We know that publishers who have great fan bases can sell DRM-free content widely and successfully. O’Reilly Media and Samhain Publishing are great examples. O’Reilly makes ‘DRM-free’ part of their promotional message. Samhain doesn’t use the words ‘DRM-free’ anywhere I can find on their site, but simply includes there a note that it’s illegal to pass on copies of ebooks without paying for them. These companies rely on fan support (combined with a very convenient shopping experience) to sell more ebooks – rather than technical restrictions that force consumers to buy, read and recommend ebooks in narrowly defined ways.

This approach works for them, and I wish more publishers would try it. Going forward, it may be their greatest strength: they established a good-faith relationship with their customer base long before ebooks got big, and before mainstream consumers started to realise the frustration and anguish of DRM. Their good-faith relationship is safe, and they can build on it.

For publishers who still use DRM now, moving to DRM-free later on may be much riskier (we’ll need level-headed data heroes like Brian O’Leary to prove such speculation right or wrong in time). Publishers and retailers who’ve been frustrating their customers with DRM for a while may find it hard to convince those customers not to take unfair advantage of DRM-free ebooks when they do drop DRM. In other words, once you’ve alienated your fans with DRM, there may be no going back.

I’m really just peddling fear here, of course. There is no telling what will or won’t work for ebook sales in a year, let alone five or ten. What matters is that publishers interrogate DRM as fiercely as they do any other sales strategy. If DRM is your default, you’re missing out on a bunch of sales tools and strategies, and the competitive edge they can offer.