Glossary
What is DRM on an ebook?
DRM is a lock applied to an ebook file that ties it to one store account, so it cannot be copied to another device or app. It is chosen at upload, and on most stores the choice cannot be reversed for that edition.
What it actually stops
Casual sharing — a reader emailing the file to a friend, or moving it into a different reading app. It does not stop determined piracy: DRM on every major ebook format has been broken for years, and a book that is worth pirating is pirated within hours of release regardless.
Why many authors turn it off
- It penalises the honest reader — the one who bought the book and now cannot read it on the device they prefer.
- It locks *you* in too: a DRM’d catalogue is harder to move to another store later.
- The people it stops were mostly not going to buy a copy anyway; the people it annoys already did.
When it is defensible
High-priced, narrow-market work — professional reports, course material bundled with a paid programme — where a single leaked file genuinely displaces sales, and where the reader is not choosing your book against a hundred others in a store.
Related terms
- EPUBEPUB is the open standard file format for ebooks. Inside, it is a zip archive of HTML and CSS — which is why the text reflows to fit any screen and any font size the reader chooses.
- KDPKDP is Amazon’s free self-publishing platform. You upload a manuscript and a cover, set a price, and the book is on sale in the Kindle store — and, if you want, as a print-on-demand paperback — usually within 72 hours.
- RoyaltiesA royalty is your share of the list price after the store takes its cut. On Amazon there are two ebook bands — 70% and 35% — and which one you get depends on your list price and a set of conditions attached to the higher one.
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