17 replies
Am new to ebook marketing. When offering the download, is there a specific code to prevent the purchaser from forwarding the product to friends....is there a code to prevent the purchaser from making multiple copies?

Thanks for help.

gwilkes
#delivery #ebook
  • Profile picture of the author Michelle Strait
    There's no code as I know of. If it's an ebook, there's nothing to stop the person from sharing it after they've saved it to their computer. Even if you password protect the product, people can just share the password.
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  • Profile picture of the author Launder
    I wouldn't think there would be any realistic way to prevent them from it. I am certain there is no script that I am aware of or else I'd have already been using it.
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  • Profile picture of the author pseudo
    You can use a product like DLGuard to secure the downloading of files to only people who have purchased your product. Once they have your product, they have it and can easily forward it or post it to an FTP unless you protect the actual downloaded file. The problem with that is that it makes it more of a pain in the ass to read/view the product... you will want to always keep things as simple as possible for the user. You don't want to receive 100 emails per day from customers who can't get the software working right to read the file.

    I use DLG and let them download plain PDFs. For me, I secretly hope they send the PDF to their friends (which has more value if they paid for it originaly). Its good marketing and I am only writing the PDFs to ultimately sell a seminar, and that cannot be pirated.
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  • Profile picture of the author wbakhos
    Gwilkes,

    Don't worry about it. No matter what you do people will copy/share (look at the music industry )

    Always remember there will be buyers.. so focus on providing value and let the cheaters cheat.. not worth your time worrying about those guys.

    Good Luck
    Will
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  • Profile picture of the author tsnedyalkov
    There are many sites that provide only for payment .. sought in Google.
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  • Profile picture of the author wisecrone333
    Just a quick thought - if you peppered some links to other products you have for sale in the ebook would it really matter if your buying customers shared it with their friends? Or am I missing something here - I was sort of thinking like a viral idea - they share it and you miss out on initial sales, but make money anyway by using the book as a promotional tool as well as an informative one.

    2cents
    Lisa
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  • Profile picture of the author Sam101
    Banned
    Originally Posted by gwilkes View Post

    Am new to ebook marketing. When offering the download, is there a specific code to prevent the purchaser from forwarding the product to friends....is there a code to prevent the purchaser from making multiple copies?

    Thanks for help.

    gwilkes
    There are several good software protection and licensing software that you can use. I use a software called Multimedia-Protector. It can protect your pdf files (ebooks). A user has to use a unique license key to register it on his/her PC after which if he attempts to send it to another person's PC it will not work on the other PC. It is great value for money.Note : I am a satisfied customer of Multimedia-Protector (no affiliate). Here's the link
    Mirage Computer Systems GmbH: Multimedia Protector However your software/ebook needs to be of some minimum value (say at least $20) or so for it to be effective as there is a cost associated with generating license keys, hosting the server that validates the keys etc.
    Hope this info helps!
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    • Profile picture of the author Rezbi
      Originally Posted by Sam101 View Post

      There are several good software protection and licensing software that you can use. I use a software called Multimedia-Protector. It can protect your pdf files (ebooks). A user has to use a unique license key to register it on his/her PC after which if he attempts to send it to another person's PC it will not work on the other PC. It is great value for money.Note : I am a satisfied customer of Multimedia-Protector (no affiliate). Here's the link
      Mirage Computer Systems GmbH: Multimedia Protector However your software/ebook needs to be of some minimum value (say at least $20) or so for it to be effective as there is a cost associated with generating license keys, hosting the server that validates the keys etc.
      Hope this info helps!

      It's funny how when big corporations do exactly this we call them stingy, but we'll spend money to prevent others doing it to our own products.

      I'm not condoning any of it, but the facts are facts.

      I'd do what Lisa said and stick a few links into the book so you get some free advertising out of it.

      Just my opinion.
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      • Profile picture of the author Rich Mann
        This topic has been covered in many threads. Here's a Google link to over 400 threads covering various related topics.

        Protecting E-books

        This should give you quit a read on the subject including the Pro's and Con's as well as methods being used.

        Best of luck

        Rich

        P.S. If it were me, I'd concentrate on making the sale. The majority of people are honest. If someone is determined enough, there's no way to stop them. Cross promoting and embedding links in your e-book can add a generous amount of sales and traffic.
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  • Profile picture of the author johnjimat
    Sam thanks for the site. i have a problem for this also. thanks again Sam
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  • Profile picture of the author Christophe Young
    I've been using software called ebook pro to distribute my ebook. It generates specific codes for each user. This limits the number of times a customer can register the book on a computer. No sharing! Works great! It's mac compatible and as easy to work with as PDF files.
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  • Profile picture of the author ravijayagopal
    Don't spend time, money and effort on making your product hard to access, just to prevent a small percentage of pirates from accessing your product.

    Focus on the 95% of legit users who will buy your product, and spend all of your time and resources on making a "remarkable" product that more people will want to pay for. And then they will come back for more.

    Not a good idea to be "penny wise, pound foolish" :-)
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    • Profile picture of the author bizideas
      Originally Posted by ravijayagopal View Post

      Don't spend time, money and effort on making your product hard to access, just to prevent a small percentage of pirates from accessing your product.

      Focus on the 95% of legit users who will buy your product, and spend all of your time and resources on making a "remarkable" product that more people will want to pay for. And then they will come back for more.

      Not a good idea to be "penny wise, pound foolish" :-)

      Well, wait a second. We don't know what the OP's intentions are.
      It's actually a good idea having different options available...such as Sam101's interesting link.

      For example:

      If you're releasing a $20 eBook that's open to a general audience of hundreds of thousands then it may okay to have minimal security in order to allow for black market propagation. It's great for marketing purposes just as some of you suggest.

      But, what if the eBook is super comprehensive, specialized, and laser targeted with a $450 price tag. A Podiatrist Association would fit this criteria. The OP may have inside industry information and techniques that no one else has. It may have taken the OP 2 years of research, etc. to cater to this highly specialized niche. Sales are gonna have a different flow altogether.

      So what now? Let the pirates steal his/her idea or information just to change it up enough to re-author and resell? Sure you're can copyright and all that, but once the damage is done, it's done. The crooks are gone with your money...and you're left feeling violated.

      I think it'd be in the OP's best interest to protect his or her investment/asset just as one would a website that could get attacked by hackers at any given moment.

      I just believe it's wise to subscribe to careful thought before you consign your product to the internet oblivion.

      Eric
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  • Profile picture of the author Rich Lowe
    Hi,

    There is no 100% full proof method to stop ebook theft. You could password protect it but if someone really wants to copy it, they will and there is nothing much you can do about it. It's just the beast you have to live with.

    Rich
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  • Profile picture of the author gwilkes
    Thanks to all who replied to my question re ebook delivery!

    I have read all of them. I certainly can see why some of you suggest just make the sale and forget about the purchaser forwarding the email. I also appreciate those of you who suggest specific software programs, which I am investigating.

    Thanks again.

    gwilkes
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