eBooks...I don't get how the thieves don't rob you dry...

Greetings All,

I have been trying to understand the business model for eBooks. I know that many use them as a "hook" to draw traffic to their sites. Some are able to actually make a profit off the books themselves.

If anyone is actually making a profit off of the book (and I suspect this is really just the "primary" profit), I am wondering if you can tell me how you manage to keep from getting robbed blind?

I have been searching around at methods of creating eBooks. PDF's are certainly popular due to the multi-platform support, but next to zilch for preventing people from copying the thing and giving it away. eBook compilers all seem to have security issues as well.

Now, I am a computer professional. so I know the truth about security regarding digital property (in short, there is none). But for those who are managing to make significant amounts of money off of their books, what is a business model that works?

My thoughts/ideas are:

1) You need something that is constantly changing/updating, so book updates are a natural expectation of your customers.

2) Perhaps there is a security mechanism I have not heard of that is stronger than what is currently out there?

I know there is no "absolute" protection on digital products, but I have lots of ideas for eBook content yet I am not sure how to go about monetizing it (and again, I am NOT talking about using it as a driving force of traffic to my site to sell other things...that is pretty well explained...I am trying to figure out how to make significant income on the book itself).

Thanks in advance.

 

You can find a nice selection of ebooks on any major torrent site. The reality is there is no real muscle or way to protect your ebook from further distribution.

 

I upload wholesale list ebooks to my website for free, I dont understand how peopel sell thes eon ebay ahahahahahha

 

Ummm...so what you are saying is, you don't understand it either?

Perhaps it is just a pointless avenue and I'll have to come up with something else...

Ahhh...I do have an idea or two...we shall see!

 

Hi Mirage,

If you are using ebooks as a way to get people to come to your site(s) then why not give them away anyway. If you have a qaulity ebook give others free distribution rights, that way you'll get the viral effect.

Thieves are out there, and they will rob you given a chance, but I think that you are also forgetting two things, in general most people are honest and will pay for a quality product and because they have paid for it will not pass it on, and secondly most people are not technically savy enough to crack even basic security.

The fact is many people have made a huge amount of money from selling information products and as long as there is a need, people will continue to pay for good quality information rather than spend hours and hours doing the research themselves.

Hope this helps

 

Thanks for your ideas. I appreciate them.

Tims, I certainly do understand that a great use for an ebook was to pull traffic. What i was trying to understand was whether or not there is any model one can use to actually profit off of the ebook directly. That presupposes that you canl post your ebook without everyone just copying it and giving it away for free.

Lots of issues involved. I certainly see the value of using an ebook as a traffic driving tool. I just am curious if the book itself can also be a revenue stream in and of itself. I am not sure (technically) how you could go about doing that.

 

Then you can make it viral by putting your links in the ebook.
First page, nice ad for your main site, something like that.

Affiliate links throughout, etc.

A ton of ebooks are set up that way...branded out with the author's links.
Or you can get rebranding rights to certain ebooks and put in your links.

 

Depending on the scale in which you wish to market eBooks there are high end solutions out there such as Adobe Policy Server.

 

Hi All:

I've been tracking a number of eBook sellers, including Joel Comm, Aaron Wall and a few others. Some are making huge money, others are making good money with the books but then making extra income from the hits.

Regarding security. I've looked into this pretty extensively and there are a few software programs that will shield your download URL so that it can't be copied and forwarded or uploaded to a forum, for all to snag.

Now, this doesn't prevent someone from buying an eBook and sending it to his friends. But it does offer some security.

 

Thanks MediaMook, would you care to share the names of the programs you mentioned

 

There are many many examples of people making good money from ebooks, and that doesn't just include the so called "guru's" (I hate that term), but ordinary people too. There are also plenty of examples of models to follow, just do a search for something like "marketing an ebook".

I think your real question here isn't are they a viable business model, but how do you stop being ripped off?

As you mentioned PDF (being cross-platform) I beleive it is possible to password protect pdf files, you may find this link helpful http://www.cadkas.com/downengpdf2.php, it's shareware so you can try before you buy (I did a search for "password protect pdf files" and found this).

Blatent plug coming up - Download Warrior (in my sig)

Hope this helps

 

Thanks tims, I was actually looking for one that would

* I really don't see how a file could be prevented from being forwarded or uploaded

From what I have researched - adobe password protection is extremely easy to disable and there are tools that will disable it for you.

I was wondering if it would be possible to write ones own protection - using perhaps the same .dll that adobe uses to check for latest updates every seven days etc., perhaps we could hook into the same mechanism when your .pdf (ebook) is loaded and goes to your website to verify protection.

Has anyone tried something like this or knows if this is possible in postscript (pdf)

 

Update the book every week. That way old books are useless.

 

OK q1 - Copyrights is #1 reason why someone can not just take an e-book and make it available
Just like any paper published book you find

Now piracy is a whole another world - do not expect any one to pay who is able to pirate
but do as much of normal protection as possible but do not expect it to be uncopiable - for one someone can just copy paste or print and OCR or retype the text - or screenshot it...

you may have some luck making it as a web service that you also update on daily/weekly basis and people can not just print or throw around an id/password protected web service - VS a .PDF file that can be thrown around the net... but there are issues - people must be able to print the book...

