These days we're hearing more and more about eBook pirating. This isn't something that is going away, and unfortunately, once a book is published, it's fair game for pirates and very little will stop them.
Of particular concern, however, is the uploading of pre-release or advance reader copies (ARCs) to these sites. No matter how they feel about pirating, no author wants the unedited versions of their manuscript to be floating around, or their new book to leak before the release date. Way to kill the buzz of releasing your new book!
You might not completely eradicate this problem, but there are some steps you can take to minimize the risk of having your unreleased book pirated.
1. Pay particular attention to those who beta read for you.
It's a huge risk to put out a general call on social media sites asking for beta readers, yet we see new authors doing that all the time. Yes, there are some lovely people on these sites who are genuine in their desire to help, but authors need to weigh up the risk.
Try to make sure your book goes out only to people you know and trust. The best way to do this is to build relationships with the people who you ask to critique and beta read.
Joining an online writing and critique group is a step in the right direction. Members of these groups tend to uphold ethical standards, because they too, are writers.
2. Take steps to protect your work.
Don't upload your manuscript or release-ready copy to unsecure places like Google Docs or Dropbox.
Make your copies as pdf, restrict editing and be sure to put a watermark over the pages.
Or, if your reader can only take a mobi, try emailing it directly to their kindle.
Some authors have even created slightly different versions of their manuscript to go to each of their beta readers. There is some work involved in doing this, but it may be worthwhile for peace of mind. If the book ends up on a pirating site before it's released, the author will know who leaked it when they match up the version with the person they sent it to.
If you have any other ideas, I'd love to hear them!
