In today’s digital age, authors and content creators face a common challenge: how to protect their intellectual property when distributing it online. PDF eBooks, although popular for their portability and universal readability, are also susceptible to unauthorized sharing and copying. This is where VeryPDF DRM Protector comes in — a powerful SaaS platform designed to give publishers, authors, and businesses total control over their digital PDF files.
In this article, we address several important questions posed by a customer — an author who is planning to sell their 216-page PDF eBook online — and walk through the detailed solutions and best practices for using the VeryPDF DRM platform effectively.
1. Understanding the Black Background Screen: A Security Feature
One of the first things our customer noticed was that after setting the DRM parameters and converting their PDF file, the program quickly closed and displayed a black screen. This behavior is not a bug—it’s a security feature.
Why It Happens:
The black background appears momentarily during PDF rendering and viewing to help prevent screen capturing or screen recording software from capturing the document’s contents. This measure is commonly used in secure PDF viewers and DRM systems to enforce anti-piracy.
How to Disable It:
We understand that this might be distracting for some readers. If you’d prefer to disable this feature for your documents, simply contact our support team and request that it be disabled for your account. We will be happy to customize this according to your preferences.
2. Ensuring Top-Tier Security: 128-bit RC4 vs. 256-bit AES
By default, some PDF encryption may still be set to 128-bit RC4, a standard used in older versions of Adobe Acrobat. However, VeryPDF DRM Protector supports stronger encryption — specifically, 256-bit AES, the current industry standard for secure digital content.
How to Enable 256-bit AES:
To upgrade your encryption level, follow these steps:
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Under Encryption, enable PDF Encryption.
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In the Compatibility dropdown, select “Acrobat 9.0 and later (256-bit AES)”.
Your protected PDF will now be encrypted with the stronger 256-bit AES standard, offering better protection against cracking or brute-force attacks.
3. Subscription Options: From Monthly to Yearly
The author expressed interest in starting with the Starter Plan at $99.95/month to evaluate the platform. This is a great way to try out the features and see how they fit into your workflow.
Switching to a Yearly Plan:
If you decide to commit long-term, simply cancel your monthly subscription and subscribe to the yearly plan through your account dashboard. Should you require assistance with this process, our customer service team is ready to help.
4. Integrating DRM Protection Into Your eBook Sales Process
The most important part of this discussion revolves around how to apply DRM protection to an eBook and automate the process of delivering protected copies to each individual customer. Below are the answers and recommendations tailored to this scenario.
4a. Reader-Friendly Display: Single or Two-Page View
Many eBooks, especially those with rich visual formatting, benefit from offering readers the option to view two pages side-by-side, just like a physical book.
Solution:
VeryPDF is currently upgrading its Online PDF Viewer to support both single-page and double-page views. Once this feature is live, your customers will have the flexibility to choose their preferred reading format.
4b. Selling via Your Own Store: How to Protect and Distribute Your Book
The customer’s plan is to sell their PDF eBook through a private online store. There are two main approaches:
Manual Distribution (Simple Setup):
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Upload your PDF.
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Apply the DRM settings once.
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Generate a unique secure URL for reading the protected file online.
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After a customer makes a purchase, send them the unique link manually.
Automated Distribution (Recommended for Scaling):
If you’re expecting frequent sales, we highly recommend using the VeryPDF DRM API:
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Your developer integrates the VeryPDF DRM API into your store’s backend.
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When a customer makes a purchase, the system:
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Uploads the original PDF.
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Applies your pre-set DRM settings.
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Generates a unique, secure URL or encrypted PDF specific to that customer.
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This unique link is automatically emailed to the customer or shown on a payment success page.
This method ensures that each buyer receives a separate, protected version of your eBook, all without manual intervention.
4c. Device Restriction: One or Two Devices per Reader
Another essential concern for authors and publishers is how to prevent buyers from sharing their access with friends or uploading it to pirated websites.
Current Option:
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DRM-protected content can be restricted by IP address, ensuring the content is accessed from the same device or network.
Coming Soon:
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Device Locking: We’re introducing a feature where the first one or two devices that open a protected PDF are automatically registered. After that, the file becomes unreadable on any other device. This makes unauthorized sharing almost impossible.
Stay tuned or reach out to our team if you would like early access to this feature.
Conclusion: Start Protecting and Selling Your PDF eBooks with Confidence
The VeryPDF DRM Protector provides a complete and scalable solution for authors and publishers who want to protect their digital books from piracy while maintaining an easy-to-use experience for legitimate readers.
Whether you’re just starting with a monthly trial or planning to automate an entire storefront, we’re here to support your goals. From advanced encryption and viewing options to sales automation and device locking, VeryPDF DRM gives you the control you need to protect your creative work.
Ready to Get Started?
Visit https://drm.verypdf.com/online/ and secure your first PDF today.
If you need help setting up your account, integrating with your store, or configuring advanced DRM settings, don’t hesitate to reach out — our technical support team is always happy to assist.