Public Domain books

Introduction

So you want to distribute books that are in the public domain? Well with StreetLib you can*. But you must absolutely read this article BEFOREHAND to make sure you don't break any laws.

Here are a few tips for publishing public domain books:

1) Check that the content is in the public domain

The first thing you must verify is that the book and its content is in the public domain. This means that the exclusive intellectual property (IP) rights have expired or been forfeited.

We say content because it is not only the text that is covered by IP rights, but also the cover, any images and the translation.

Different countries have different laws regarding when works enter the public domain

You must therefore check the specific laws for each country where you want to publish the book.

The most common way for books to fall into the public domain is through the expiration of the copyright. Wikipedia has a good page listing the copyright expiration for each country. However, we recommend you check the official sites for each country to be sure.

Here are a few useful links to help you with your search:

BEWARE: Just because the copyright SHOULD have expired, doesn't mean it has. You must check for each individual title.

Translated works 

Translations are subject to their own copyright which is owned by the translator.

2) Know the public domain rules for each individual bookstore

Now that you know in which countries you can publish your book without breaching copyright laws, you must comply with each bookstore's terms and conditions.

Please check the T&Cs for each store, as they may differ. Here is a quick recap of two of the major stores:

Amazon

Amazon has very specific rules regarding public domain books. They offer their customers free editions of public domain titles. They only offer differentiated versions of these freely available books. They consider works to be differentiated when one or more of the following criteria are met:

•  (Translated) - A unique translation

•  (Annotated) - Contains annotations (unique, hand-crafted additional content including study guides, literary critiques, detailed biographies, or detailed historical context)

•  (Illustrated) - Includes 10 or more unique illustrations relevant to the book

Differentiated books must include (Translated), (Annotated), or (Illustrated) in the title field. For example, “Pride and Prejudice (Annotated)” is acceptable, while “Pride and Prejudice (With an Introduction by Tiffany Gordon)” is not. