Tech Help

[renewable]

Re: Tech Help

I just finished writing a book and it won't be out for a couple of upcoming events. I thought I could burn it to a CD if I was reasonably assured it couldn't be easily copied by everybody and anybody. I guess there's a significant difference between blocking printing and editing in a PDF and simply making copies of the whole thing. The latter is what I'm most concerned with. I hope that's not insolvable.

I wouldn't read a whole book on a conventional backlit screen - some of your preview audience won't have kindles.

You could print it out onto paper, then send out paper copies?

If you have a publisher, can't they give you preview paper copies?

Don't know whether the legalities WRT any contract you may have would allow you to sell some preview copies on http://www.lulu.com - there is an option to keep projects private, don't know if that would work for you.

[dcarrigg]

Re: Tech Help

Your first point is well taken. Many of the guys that would attempt to read this would be experiencing their first long read on a monitor. Cumbersome procedures to get there would only discourage them further.

I would go the Kindle route except the book is filled with pictures, which Kindle, the best-reading popular e-book device, doesn't support yet. The Kindle is PDF capable. I'm not sure what that means in my case. I suspect file size is the killer.

Your suggestion on the watermark and image-only copies I can't quite follow, due to my own limitations. Could you expand? Thanks c1ue.

http://help.adobe.com/en_US/Acrobat/...ff-7ed0.w.html

[don]

Re: Tech Help

http://help.adobe.com/en_US/Acrobat/...ff-7ed0.w.html

Thanks for that link, I will use it for a number of works.

The input from you guys has been instrumental in hashing out the feasibility of an advance digital copy. Way too many risks vs rewards. In a larger sense, digital is a powerful way to promote written work, not deliver it. Designing a project from the start as one leaning heavily on the digital realm would take all of the above and more into consideration and be designed/promoted accordingly. Subscriptions have only partial acceptance, at best at this time, making promoting a printed or otherwise non-copyable final product, apparently the best use of digital resources.

I did find one outfit that can protect CDs. To what extent I don't know.

From Acutrack:

We can add copy protection to your CD, but based on the quantity you are looking for it does not seem very cost effective.

$429 Initial License and Setup Includes:

- HexaLock License Fee
- HexaLock Account Set-Up
- Creation of Copy Protected Master
- CD-RX Checkdisc (max. 2 checkdiscs)

For the 25 duplicated CDs the cost is $5.00 each.

[LargoWinch]

Re: Tech Help

Yeah don, what is the book about and when/where can we buy it?

[c1ue]

Re: Tech Help

Your suggestion on the watermark and image-only copies I can't quite follow, due to my own limitations. Could you expand? Thanks c1ue.

Adobe is one way to watermark, but digital watermarking ultimately is just adding extra (visible or non-visible) pieces to your digital work such that it can be identified as yours.

A second layer would be to make unique watermarks beyond identification such that any copies you create are numbered, thus you know where 'leaks' are coming from (and possibly how).

A watermark could be visible as well - you could say put www.donsbook.com across every page. Watermarks could also be deliberate (and documented) misspellings or typos, mathematical errors, etc etc.

I would note, however, that from reading and talking with many published authors and editors, that generally speaking the challenge isn't to prevent people from copying.

The challenge is to get them to read your work.

What is being obscured by today's DRM digital fascism is that fair use ultimately existed not just because enforcement in the past was impossible (i.e. pointless to sue every person who posted a cartoon on their cubicle wall), but that fair use itself was a promotional vehicle for the author (i.e. the person marketing the cartoon was in fact endorsing the cartoon to others).

If, on the other hand, you fear your concepts will be ripped off, you'd best just print out and mail copies to your reviewers.

[don]

Re: Tech Help

For what I'm writing, concept theft is relevant in the early research/writing stage. Who would want simultaneous releases of the same subject, most likely with similar titles. Egads! I agree completely in the end game to get the word out, sort of the reverse of keeping things close to the hard drive.