Before You Panic About DRM, Read This
DRM is suddenly everywhere in author conversations again.
Forum threads. Group posts. DMs filled with the same question phrased ten different ways:
“Has Amazon changed something?”
“Do I need to turn DRM on now?”
“Will my book be stolen if I don’t?”
Let’s slow this down.
Because most of the panic around DRM has very little to do with protection—and everything to do with misunderstanding.
What DRM Actually Does (And Doesn’t Do)
Digital Rights Management (DRM) is often described as “anti-piracy protection.”
That description is… generous.
What DRM does:
Restricts how a legitimately purchased ebook can be copied, shared, or transferred between devices
Limits certain accessibility and device-compatibility options
Adds friction for readers who move between ecosystems (Kindle ↔ other apps/devices)
What DRM does not do:
Stop piracy
Prevent file stripping or format conversion
Protect a book once someone is determined to copy it
Pirated ebooks are almost never obtained from DRM-free KDP uploads.
They are stripped, reformatted, and redistributed with ease—DRM or not.
This has been true for years.
Nothing about that reality has changed.
So Why Is DRM Trending Now?
Because Amazon adjusted how DRM is presented and selected, not what DRM fundamentally does.
Default settings, interface changes, or clearer prompts can make something feel new—even when the underlying mechanics are the same.
When defaults change, authors assume:
Risk has increased
Policy has shifted
They’re suddenly exposed
In most cases, none of that is true.
This is a procedural change, not a philosophical one.
Why ALLi Historically Advised Against DRM
ALLi’s long-standing guidance has been consistent for a reason.
From a business and reader-trust standpoint, DRM often:
Hurts legitimate readers more than pirates
Creates customer support issues authors don’t anticipate
Reduces accessibility for readers who rely on specific devices or formats
Undermines goodwill with paying customers
In other words:
DRM introduces cost, without delivering proportional benefit.
That’s not ideology.
That’s outcomes.
The Real Risk Authors Are Missing
Piracy is not the primary threat to most authors.
The bigger risks are:
Making fear-based decisions
Adding reader friction unnecessarily
Treating trust like a liability instead of an asset
Copying “best practices” without understanding context
Most books don’t fail because they were pirated.
They fail because they weren’t discovered, trusted, or recommended.
DRM doesn’t fix any of that.
When DRM Might Make Sense
There are limited scenarios where DRM can be a neutral or tactical choice:
Highly time-sensitive proprietary content
Corporate or institutional distribution contexts
Specific contractual obligations outside KDP norms
These are exceptions, not the rule.
And even then, DRM should be a deliberate decision, not a reflex.
DRM Is a Business Decision, Not a Moral One
Choosing DRM doesn’t make you careless.
Avoiding DRM doesn’t make you reckless.
What matters is understanding:
Your audience
Your distribution strategy
Your tolerance for reader friction
Your long-term publishing goals
If DRM is turned on or off without that clarity, the decision is already misaligned.
The Bottom Line
Nothing fundamental about DRM has changed.
What has changed is how loudly authors are being prompted to think about it—often without the full context needed to decide calmly.
Before you panic:
Ask what problem you’re actually solving
Separate perception from reality
Remember that reader trust compounds faster than control
Publishing rewards clarity, not fear.
And DRM has always been about control.