1. Brindy

    Brindy Senior Member

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    DRM (Digital Rights Management) on Kindle - Yes or No

    Discussion in 'Electronic Publishing' started by Brindy, Jul 19, 2016.

    I have read a lot of the threads on book piracy, self-publish versus traditional publish etc. Many of these threads are a couple of years old, if not older, when first started.

    So, I have made the decision to self-publish. I have also decided to publish on Kindle. I am not looking for the arguments for or against either of those two. I have a considered opinion and made a personal choice.

    What I would like to hear are current thoughts on DRM. The digital market has moved on significantly in recent years and views held now may be very different to those held a couple of years ago, plus there is more experience in the world of self-publishing, which may be very relevant anyone moving into the self-publishing market.

    So, any opinions and advice would be really helpful.
     
  2. BayView

    BayView Huh. Interesting. Contributor

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    I don't use it. It doesn't seem to stop anyone who wants to pirate, and it does seem to annoy legitimate purchases who are trying to put the book on a different device or otherwise use what they've paid for.
     
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  3. Brindy

    Brindy Senior Member

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    Thank you, that is also where I feel I want to go, no DRM, but before I do I wondered what others thought.

    My view is that as a first novel, I'm happy if anyone reads it. If they like it enough to recommend it - all the better.
     
  4. Steerpike

    Steerpike Felis amatus Contributor

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    I don't use it either.
     
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  5. Daniel

    Daniel I'm sure you've heard the rumors Founder Staff

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    Personally, I wouldn't use DRM technology.

    I believe that if someone is going to pirate your content, they are going to find an easy work around DRM, and it will indeed annoy someone who wants to use their purchased content on multiple devices.

    I've read studies - albeit studies related to visual media - that suggest that 1) pirated content is done by people who are very unlikely to have purchased your content anyway (so there is minimal loss of sales), and 2) that the distribution of pirated content via torrents actually increases exposure and lifetime sales.

    Think about that for a minute. If true, you want people to pirate your content. A notable exception is for big, existing players in the industry - like Disney or Stephen King. For industry giants piracy actually does hurt their sales.

    I know it's unconventional - and maybe I'm giving away trade secrets here - or maybe I'm crazy - but I would probably secretly release my own book in full on torrent sites to gain the additional exposure. These people probably would never buy my book anyway (or any digital book), but now they may someday recommend it to someone who will. They might like my Facebook page, subscribe to my newsletter, or even leave a *gasp* review. They might consider buying my release in two years - now that they're a fan and want to support the writer of their new favorite series. They might even go see my movie when my book gets adapted for film. I'm getting a little ahead of myself here...

    I would, however, use DRM if my content was highly specialized and with a high price tag, such as a $300 specialized textbook. That's a unique scenario with a scarcer product that has a much more inelastic demand.
     
    Last edited: Feb 24, 2017
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  6. Moth

    Moth Active Member

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    Format according to who is going to buy the thing, not who isn't. If someone isn't going to pay for your book, they're irrelevant. DRM and other methods of piracy prevention (I once met someone who wanted to only create physical copies of their work, downright refusing to allow eBooks, in order to prevent their work being pirated) tend to inconvenience legitimate buyers far more than they prevent piracy.

    People mistakenly label pirated copies as "lost sales" when, in reality, those who pirate aren't going to pay for the thing regardless. You don't gain sales from piracy prevention. But those same measures do affect customers - from the one in a thousand people who have compatibility issues due to dodgy DRM or get annoyed at not being able to read this book that they've purchased on their different devices because it won't copy over, to the countless people who will never know the book exists because it only exists in a physical format.

    My mindset on the matter is simple: I couldn't give a donkey's left testicle about people who aren't going to purchase my work, but I do care about the thoughts of everyone that is going to purchase it. I want their reading experience to be as smooth and enjoyable as possible. If that means it's easier for some douchenozzle to pirate and read it for free, then so be it.
     

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