Chapter 6: Protecting Your Work
Once you've created your ebook, you'll want to take the
necessary steps to protect your work. Although many
ebook compilers will enable you to password protect your
ebook, none can offer complete security.
Copyrighting Your Ebook
The moment you create your ebook, the US copyright laws
protect you. However, if you should need to file an
infringement lawsuit, you must register. Although registration
is generally voluntary, it is recommended, as you certainly
don't want your work to be copied and claimed by someone
else. If you don't take the time to register a copyright, you
may have little or no recourse should your work be illegally
copied.
Visit the following sites to register online:
MediaRegister
http://www.mediaregister.com
Click and Copyright
http://www.clickandcopyright.com/
For further information, visit the US Copyright Office:
http://www.loc.gov/copyright/
International Standard Book Number (ISBN)
Once you get your copyright, your next step will be to obtain
an ISBN.
An ISBN is a 10-digit number that uniquely identifies books
and similar products that are published internationally. It is
used to uniquely identify one specific title, whether it is a
book, ebook or similar product from one specific publisher.
This number is completely unique to that one title or edition.
If you would like to sell your ebooks in bookstores or online,
you'll need to obtain an ISBN. Once you obtain your ISBN,
you can submit your title to be listed in the Books in Print
database. Bookstores and Libraries refer to Books in Print
when they need to order a particular book from a publisher.
When you're ready to order your ISBN, keep in mind, it can
never be reused. Once it is assigned to a specific title, it
cannot be used again -- even if the title is no longer
available. What this means is that if you update your book
in any way, you will have to get a new number. In addition,
if you're offering your ebook in different formats, you must
use a separate ISBN for each format.
The current price is $225 for 10 numbers, which is the
minimum you can purchase. You can order right online and
should receive your numbers within 10 business days.
For further information, visit:
http://www.isbn.org/
http://www.bowker.com/
Bookland EAN Bar Codes
If you're planning on placing your ebook on CD-ROM, you'll
need to use a bar code specifically designed for books. The
Bookland European Article Number (EAN) is the standard bar
code used in the book industry. It enables the ISBN to be
encoded directly into the bar code.
An EAN begins with 978, which is the Bookland prefix. This
code is used on books and similar products internationally.
This code will enable a retailer to scan the code and easily
identify a book by its ISBN. When the book is sold, the
cashier can scan the Bookland EAN bar code and retrieve
the book price and other important information from the
bookseller's database.
For further information, visit isbn.org to review their list of
Bookland EAN Bar Code suppliers:
http://www.isbn.org/standards/home/isbn/us/barcode.html
If you're serious about publishing an ebook, make sure you
research all of your options before you start. You must look
at the entire picture before deciding upon the right format,
whether or not you should copyright your ebook and if you'll
need a bar code. You never know, once you write your
ebook, you may want to expand your market and offer your
ebook in different formats. Not only can you publish your
ebook in PDF or EXE format, but you can also place it on
CD-ROM, format it for ebook reading devices or even Print
on Demand. The possibilities are endless.
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