, also?)

      .
      I am not sure how difficult it would be to "break" the stamp. I found a site that will convert any .pdf to a word/open office doc then it is only a matter of editing then exporting as a .pdf again.

      al
      Signature

      "Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work." Thomas Edison

      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9785042].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author TymBolla
    People who pirate things usually aren't buyers anyway, so there is no need to stress that "oh I'm losing money".

    Because you're really not, since if they wouldn't find it for free, they wouldn't buy it anyway.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9785068].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
      Banned
      Originally Posted by TymBolla View Post

      if they wouldn't find it for free, they wouldn't buy it anyway.
      Sorry, but this just isn't true: unfortunately, the world is full of people who - when they want to read a specific product - start by having a very good look round the web for free copies of it - and then buy it only if they can't find one. This myth that people who will download a pirated copy "would never have paid anyway" is just a pervasive fiction that doesn't stand up to examination even for a moment.


      .
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9785495].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author talfighel
    There is no way you can 100% fully protect your ebook.

    People have stolen and used my articles in the past. Same with videos that were mine which I posted on YouTube.

    When some or some people steal your content, you can work hard to make money or you can work hard to try to get these thieves. It's your choice.
    Signature

    ---> [URGENT] Here's How To Build Wealth With Gold And
    Silver And Earn Up To $7,000 Per Week!

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9785605].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author JonathanR
    Thanks for all the responses! Especially in this niche and with a product priced around $200, I am not sure that I trust that buyers wouldn't be turned into pirates if a free copy was available. It seems that there is no full proof method for protecting online content. So I am thinking of offering paperback only with 2 day shipping included.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9786634].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Rob Whisonant
    If you can see it on your computer screen it can be pirated.

    1. View page 1
    2. Do a screen capture
    3. View the next page and screen capture
    4. Repeat until all pages are captured
    5. Optionally run the page images through and OCR program

    Now you have a pirated version you can giveaway.

    The above is just to demonstrate that you just can't protect ebooks.

    So make sure you monetize the content so you have a chance of making some money from the pirated version.

    Re's
    Rob Whisonant
    Signature
    FREE Email Marketing Quick Start Course! Start Building a Profitable Email List Today!
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9787320].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Rembo
    There is not a 100% solution to prevent pirating. If you can see it, you can print it, you can run OCR on it and simply 'rebuild' it. Nothing you can do about that.

    The question is how you can minimize the odds on piracy.

    Generally speaking you could make it unrewarding to pirate your ebook (which means a very cheap ebook), or you can try to keep it out of sight of pirates.

    Always make it as difficult as you can for people to copy your ebook. A protected PDF should be standard practice.

    Good luck!
    Signature
    Smarter Affiliate Money. Work Smarter, Earn More.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9787361].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Affiliaters
    I hear wordpress plugin from tipsandtricks-hq can stamp your ebook with buyer info...
    to minimize copyright for your ebooks only create unclear ebook..
    i mean ebook with not full tutorial and give free bonus 1 on 1 coaching for your ebooks
    this only my sugestion..
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9787442].message }}

Trending Topics