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Your Thoughts On DRM

by gatorjack
24 replies
I've done a search and haven't really come up with anything.

I've decided that writing is what I want to do. I plan on distributing my work via e-book format and accept payments via ClickBank. My delimma, though, is on DRM (Digital Rights Management). I do plan on filing for copyright (it's only $30 or so), but I want to try and prevent piracy. I know there's no 100% hacker-proof way, but it's better than no security at all. I don't plan on offering any resell or master resell rights.

I have read up on DRM and there's a couple of main options one can do:
  • Simple one password protection
  • Password/Serial based upon machine code, which would prevent sharing of the unlocked e-book.
In addition you can set the e-book to check back every so many days to see if the serial/password is still active, etc. And of course there's the featuers like in a PDF where you can prevent copy/paste, disable printing, etc.

From what I have read, many complain that DRMs today are too strict and actually turn off customers. My two main goals are:
  • Prevent priacy and unauthorized sharing of the e-book
  • Lock the e-book when a refund is requested
I have an e-book software now that can help prevent piracy (unique code for each computer/uses the computer's hardware machine code). If I want the feature of being able to lock the e-book I'll have to purchase additional software. The downfall, though, is I have to convert my content to HTML.

I write in Writer (OpenOffice) and simply convert to PDF. It would be nice if Adobe's server wasn't so expensive. I'm starting out on a very small budget and can't afford expensive software like the Adobe Server or Lock Lizard.

Any thoughts on the level of DRM and so forth would be appreciated.
#drm #thoughts
  • Profile picture of the author Killer Joe
    Just curious...

    Have you actually sold anything yet?

    It sounds from your post that you are afraid to get out of the starting blocks until you're sure the proper film has been loaded in the photo-finish camera.

    That's not the best strategy to win the race. Many times the race is won by the guy that starts running first.

    Check that your shoe laces are tied so you don't trip, and forget about all the rest for now.

    They only give trophies out to the runners, the time keepers get diddly.

    Just start running.

    KJ
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    • Profile picture of the author gatorjack
      Originally Posted by Killer Joe View Post

      Just curious...

      Have you actually sold anything yet?

      It sounds from your post that you are afraid to get out of the starting blocks until you're sure the proper film has been loaded in the photo-finish camera.

      That's not the best strategy to win the race. Many times the race is won by the guy that starts running first.

      Check that your shoe laces are tied so you don't trip, and forget about all the rest for now.

      They only give trophies out to the runners, the time keepers get diddly.

      Just start running.

      KJ
      I'll admit, I haven't sold anything yet, however, I see nothing at all wrong with being prepared. Using your runner analogy, it would be like the runner not finding out the best shoes and ends up on the track with hip boots or high heels.

      Originally Posted by DJPumpsta View Post

      There are other ways to protect your book if you plan on doing it which are free (depending on programs you own)

      Firstly you could buy adobe acrobat (or obtain it from other means ) which you can put a password on and then give members the password with an auto-responder for people who buy the program.
      Thanks for the suggestions. I have thought of the password idea. I don't need Adobe full version though. There's many free programs that convert to PDF. This includes the PDF995 Suite. I can also prevent the document from being modified, printed, copy/paste, etc.

      I am seriously thinking about just doing something basic like that. This is why I posted, though. I wanted to get advice from those that have sold e-books. What their experiences are with utilizing different levels of DRM as well as the concern over refunds.
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      • Profile picture of the author Killer Joe
        gatorjack,

        I certainly respect your desire to get prepared, the point I'm trying to get you to see is that you only get paid for running.

        All that other stuff just takes you out of the race.

        Here is what happens to folks with your mindset, (and you can add those smiley faces where necessary, I'm not trying to be rude here) ...as soon as you think you have that *important* item figured out your brain will tell you that there is another *important* thing to figure out before you actually do anything that leads to a payday. And then another, and another, and another.

        There are literally hundreds or even thousands of things that can become bigger distractions than they are useful tools for the moment.

