DNL DRM is a powerful new DRM system that allows you to protect, market, distribute and sell your eBook in 3 different ways:

1.       Protect your eBook using Activation Codes.  You then sell the Activation Codes to your customers.

2.       Distribute your eBook as a Lead Generator.  Your readers can unlock the eBook for free if they give you their contact details.  They will not get an Activation Code unless they use a valid email address.  This allows you to build up a database of people who have read your eBook.

3.       Sell your eBook using the DNL DRM eCommerce system.  This makes it very easy for your customers to buy your eBook, as they can purchase it from inside the eBook

At this stage, only the DNL DRM eCommerce option will be publicly available – the other features will be released soon.

To start using DNL DRM, click the “Properties” button, or select “Book Properties” from the “File” menu inside Desktop Author.

When the “Book Properties” window appears, click the “Settings” button next to “Book DRM”.  This window will appear:

Normally you will use the “DNL DRM try-before-you-buy Setting”.  This allows you to give a part of the book away for free and protect the rest of the book.  In this mode, you select the number of pages that you want to be free.  Note that number of free pages is specified using “Single Sheet Numbering”, so if you are using “Book Page Number”, you will need to convert to the single sheet equivalent.

The Editable Image DNL DRM Settings feature has been provided if you wish to produce Photo Albums.  Instead of limiting the number of pages, you are limiting the number of editable images than can be modified.  If you are not creating Photo Albums, do not use this setting.

Make sure “DRM Type” is set to “DNLDRM”, and click “OK”.  This window will appear:

If you already have a DNL DRM account, enter your email address and password into the space provided.  If you don’t have an account, click “Create DNL DRM Account” to sign up.  This will take you to:

https://www.dnaml.com/secure/DNLDRM/signup.aspx

This window is designed to allow you to manage multiple accounts if you are creating eBooks for more than one publisher.  Click “Remember my login details” to save your account settings, then all your accounts will be available from the drop-down.

You must have an Internet connection to create DNL DRM eBooks.  If your connection is working correctly, you will see this window once you are connected:

Creating a new product

If this is your first eBook, type in a name for your eBook in the space next to “New eBook Name:”, and click “Next”.

If you already have products in the system, it is often easier just to copy all the settings across from an existing eBook.  To do this, select and eBook from the drop-down under “Use settings from previous eBook created (optional), enter the name of the new eBook and click “Next”.

Once your product has been created, it will appear in the list under “Update DNL DRM for an Existing eBook”, along with all the other products that you have created in the past. 

If you want to change the name of an existing eBook, select that eBook in the drop-down under “Update DNL DRM for an Existing eBook”, enter a new name next to “New name” and click “Rename eBook”.

If you have logged in to the wrong account, click “Logout” to logout and login under a different account.

You can go directly to the DNL DRM Admin Portal by clicking “Login to Admin Portal”.

To edit an existing eBook, make sure it is selected under “Update DNL DRM for an Existing eBook” and click “Next”.  The window will change to:

DNL DRM Activation Options

When you first sign up to DNL DRM, you will only be able to use the DNL DRM eCommerce system and Key Activation.  If both options are disabled, you may need to wait for you Application to be processed.  If eCommerce is available, but not Key Activation, please contact support.

 If you wish to create Lead Generators, you will need to click the “Apply for Lead Generator” button.  There is a substantial fee for Lead Generators, because your eBook can be used by many people, using a lot of server resources.  For each person who uses it, the DNL DRM system needs to create an Activation Code, send them an email, and activate the product.

You will notice that “Welcome” and “Price” or “Key Activation” tabs have also appeared.  These tabs will vary depending on whether you are using Key Activation, Lead Generator or Payment Gateway. If you are using eCommerce, “Welcome” and “Price” will appear, while “Welcome” and “Key Activation” will appear when you use Key Activation. When you click on the “Welcome” tab you can choose if you wish to display an optional Welcome page.  This allows you to add addition messages that encourage your readers to activate or purchase the book.

Welcome Page

If you want to display a welcome page, check “Display a Welcome Page”, enter a title for the welcome page (typically “Welcome”) under “Create Title:”,  and enter your welcome text in the box inside “Create Welcome Message”:

Price Page

If you have DNL DRM eCommerce access, select “DNAML Payment Gateway” under the “DRM Type” tab, and the far right tab will change to “Price”, when you click the “Price” tab, you will see this window:

Currently the DNL DRM eCommerce system supports 4 currencies: Australian Dollars (AUD), US Dollars (USD), British Pound (GBP) and Euro (EURO). Check “Visible Currency” next to every currency that you want the book to be sold in. You must select ONE of the currencies as a primary currency.  This will be the currency from which other currencies will be converted if a conversion is to take place.  Enter an amount for the primary currency.

If you want a currency to be available, but you want the value to be automatically converted from the primary currency, check “Visible Currency” but leave the price blank or set to 0.  For example, if you want to sell an eBook in all currencies for USD 10.00, check “Visible Currency” for all currencies, select “USD” as the primary currency, and enter “10.00” in the amount next to USD.

