How to Add Password Protection to your PDF EBook Files
I have two books that, I believe, are in such small niches that were either book to be posted in a web forum, my sales would plummet to almost nothing. Both books have about one or two websites devoted to the topic and any leakage of my EBook to those sites would certainly cause me financial harm.
On the other hand, I also am a firm believer in getting your books out to as many people as possible to help follow-on sales, however the books I’m selling can’t have follow-on products or services. It’s just the information that people need. I put it all in there, and I’ve decided to use password protection to attempt to keep my books off the forum pages.
Here’s how I set up password protection for my PDF Ebooks
1. I use Open Office to create my PDF files, so start by opening up your Open Office file.
2. When you’re going to create your PDF (see how this is done at Create my PDF EBook), choose the Security tab once you are taken to the Options Screen.
3. Click on “Set Open Password” to reach the dialogue box shown above. Enter a password twice to create a prompt when the PDF file is opened.
I choose to make my password attributable to the customer who bought my EBooks. So I will put their email address and/or name as the password. That way it’s easy for them to remember the password, however it’s also difficult for them to post the book online without identifying who’s violating my copyright.
4. If you want, you can “Set Permission Password” which will restrict how people can copy/paste the information in your book. If, for some reason, you don’t want your customers to be able to copy your text, set this password as well. Obviously set it different than the open password!
5. After creating the PDF book, verify that the password works by double-clicking the PDF file and typing in your password. If it works, your ebook should open right up!
And, as promised, I had another Michelob Ultra for this post. And here she is!
Till Next Time!