        This is one of the largest reasons folks fail to make money on the internet. They see all these tools that they believe they need upfront and so all their energy is devoted to systematically building an arsenal of tools that they believe will help them succeed.

        So let me ask you a question...

        When the gun goes off and the race starts who do you think has the better chance of winning, the guy in the hip boots running down the track, or the guy at the shoe store trying out all the different running shoes.

        The point I'm trying to make is that the gun has already gone off, and the one resource you can never get back is time. If somebody steals all your money you can always make more money. If you don't get it right the first time, what you got was an education. That's still a valuable asset.

        As the saying goes, Just Do It!

        Much success,

        KJ
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        • Profile picture of the author Jason G Anderson
          I know you're not specifically talking about them in your post, but as someone who has bought DRM protected PDFs in the past I can safely say I will never knowingly buy any ebook with DRM again. They add too many hoops to jump through, and heaven help you if you move to a new computer.

          Honestly, there is really little point in worrying about piracy. People who want to pirate your book will find a way to pirate your book, 110% guaranteed. And unless you keep your protection really simply and unobtrusive, all you will succeed in doing is annoying honest customers.

          Just concentrate on getting your product out the door and marketing it. Getting obsessed over piracy or refund fraud will only sidetrack you from being successful.

          Just my 2c anyway.

          Cheers,
          Jason
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  • Profile picture of the author DJPumpsta
    There are other ways to protect your book if you plan on doing it which are free (depending on programs you own)

    Firstly you could buy adobe acrobat (or obtain it from other means ) which you can put a password on and then give members the password with an auto-responder for people who buy the program.
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  • Profile picture of the author gatorjack
    I understand your point of view Joe. I have actually been down that road myself in the past and have to admit that it was my reason for failure. After Jason's comment as well as articles I have read online throughout the Internet, it seems that DRM has turned off more people than it has helped.
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    • Profile picture of the author Glenn Grundberg
      Originally Posted by gatorjack View Post

      I understand your point of view Joe. I have actually been down that road myself in the past and have to admit that it was my reason for failure. After Jason's comment as well as articles I have read online throughout the Internet, it seems that DRM has turned off more people than it has helped.
      Yeah, Gator- I'm with Jason: I will NEVER willingly buy a DRM protected book again- the bullshit level is unbelievable.

      I agree with Joe 100%- don't sweat the pennies, just get to the bank. Here's how I look at it with the products I write...

      I don't know how long the e-books are that you are contemplating, so adjust these numbers to fit. I write around 30-50 pages max- anything longer, and I find that they either don't sell well, or I get a lot of refunds. People searching for info on the net tend to like their shit in small, easily digestible bites, so that's what I give them.

      Now, I can easily write around 20+ pages of high quality, researched material a day in addition to everything else I have on my plate, so the book will cost me around 10-12 hours or so. This may be longer or shorter for you, depending on your style and research skills.

      Now, I price my time at $100 an hour minimum, so I need to recover 1-1.2K from launch. As a high quality e-book can easily go for $47 that's not really difficult. So, at that rate I am at 20-22 sales to recover my time, and if you are in a decent niche that's absolutely dead easy.

      After that? It's all gravy then. Just run with it as long as you can, and start the next one. See, every business has to allow for shrinkage- shoplifting, employee mis-appropriation, spoilage, whatever. Sweating every scumbag that rips you off will just ruin your focus, and that's what you need more than anything if you want to suceed as a writer.

      Focus, baby.

      Peace!

      Gman

      PS - That doesn't mean you should ignore security- just keep it simple. I use NitroPDF which is a KILLER alternative to Acrobat- and a whole HELL of a lot cheaper too! Get it, and secure your work- it ain't bulletproof, but it will keep the honest ones honest at least...
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  • Profile picture of the author Chris Lockwood
    Advice from someone who has sold thousands of ebooks: put it in PDF format, no password, with the ability to print it.