If you want to specify an exact sale price in each currency, enter and amount for each currency.  For example, to sell a book for USD 9.99, GBP 4.99, AUD 11.99 and EURO 6.99, enter these values into the amount boxes and check “Currency Visible” for each currency.

Key Activation Page

If you have selected Key Activation, you will see this window when you click the “Key Activation” tab:

These settings allow you to customize the text on the Key Activation page when a customer wishes to purchase your eBook.  To view a sample of what your customers will see, click the “View Sample” button:

The text you enter in the “Insert Title:” box will appear as white title text in the DNL DRM Activation Wizard.  

The text in the “Insert Message Text (top):” box will appear at the top of the window.  This text is prompt your customer to enter their key in the box next to “Activation Code”. 

The text in the “Insert Message Text (bottom):” box will appear between the Activation Code box and the button.  This text is prompt your customer to click the button if they don’t have an Activation Code.  For example, you may wish to direct them to your shopping cart to purchase the eBook and be sent an Activation Code.

The text in the “Insert Button Text:” box will be the text on the button.  This button allows the customer to purchase the book through your shopping cart or contact you to get an Activation Code.

The text in the “Button:” box is the web location that will be opened when your customer clicks the button.  This could open a shopping cart or the page on PayPal where then can purchase the eBook to receive an Activation Code.

Packaging your eBook with DRM

When you are happy with your settings, click “Update DRM” to save the settings.  You will only need to go through this process once (unless you wish to change your settings).  You can modify your eBook and repackage your eBook without changing these settings.

When you are ready to distribute your eBook, click the arrow to the right of green padlock button and select “DNL DRM”, or Click “Page DRM” from the “File” menu and select “DNLDRM”.  This window will appear:

If you have not already configured your DRM settings for this eBook, the top option will not be available.  Select “Package eBook – With New DNL DRM settings” to configure first then package.  The third option “Create New DNL DRM Setting Templates” allows you to configure the settings without packaging.  Both options take you to the DRM Settings window described in the sections above.

The top option “Package eBook – Using Existing DNL DRM Settings” will begin packaging immediately.

If your book uses DNL DRM eCommerce, it must be reviewed by DNL DRM Administration staff before it will be enabled.  Lead Generator and Key Activation eBooks do not need to be reviewed, and you will be able to use and distribute them immediately after packaging. When you select “Package DNL DRM”, you will need to login to the server before packaging can commence:

If you have already packaged an eBook, but have not uploaded it, you see this message:

When you click Ok, you will be prompted to upload the previous DNL file.  Once this file has been uploaded, you can select “Package DNL DRM” again to re-package the DNL file with the changes that you have made.

Once packaged, you will be prompted to upload the DNL file to the DNL DRM Administration Portal:

If you have just packaged a new book, this window may be covered by the book that you have just packaged – minimize or close the book to see this window. Click the “Click here to Upload Now” button to being the upload.  If you cancel the upload or it fails, you can re-start the upload by selecting “Package DNL DRM” again.  The upload will commence from where it stopped.

You can continue to use DesktopAuthor while it is uploading.  If you cancel the upload, you will not be able to package again until the previous file has been uploaded.

This feature serves two purposes:

1. It allows DNL DRM staff to ensure that no illicit material is sold through the payment gateway – this is a requirement of the DNL DRM Publisher/Author agreement clause 8.2.
2. It allows the DNL file to be resold through the affiliate network, when it is available.  Each affiliate will be able to separately “tag” the DNL file and receive commission for sales through their efforts.  This feature has not been released yet, but you will have full control when it is released.

Note: This upload process is only required for eCommerce DRM settings.  You will not need to login or upload if you use Key Activation or Lead Generator settings.

Once you book has been uploaded, you will see this Window:

Please note: The eCommerce function will not be enabled until the book has been reviewed by DNL DRM Admin staff.  Until it is approved, the book will use the Key Activation mode or it will be disabled, and this message will be displayed when you try to access the locked part of the book:

Once the book has been reviewed and approved, the eCommerce functions will automatically work inside the book, and customers will be able to purchase the book using Credit cards.  Please note: If you then re-package the book, all existing versions of the book will be disabled until the new DNL file is approved.  If you do not want this to happen, create a new DNL DRM product, and use the new settings for the book when you package it.  This is a good option if you are producing an entirely new edition of the book, and you want existing customers to pay for the new book, or you have had no existing sales for the book.  If you want existing customers to use the new version of the book without paying for it, package using the original DNL DRM product settings.

If you purchase or activate the book on your computer, all books with the same DNL DRM settings will be automatically unlocked on your computer.  This means that if you activate once, you will be able to re-package and check the book without unlocking it again.  To check the DRM, open the book on another computer.  We suggest that you always check that DRM is active on a book before uploading the DNL file to a website.  If you accidentally “Package DNL” instead of “Package DNL DRM”, you could be giving an unlocked copy of the book away.