Sell an eBook?

[loavesfishescomputers]

Anyone know if this can be done with Click & Pledge?
Thanks a ton, Christian.

[CnP.Support]

I can think of a number of ways that this may be done.

1: Setting the R parameter in the URL so after the payment authorization the system redirects the patron to the page where the eBook is linked for download. Here is an example:

https://co.clickandpledge.com/?wid=26867&R=https://www.clickandpledge.com

The above link redirects the patron to https://www.clickandpledge.com after the payment authorization. Make sure the landing page designated by R is a secure page otherwise the patron will see a warning by the browser that he/she is leaving a secure site for an insecure site. This causes an issue if the patron clicks on the CANCEL button. This solution will work but you have to make sure you have set security features to block anyone from downloading the book by visiting the link without paying.

2: A solution that I think will work best is by using the Cover Sheet feature which was introduced last month. See below:

http://forums.clickandpledge.com/content.php?115-Automatic-Custom-Thank-You-Letters-Cover-Sheets

The Cover Sheet feature allows for an upload up to 500 KB in PDF format to be sent as an attachment to the receipt. A 500 KB PDF document is a big document. Depending on large the eBook is this solution may be the most elegant solution for selling an eBook.

What is the size of the eBook?

[loavesfishescomputers]

Hello C&PSD,
Thank you for the response. Your second suggestion sounds excellent... but the size limitations are too small for the client's needs. Not only are her eBooks larger that 500kb, but, she now wants mp3's for download. So that option's out.

Moving to the first suggestion... that looks good too, but if the link is static, than it can be copied and pasted into the URL. And even more paranoid, if we were to password protect the files, than we would have to change it every so often so people don't tell their friends about it. Also, each product would have to have it's own static page, so the person could download only what they purchased... oh lawd!

--Still seeking the perfect combination.
Thank you!

[CnP.Support]

The challenge you will have is that there is no perfect solution based on all the various implementations that I have seen. Here are a few that the industry does:

1: eBook password: No matter what one does the password may be passed around and the document forwarded / copied.
2: Userid / Password site where a person logs in to download the document: Again the userid & password may be copied and distributed or the file downloaded & distributed.
3: Digital signature where a software licensing platform tracks the usage: too complicated for the average user

I am sure you realize the problem is the same issue the music industry faces with pirated music. These days artists are giving away their music so they can get people in their live concerts. Some publishers have experimented with donation for download and have seen an average donation close to their intended sale price. On average people donate a certain amount and some download for free but all together the average works out to the publisher's benefit.

A perfect solution - whatever shape or form will cost real money. That money divided by the number of downloads almost always exceeds the potential loss due to abuse and free downloads.

What I always ask clients when such questions are posed is simple: What happens if someone copies your ebook or MP3? so what? The marginal cost of a download is $0 and is practically FREE. Of course I don't know the specifics of your requirement but I have seen this over & over that people spend a lot of money to protect against a potential loss of nothing.

Just some thoughts.

Let us know if we can be of any further assistance.