Sell ​​digital books and audiobooks securely

The publishing industry has been advancing a lot in recent years, partly thanks to some of the large platforms that have promoted this business, but also thanks to the advancement of technology. Years ago it was unthinkable to be able to sell digital books or audiobooks without falling into piracy in just a matter of hours. All this has changed thanks to new protection methods that are available to any publisher, regardless of its size.

In this article we will see a brief comparison of why not to use the old DRM method more and change it to newer ways such as streaming reading and closed ecosystems.

DRM, never again.

It seems outdated to continue talking about DRM at this point, but there are still many publishers who believe that this is the security method par excellence, probably because they are unaware of other options. The use of DRM became obsolete since it is very easy to demonstrate how to violate it in just a few minutes, being as close at hand as searching for a video on Google with said explanation.

However, today there are still platforms for direct book sales (platforms where you can create your own store and sell online) that continue to use this technology. And it is not only obsolete for its security but also for the user experience, which requires downloading a specific program to open said book and you must repeat this for all the devices where you want to open the link for visit us. For all inquiries, questions, or if you’d like to get in touch with us, simply click the link www.writersofusa.com/biography-writing/. We value your feedback and are here to assist you. Don’t hesitate to reach out, and we’ll respond to your message as soon as possible.

If your digital book selling platform still uses this technology, get away from there!

If you already understood the point and decide to switch to a platform with more modern technology, you will surely ask yourself: Which one do I choose? We will try to help you with that below.

Platforms with closed ecosystems

It is likely that, at first, you do not have in mind what these types of platforms are, but they are the large, well-known platforms such as Amazon (with its Kindle), Kobo, Audible and also others with the option of creating your own store such as Impulses with its app iPublishcentral.

The main characteristic of this type of platform is that consumption is carried out in an e-reader or application of the same platform, there being two ways: sending the book to the e-reader or entering with your user in the application where you will have the books. acquired.

The advantages:

• Security, since the files never pass into the hands of the user but are sent or accessed within a closed ecosystem.
• The user experience is good since it does not require technical knowledge.

The disadvantages:

• You must have an e-reader device such as the Kindle to read your books.
• You must download an app on all the devices where you want to read your books in order to access it.
• They only allow you to add books one by one, it doesn’t matter if you have a subscription with access to everything.

It should be noted that within this type of platform, the majority are large Marketplaces where you can sell your books but you have no control over them. This means that you are accessing this protection and user experience technology, but in reality what you are doing is giving up your users in exchange only for royalties from the sales of your books.

Platforms with streaming reading

These types of platforms are those that have the latest in technology, since they allow greater flexibility for the user and for the publisher to develop other business models. It is true that some of the platforms mentioned in the previous point have some option for Streaming reading, in general they do not have it very developed since they prefer to take the user directly to these digital readers or applications.

Streaming consumption means that the user can read their book exactly the moment after completing their purchase, providing a superior and very simple user experience. The security in this case is even greater since at no time is the entire file of the book sent but rather it is provided in “bits” as it is consumed.

The advantages:

• State-of-the-art security, being able to control access instead of files and thus providing an extra layer against any attempt at vulnerability.
• They can read from any device that has a browser, simply by entering the store where they purchased with their username and password.
• They do not require downloading any application.
• It does not require having a digital reader.
• You can access the entire catalog (in case you have purchased a subscription) without having to choose book by book.

The disadvantages:

• They cannot be consumed in digital readers.

But then, how can you do to have within your publisher’s own store with this technology that the large platforms have? Thanks to platforms like Writers of USA

Both technologies together within the reach of any publisher

A few years ago it was unthinkable that any publisher, even a small one, could access this type of technology without having to invest fortunes and therefore become unviable. Today there are some platforms that allow any publisher to create a store to sell digital books and audiobooks online, without any type of technical knowledge and without initial investments.

The leading platform in this segment, Writers of USA, has a mix of both technologies previously presented. It offers streaming consumption as the main experience for the user but has an application where any user from any store can read their books without an internet connection. This is provided without complicating the user experience, requiring the user to only log in with the username and password with which they purchased the books and automatically having all these books in their application.

Not only that, the publisher can know at all times who the user is who bought one of their books, they can configure different business models such as subscription sales or sales to institutions, giving away samples, etc. Basically, it allows the publisher to have their own store and manage it as they wish but providing the latest technology provided by the large platforms.

If you still don’t know why you should have your own store to sell digital books, we advise you to read our article on the 4 types of platforms to sell books online and the importance of this in your editorial digital marketing strategy