 

sadcox, you misundertood my point.

When an ebook is purchased, the customer pays with a credit card and is then directed to a 'thank you' page with a download link.

Unless this URL is protected, you could copy it and send it to your friends, who could click on it and then download the book for free. If your buddy decides to paste that URL to a forum, then hundreds of books are downloaded for free.

One way to prevent this is to constantly change the URL of your download page, or use software like this. It was developed to prevent such theft:

http://www.vibralogix.com/linklokurl/

In regards to copyright.

I manage a media company that deals in copyright law daily. It is virtually impossible to enforce copyright law if a thief is determined to rip you off. On the internet, it's even more difficult to enforce because of the anonimity. It is incredibly easy to get away with IP (intellectual property) theft is you're reasonably smart and internet saavy.

I was going to give an example, but I'm new to these forums and don't want to put info that could be used for bad juju.

 

hi sadcox66,

I think that what you are suggesting is technically possible. It is quite simple to protect Windows .exe type ebooks, but to make it cross-platform would probably make it more difficult. I haven't tried this myself (not sure my skills are up to it ), Still something to think about...

 

Let me try this again...

I appreciate all the feedback folks. I don't think I have been clear about what I am asking. Let me restate my original question in a few questions below:

1) Has anyone (here, as in answering/replying) managed to make a decent income from SELLING an ebook (I mean SELLING it, not the 2nd order effects of driving traffic to your site, etc., I know that is a great tactic, and many times it is the PRIMARY goal, but that is NOT what I am asking about here). If so, what software did you use, and what protection, if any, did you apply TO THE EBOOK (I am not presently concerned about the downloading situation that MediaMook is describing...that of course is an issue, but as a programmer I have plenty of ideas as to how to defeat that).

2) I am asking about the tools (and yes, I heard as well that PDF passwords are very easy to disable) because searching online regarding the ebook compilers has netted me (no pun intended) only useless information. What do I mean by this? I mean, I have come across the following:

a) Nearly all information about a given ebook compiler is not a true "review", but rather an attempt to promote the product, typically by an affiliate. It lacks the substance I, as a systems developer, want to know about the product.

b) Emails to the so-called "presales question" address of these compilers have ALL gone unanswered

c) Looking at the web pages of these products, nearly ALL of them give no indication as to when the product was last updated, or even whether not the product is still being supported.

Since I cannot get reliable information doing a search (or at least, have not been able to thus far, other than from the reference to Adobe's server), I am asking if anyone here THEMSELVES have done this (sold an ebook primarly for the profit of the ebook). I would like to ask you a few things about your ebook compiler and such.

If you have any such knowledge I would be greatly appreciative if you could share it with me.

Thanks!

 

There is no way to protect an ebook that I know of. I think it is just like anything else, cd's, video's etc. If you own the copyright people "should not" copy it but hey it happens all the time so it is the risk you take.

 

Hello Mirage:

Sorry for your frustration.

I made my money, and retired at 40, in the old media world. I'm now ramping up in new media and still learning the ropes.

If it helps at all, I've purchased a number of eBooks from so-called 'gurus' (terrible term) as research. You have seen their names on these boards.

In short, they are all .pdf files and sold through ClickBank.

Please explain to me, a n00b, what you mean by 'protecting' your eBook. break it down to basics. Do you mean that you're afraid someone could download your product and change it slightly, then sell it as their own product?

I wrote one of the authors of a very successful eBook about security, and his reply was this: "Piracy is a part of the eBook game, and a tiny fraction of it.
I'm not at all worried about it." This is a guy that is making five figures per month.

BTW, the key to eBook sales is two-fold. Guys like Joel Comm could write a book about psoraisis and make it sound sexy with his direct marketing techniques. (No, he's not the guy I emailed. But he does extremely well.)
Guys like Aaron Wall do well because they dispense with hype and offer sound expertise. Hey, they both make money, so whatever's clever, Trevor.

BTW again..those sites that have excessive yellow highlights and sporadic red text, blue backgrounds and testimonials in light yellow fields...that's a technique that goes back ten years on the internet. It's a proven psychology, not an accident. People buy eBooks, especially those well-hyped 'opportunity' books that promise great wealth.

Remember that a**-hole with question mark jacket on TV? He was a multi-millionaire the second year in business, and it's grown every year since. Ten years later. Yet, you can get the same directory for free from the US Government. I know about his sales; in my former life we sold air time to his company. It doesn't matter what he's selling, he just sells the sh*t out of it, stupid jacket and all.

So yes, sell your eBook, mate. But you better have a firm concept and mad sales/marketing skills.

You might scoff at Joel C., but the man knows his market, and rocks it. Joel, you out there? How about posting some eBook sales figures, my man?

My 2 cents. Good night, kids.

 

Once again, I think you all for your responses...

Jasmate: I agree...there is simply no protecting digital property. All you can hope to do is discourage the "casual" hacker and perhaps slow down the thieves, but that is all.