    Passwords on PDFs just annoy honest customers, but do nothing to prevent piracy.
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    • Profile picture of the author gatorjack
      Originally Posted by Chris Lockwood View Post

      Advice from someone who has sold thousands of ebooks: put it in PDF format, no password, with the ability to print it.

      Passwords on PDFs just annoy honest customers, but do nothing to prevent piracy.
      I believe I will go that route since I've already gotten a chapter written as a doc. The only "security" I plan on doing is setting it to where the document cannot be modified. If you are reading a PDF ebook, I see no reason why a person would need to modify the document (i.e. add/delete pages, changing content, etc). Unless they try to use a program to modify the ebook, end users will never even know about it.
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  • Profile picture of the author gatorjack
    I have looked over NitroPDF before. What security features does NitroPDF offer? I ask this because PDF995 as well as the PDF conversion tool in OpenOffice Writer offer the standard protection:
    • Prevent people from copying, printing, etc
    • Password protect entire document
    • Password protect to stop people from modifying document, inserting or deleting pages, etc
    • Sign/verify document
    If you are doing basic security settings such as that, then the free OpenOffice Writer can do all that. If you want to digitally sign and verify your document, then you can use the Signature995 (part of the PDF995 Suite).
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  • Profile picture of the author gatorjack
    I have thought of one more "security" feature. The download link for the ebook will be sent via email. The download link will automatically expire after x-amount of days. This is something I can easily implement. For those against DRM, do you have any issues with expiring download links?

    Thanks in advance for your reponse.
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    • Profile picture of the author Jason G Anderson
      Originally Posted by gatorjack View Post

      For those against DRM, do you have any issues with expiring download links?
      Not really, as long as you make it clear to people how they can re-download it after the time limit if they lose the original file (ie: "This link will expire in 48 hours. If you are unable to download you book in this time, or need to download it again in the future, just contact us and we will be happy to send you a new link").

      Cheers,
      Jason
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      • Profile picture of the author gatorjack
        Originally Posted by Jason G Anderson View Post

        Not really, as long as you make it clear to people how they can re-download it after the time limit if they lose the original file (ie: "This link will expire in 48 hours. If you are unable to download you book in this time, or need to download it again in the future, just contact us and we will be happy to send you a new link").

        Cheers,
        Jason
        That could be done. They could just submit a support request via the helpdesk.
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    • Profile picture of the author Chris Lockwood
      Originally Posted by gatorjack View Post

      For those against DRM, do you have any issues with expiring download links?
      Those are fine- it's expiring or crippled products we are against.
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      • Profile picture of the author FrankRumbauskas
        I use EBook Pro and love it. It integrates directly into 1shoppingcart and my programmers are building me a custom cart that will integrate with it.

        We haven't had any problems with customers not liking the DRM. And since I'm in a niche with a lot of dishonest people, it has definitely reduced refunds when people see their ebook will be disabled the instant they request a refund.
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  • Profile picture of the author gatorjack
    I own one program called EBook Compiler. It has the feature of an individual serial based upon the machine's hardware fingerprint. In order to handle refunds, there is an addon called HyprLock, which locks the ebook as soon as the customer requests a refund. It does not have any feature where the software talks back to the server. The only time this happens is when the person actually clicks on a special link to request a refund.

    The other software I was looking at was eBook Maestro Pro. It has it's own addon module (no extra cost) to allow you to manage serials and have the eBook check back with your website every so often.

    However, after giving it much thought, I have decided against a DRM. I plan on using a simple PDF file. As previously-mentioned, the only security on the ebook itself will be a special password which will prevent modification of the document (i.e. modification of the content, addition or removal of pages, etc).

    I believe that simply providing a self-expiring download link should help curve people sharing their download link. If I see there are too many issues with refunds then I'll look in to a light DRM such as HyprLock. My goal is to stay away from anything that likes to talk back to a server. Some people feel suspicious of that as they may not be sure what information is being sent.

