Once you've created your ebook, you'll want to take the necessary steps to protect your work. Although many ebook compilers will enable you to password protect your ebook, none can offer complete security.

Copyrighting Your Ebook

The moment you create your ebook, the US copyright laws protect you. However, if you should need to file an infringement lawsuit, you must register. Although registration is generally voluntary, it is recommended, as you certainly don't want your work to be copied and claimed by someone else. If you don't take the time to register a copyright, you may have little or no recourse should your work be illegally copied.

Visit the following sites to register online:

MediaRegister
http://www.mediaregister.com

Click and Copyright
http://www.clickandcopyright.com/

For further information, visit the US Copyright Office:
http://www.loc.gov/copyright/

International Standard Book Number (ISBN)

Once you get your copyright, your next step will be to obtain an ISBN.

An ISBN is a 10-digit number that uniquely identifies books and similar products that are published internationally. It is used to uniquely identify one specific title, whether it is a book, ebook or similar product from one specific publisher. This number is completely unique to that one title or edition.

If you would like to sell your ebooks in bookstores or online, you'll need to obtain an ISBN. Once you obtain your ISBN, you can submit your title to be listed in the Books in Print database. Bookstores and Libraries refer to Books in Print when they need to order a particular book from a publisher.

When you're ready to order your ISBN, keep in mind, it can never be reused. Once it is assigned to a specific title, it cannot be used again -- even if the title is no longer available. What this means is that if you update your book in any way, you will have to get a new number. In addition, if you're offering your ebook in different formats, you must use a separate ISBN for each format.

The current price is $225 for 10 numbers, which is the minimum you can purchase. You can order right online and should receive your numbers within 10 business days.

For further information, visit:

http://www.isbn.org/
http://www.bowker.com/

Bookland EAN Bar Codes

If you're planning on placing your ebook on CD-ROM, you'll need to use a bar code specifically designed for books. The Bookland European Article Number (EAN) is the standard bar code used in the book industry. It enables the ISBN to be encoded directly into the bar code.

An EAN begins with 978, which is the Bookland prefix. This code is used on books and similar products internationally. This code will enable a retailer to scan the code and easily identify a book by its ISBN. When the book is sold, the cashier can scan the Bookland EAN bar code and retrieve the book price and other important information from the bookseller's database.

For further information, visit isbn.org to review their list of Bookland EAN Bar Code suppliers:

http://www.isbn.org/standards/home/isbn/us/barcode.html

If you're serious about publishing an ebook, make sure you research all of your options before you start. You must look at the entire picture before deciding upon the right format, whether or not you should copyright your ebook and if you'll need a bar code. You never know, once you write your ebook, you may want to expand your market and offer your ebook in different formats. Not only can you publish your ebook in PDF or EXE format, but you can also place it on CD-ROM, format it for ebook reading devices or even Print on Demand. The possibilities are endless.

In part 7 of our series, we will focus on accepting payment on the Internet.