Selling a publication online

[BubbaWY]

What is the best way to sell a booklet/magazine type publication online without it being abused i.e. people downloading or passing it onto other people? It may not be possible but would be interested in anyones thoughts.

 

[Paul Kelly ICHYB]

Don't allow them to download it?

Restrict viewing by IP address/login?

 

[BubbaWY]

Don't allow them to download it?

Restrict viewing by IP address/login?

Thanks Paul. Do you kjnow of any platforms that provide this service?

 

[Paul Kelly ICHYB]

Issuu?

You could probably get a plugin for WP!

 

[JonWhite_Adler]

You can't really restict what people can do with it after they download it.
Even if you password protect the file in pdf there is no reason they can't pass on the password.

One option would be self publishing through Amazon, this allows you limit it to a Kindle release which means people can only read through kindle account - kindle readers, phone app or the browser reader. I think there are a few other book readers that you can do this through as well.

 

[Kerwin]

You can't really restict what people can do with it after they download it.
Even if you password protect the file in pdf there is no reason they can't pass on the password.

One option would be self publishing through Amazon, this allows you limit it to a Kindle release which means people can only read through kindle account - kindle readers, phone app or the browser reader. I think there are a few other book readers that you can do this through as well.

If you make the password their email address or some other personal information they are unlikely to share it with other people as it would require giving away private information.

 

[Kerwin]

Oh and add their email address as a watermark on the PDF so you know who shared it.

 

[fisicx]

Even publishing online using a page reader won’t stop people extracting the content.

But put it behind a subscription firewall and you get a lot of protection.

Watermarking the PDF is also a great idea. It’s not difficult to do and can be automated.

 

[Paul Kelly ICHYB]

But how does watermarking prevent sharing?

 

[Kerwin]

But how does watermarking prevent sharing?

It doesn't. It is impossible to completely protect yourself from copying. The goal is just to make such a hassle that it becomes easier to just buy it.

Look at music. In the 2000s people just downloaded it but then streaming services came along and everyone pretty much stopped downloading music as they get it all for £10 a month.

 

[Paul Kelly ICHYB]

How does issuu approach this?

 

[Annoying Donkey]

Get the PDF to phone home and record the IP address or such like. Too many IP addresses and the PDF self destructs!

See here

 

[fisicx]

How does issuu approach this?

Not sure they care. You pay them for the service. How you restrict access is up to you.

Also worth pointing out that page turner applications are far less popular as they are generally pants on a phone.

Maybe the answer is to just restrict access to paid members. You can then monitor usage.

 

[Kixoponev]

Selling a booklet or magazine online without it being shared around is tricky. One way to protect it is to use a platform that lets you control access, like selling through Amazon Kindle or using a service like Gumroad or Payhip. They can restrict downloads and keep better control over who can see it.

You can also use PDF watermarks with the buyer’s name or email, so if it gets shared, you know who did it. It’s not foolproof, but it might make people think twice before passing it on.

 

[Richard P]

Hello
It seems to me that the best way to protect your information is not to distribute it as a PDF which you have no control over but as on line content. You can charge a one off or monthly fee for your content. If you make sure that the content has to be registered for - you can avoid bots that download your content.

 

[Kerwin]

Hello
It seems to me that the best way to protect your information is not to distribute it as a PDF which you have no control over but as on line content. You can charge a one off or monthly fee for your content. If you make sure that the content has to be registered for - you can avoid bots that download your content.

That still doesn't stop people from sharing the content. They just need to save the HTML files in the web browser which can then be passed on or they could Print to PDF and then share that file.

 

[Richard P]

That still doesn't stop people from sharing the content. They just need to save the HTML files in the web browser which can then be passed on or they could Print to PDF and then share that file.

Maybe, but its at deterant. All the internal links need to be modified. What better solution is there?

 

[Richard P]

at least they would have to be registered in order to do the download and maybe there would be a way of tracking that?

 

[Videoguy]

Distribute it as a hardcopy/printed version. Amazon and other print on demand services will do this for you. You can't stop people from passing the book to a friend, but you can stop them from making multiple, digital copies and giving them away for free. A printed book also has a higher perceived value and is regarded as a "real" book by many people.