One of the questions I am most commonly asked is, “If I sell my book in ebook format, how I can prevent it from getting forwarded around?”
Here’s what happens (and the source of so much fear around this subject):
- Someone buys your ebook and downloads it in PDF.
- They like it so much, they forward to three friends who didn’t pay for the content.
- The three friends like it so much, that they forward it to three more friends each.
- And so on…
Guess what just happened? You just landed 12 new fans of your work! True, they didn’t pay for the right to read your materials, and that stinks. But if your material was good enough to be shared, then you have just gained exposure with a new audience. And those new readers are now familiar with the quality of your work and will be far more likely to invest in other products and services that you offer.
It’s really no different than a library book. If you have authored a traditional book, anyone can go check it out from the local library for free OR purchase your book and then loan it to a friend. That friend didn’t pay for the right to read your book, but once again, you’ve just gained a new fan.
While new technologies are emerging that promise to protect your digital content, I personally feel that it is more trouble than it is worth. My digital ebooks, reports, workbooks, etc. create a nice revenue stream for my business. Do I think it’s fair that some people receive a copy from a friend, even though it wasn’t paid for? No, it’s not fair. But I don’t stay up at night worrying about all that lost revenue.
If someone feels compelled to forward my materials around, then I will gladly reap the rewards of a new audience. This is why it is so important to create more products and services the compliment your core product or book–so that you have other revenue-generators in your arsenal of products. If a reader likes one, there is a good chance that they are going to like others (and ultimately pay for them).
The music industry is currently figuring this out. While digital downloads of music are being commodotized, and thus cost far less, and songs are being swapped and shared online for free, musicians are uncovering a whole new audience that wouldn’t have otherwise become fans of their music. In turn, the market is shifting and bands are discovering that a good percentage of their income can be made from live concert tours instead of the traditional record sales model. Smart bands are turning this shift into an opportunity.
So if you can stop viewing the swapping of your content as lost revenue and instead see the opportunity, your revenue potential can be even greater!
