Secure your eBook Distribution
Today I'm going to tell you how to securely distribute your ebooks. Usually, when we write ebooks and put them on the internet, we are immediately protected by copyright law no matter which channel we distribute our ebooks. Even though we don't register the copyright we are still protected so, in my opinion, we do not need to register at all.
There are a few different ways to distribute ebooks securely. One way is to use a service that specializes in distributing secure ebooks. These services typically provide DRM protection for your ebook, which makes it difficult for people to copy or pirate your book. They also usually offer some sort of customer support in case anything goes wrong with the distribution process.
Another way (I prefer this way) to distribute your ebook securely is to sell it through your own website. This can be a bit more work, but it does allow you to have more control over the security of your ebook and pricing. You'll need to set up a website built with WooCommerce or Shopify, and you'll also need to make sure that your ebook is properly DRM protected before uploading to your site. If you're willing to put in the extra work, selling your ebook through your own website can be a very secure & profitable way to distribute it.
3 Powerful Ways to secure your ebooks
Let's dive into 3 of the most powerful ways that I usually use when distributing my ebooks.
Use DRM software
Use a service like Amazon Kindle's DRM (Digital Rights Management) to encrypt your eBook. This will prevent people from being able to open it without your permission.
I know quite a bit of DRM software out there whether it's a third-party software like Lock Lizard or Vitrium or EditionGuard. They are powerful and can provide you with a wide range of options to protect your ebook like prevent or limit printing, control access, log all access, and prevent download if you host your ebook on your website. But the price of these softwares are usually very high. I'm talking about starting at around $79/month to $500/month or even more. In my opinion, I think they are more suited to protect patents or business top secrets, not my ebooks. I'm not some famous writer, how can I even be profitable selling a couple of my ebooks and paying a huge amount of money like that?
Watermark your ebook
Another great alternative to traditional DRM is watermarking. I mainly use this so I developed Dynamicink to solve my own problem. Watermarking can be an effective way to prevent ebook sharing by watermarking your ebook with the customer's name or email. When someone saw their names on the ebook they purchase they know right away that they would be in a big problem if the ebook is spread on the internet. Even if they try to remove their's name there are still multiple invisible watermarks applied to it. This can be done for standard ebook file types like PDF, epub, mobi.
File a DMCA Complaint
If you actually found a website illegally distributing your ebook then you should file a DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) take down. You need three main pieces of information to file a DMCA Takedown Notice.
1. The infringing URL you want removed
2. The source URL where the content was stolen from
3. A description of how you own the content and how it was stolen from you.
The notice must be filed through the infringing website and the infringing website's host/ISP/OSP. If you want to know where that website is hosting you can use https://who.is/ and insert the website URL in it. I would suggest emailing to the website that is in the Registrar info and Name servers section to get your content removed faster. Tell them the exact URL of the website that is illegally distributing your ebook and they will process it quickly.
I have seen many sites taken down for illegally distributing intellectual properties such as music, movie, ebook, manga, etc. so yes this method is effective. No website owner wants to have their precious website taken down.
Conclusion
You should take every possible measure to ensure your eBook remains safe from pirates and illegal distributors online. Given the enormous amount of effort required to write a high-quality eBook, it's crucial to take whatever steps necessary to protect your work.