Writing an e-book and protecting it

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   vintage chicposted 16 years ago

   Hello fellow hubbers-
   
   I have an idea for a book, and I'd like to write it in e-book form and list it on ClickBank or  Ebay. I want to protect what I write, and I noticed various companies on the web that claim to be able to protect your e-book(by only allowing a page to be seen until it's paid for, or only allow it to be copied to one computer by a special serial number.) I like this idea, and it's worth it to me to pay a small amount if this will really keep my e-book from being circulated illegally all over the web. Does anyone have any experience protecting their e-book? Thanks, you guys!

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      Sufidreamerposted 16 years agoin reply to this

      To be honest, people are moving away from protection, as causing more problems than it solves. People hate paying for a book and then having to install special software and generally jump through hoops. In addition, many of these companies only allow a book to be viewed on one computer - if somebody wishes to read it on their laptop or e-reader, they have to buy a new copy. They are a customer, so should be able to read it where they want - if it is too difficult, they will not buy the next installment.
      
      Most people are honest and, if your book is good and reasonably priced, will pay to download it. Make sure that you include clickable links and your name, so that if people copy it, at least you will receive a little publicity for the next book. Spend your money on:
      
      1) Copyrighting your work with the relevant national body.
      2) Copyscape, so that you can pursue violations retrospectively. Make sure that it is in pdf, too - it makes it a little bit more difficult to alter.
      
      Only an opinion, but hope that it helps.

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         vintage chicposted 16 years agoin reply to this

         Yes, very helpful. I became your fan. I would LOVE to go to Greece one day! Thanks again!

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      Marisa Wrightposted 16 years agoin reply to this

      What kind of book?  If it's a real book-length work (i.e. the size of a hard-copy book you'd find in the bookstore), then you may be better off publishing it with a proper ebook/POD publisher like Lulu.com. 
      
      Then people can order a hard copy if they want as well as an ebook version.

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         vintage chicposted 16 years agoin reply to this

         I will look at Lulu. Thank you!!

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   C. C. Riterposted 16 years ago

   Amazon will do it for you if you care to publish it through them.

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      vintage chicposted 16 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you for this..

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   darksideposted 16 years ago

   Are there ways to monetize it other than having a cover price?
   
   Can it be advantageous to you to be giving it away free?
   
   Also, I recall a while back that Ebay were changing the rules about digital downloads. They were stamping it out.

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      vintage chicposted 16 years agoin reply to this

      I did not know that about Ebay! I'll have to look into this more. Thanks, Darkside.

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   Lissieposted 16 years ago

   eBay has stopped digital downloads.  What's the point of the book -is it ficiton or advice? To be honest if its non-fiction and you can find relevant affiliates Id give it away to get the widest distribution - or charge a nominal fee up front - $7 is popular at the moment. If you do this you just need to create a pdf - use openoffice (free) and you can do this from right inside the word processor

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      vintage chicposted 16 years agoin reply to this

      I like the way you think! I'm just learning about all the affiliate stuff. How do you find out what the popular number is for an e-book(you mentioned $7.00)..

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   Benjimesterposted 16 years ago

   I've actually written a number of books that I'm hoping to sell as ebooks and hard copies in the near future.  I agree completely with Sufidreamer, I don't think protection's worth the effort.  In my case, because I'm hoping to write more books, I don't mind if the first few are widely distributed.  In your case, if you're only going to write 1, that might be a different story.  I'm actually in the process of creating a publishing website and getting access to a wholesale printer.  Maybe by the time you're done with your story I could give you a hand and you could go straight to print at wholesale.  Either way, there are a lot of options out there.  You're wise to be exploring them.

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      vintage chicposted 16 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you! I'll let you know if I decide to print it!

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