    I have just looked over eBook Pro. First and foremost, the cost. $197 for an ebook compiler is almost what I would consider ridiculous. I mean if you have the money to spend, great. However, I prefer to spend my money wisely. The only thing this software really has that I have not seen elsewhere is the ability to collect contact information. Ebook templates and so forth can be very easily accomplished using eBook Maestro. I can collect customer data using my helpdesk software.

    I'll admit, I'm new to this industry in regards to this being my first ebook I will be publishing. However, I have done a very large amount of research over the years on technology and ebooks. I have to say the biggest problam I have noticed in regards to copyright infringement on ebooks is that people are willing to spend lots of money putting fort knox security on their ebooks but yet they fail to register their work with the U.S. Copyright Office. Why?

    If someone illegaly distributes your work and it's not registered, it's almost your word against theirs. I say spend the whopping $35 filing fee (if you file yourself) and legally protect your work. If you get a company like LegalZoom to do it for you, it's a little over $100.

    In addition, you can use companies such as copyscape to search for your PDF files on the Internet and be notified of it. If you want to offer rights to people, keep track of it using a service like icopyright.com. Both of those services I found mentioned on these forums.

    Regards,
    Nick
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    • Profile picture of the author Chris Lockwood
      Originally Posted by gatorjack View Post

      I own one program called EBook Compiler. It has the feature of an individual serial based upon the machine's hardware fingerprint. In order to handle refunds, there is an addon called HyprLock, which locks the ebook as soon as the customer requests a refund. It does not have any feature where the software talks back to the server. The only time this happens is when the person actually clicks on a special link to request a refund.
      How exactly does it lock the book without talking to the server? How else would it know a refund had been issued?

      It also sounds like if I bought your book and downloaded it to my PC, I wouldn't be able to read it on my laptop. Or if my PC died and I replaced it, I wouldn't be able to read the book on the new PC. That's the kind of crap buyers hate.

      Trust me, you'll make more money if you just forget that kind of stuff for ebooks.
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      • Profile picture of the author gatorjack
        Originally Posted by Chris Lockwood View Post

        How exactly does it lock the book without talking to the server? How else would it know a refund had been issued?
        Sorry for not fully explaining the procedure. It only talks back (per se) when you actually click on the link to process the refund. I meant that it doesn't talk back to the server in the sense that it does not periodically talk to the server. It only talks that once time when you click on the link.

        Originally Posted by Chris Lockwood View Post

        It also sounds like if I bought your book and downloaded it to my PC, I wouldn't be able to read it on my laptop. Or if my PC died and I replaced it, I wouldn't be able to read the book on the new PC. That's the kind of crap buyers hate.

        Trust me, you'll make more money if you just forget that kind of stuff for ebooks.
        That is correct. That's how the systems work that use the hardware fingerprinting. Hence why after much thought I have decided on a simple PDF non-DRM format.

        Originally Posted by Josh Anderson View Post

        Stop obsessing about drm and just start marketing.
        No one is obsessing about DRM. we are discussing DRM.
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  • Profile picture of the author Steve Iser
    I don't care what it's for, DRM SUCKS and the online community as a whole hates it.
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  • Profile picture of the author Josh Anderson
    Stop obsessing about drm and just start marketing.

    DRM will increase your profits by a whopping 0%

    You cannot market it as a benefit and it will not boost sales.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jeffery
    It is rare to see a protected ebook these days and there is a good reason. Just not profitable. Research the top selling author's ebooks and you will find they are not protected. Better to invest your money in a reliable and secure delivery system. DownloadGuard.com is a very good reliable and secure delivery system.
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  • Profile picture of the author David Hooper
    You have a greater chance of not selling anything than you do somebody stealing something.

    DRM is a pain in the ass for people and easy to get around. I wouldn't waste my time with it.
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  • Profile picture of the author cclou
    DRM doesn't prevent piracy. Look at Spore.

    Spore's Piracy Problem - Forbes.com
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  • Profile picture of the author gatorjack
    Interesting article. This is another reason why I chose not to use DRM. DRMs are too easily bypassed. Therefore, why put the customer through the hassle.
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