Why?
The recent, drastic rise in sales of "electronic books" (eBooks) and the ease of self-publishing and marketing them has made many people considering becoming an author in order to replace their current job or to increase their regular income.
One of the major problems publishers face (either large, medium size or "self" publishers) is illegal copying as it is widely believed that it significantly reduces both the authors' and publisher's revenues. Consequently, the number of "Digital Rights Management" (DRM) software and services has exploded, all claiming to have the best solution against illicit copying of one's eBook.
This article will introduce you to the novel concept of "drifting copies*" and how they could actually be your best viral marketing tool ever!
My Background
I am an electronic documents expert with over thirty years' experience. I have researched "electronic reading material" copyright protection and potential solutions for the last seventeen years. Recently, I wanted to self-publish a business "how-to" eBook, so I revisited the state of the marketplace, only to find that my old saying (circa 1994) of "If it can be read, it can be copied" still holds true.
The Only Way your Book could Not be Copied!
There is only one way for an eBook (or even a hardcopy book, for that matter) to prevent it from being copied: don't publish it - period!
What are "Drifting Copies"?
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, one of the definitions for the verb "to drift" is "to vary or deviate from a set course or adjustment". This is a perfect definition for our purposes.
A drifting boat is carried along on the waters with no guidance or control. Nevertheless, it still carries its unique identity: its name, its vessel identification number and its particular features. Anyone who finds such an errant ship could either "grab" it and use it as if it was his or (rightfully) report his finding to the proper authorities.
If the person who "found" the drifting boat decides to keep it as if it was his own, he faces two choices:
- Use it as it was found, for as long as he is not "stopped" by some authority and a verification is made on the vessel identification number; in which case he will have to render the vessel and justify why he did not report the finding earlier. He may encounter penalties, fines or even be sued by the legitimate owner. The key point is that this person knows he is an illegitimate user and faces some stress because of it.
- Try to "erase" all identification marks so the vessel cannot be traced back to its original owner. This requires more time and possibly some investment; after all, who knows if one (or even many) Global Positioning System (GPS) or other fancy identification "chips" have been implanted on the vessel?
Under my concept, an eBook "drifting copy" carries similar and critical features:
- It still shows the copyright and "right to use" information; making the recipient aware that he is an illegitimate user.
- It maintains "information" about the original, legitimate consumer and displays usage information, once again making the recipient of the drifting copy totally aware that he is not a legitimate user, potentially making him somewhat "uncomfortable" about using or having the material.
- It "carries" some special tracking features that somewhat enable the finding of illegal posting on the internet.
These sources of stress could very well entice the illicit recipient to buy the book, especially if he feels the price is appropriate.
Professionally pirated copies, on the other hand, have been knowingly and skillfully modified so that these critical features are gone. They are not "drifting copies" anymore: they are "anonymous copies" that are extremely hard to track and, often times, it is very difficult to stop their distribution.
Statistics from the Business Software Alliance
According to the Business Software Alliance 2010 piracy study ( http://www.bsa.org ), 42% of software (worldwide) is pirated (which implies that 58% is legally acquired), and a surprising number of respondents (equating to 30%) are unaware that common ways of acquiring pirated or illicitly copying software are illegal.
The Mathematics of Drifting Copies
Suppose a person legitimately buys your eBook on day one. He has a look at and really likes it. So, he emails it to two of his friends saying something like: "Hey, this is great stuff, have a look at it". These two friends also like it (without necessarily buying it) and they too, forward it to two of their friends the next day, and so on... Believe it or not, such a "word of mouth" distribution scheme would result in more than one million copies "floating" out there in only twenty days! Since these (albeit illicit) copies still carry the two essential identification elements, they actually become drifting copies.
How Drifting Copies could be your Best Marketing Tool!
In addition to the sheer "exposure" numbers, the above-mentioned email "word of mouth" phenomenon also brings you two of the most critical features sought by mass marketers:
1) The emails are targeted to an interested audience. You wouldn't email something to a friend if you knew it did not interest him, right? So, I believe that it is safe to assume that the recipients are indeed interested by your content; thereby becoming "better" prospects.
2) They carry the sense of a "personal recommendation". Those emails are sent from a friend or acquaintance: someone you know - not an anonymous mailer or potential spammer. Because of that, the recipient is more likely to open and read the email and have a look at the content. Again, the recipient becomes a more solid prospect.
Drifting Copies Can Drastically Increase your Revenues!
Using the statistics from above (and, assuming you sell your eBook for $20), the potential number of copies and revenues are:
- 1 million copies X 58% who acquire software legally = 580,000 copies or $11.6 million!
- 1 million copies X 30% who do not even know their copy is illegal = 300,000 copies or $3 million!
Now, I am in no way suggesting that your publication will get to these levels. On the other hand, I, as a self-publishing author, would be very pleased even if I only achieved 10% of these results!
To Learn More
In my opinion, "drifting copies" simply have too much of an explosive marketing potential to be ignored. You can learn more about novel eBooks' protection and viral marketing concepts, as well as how to apply them at www.onetooneebooks.com.
* I coined the term "drifting copies" in October of 2011. While you are free to use it, I would appreciate your mentioning my name (using something like "Coined by Benoit Chenette, circa 2011") whenever and wherever you use it.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Benoit_Chenette
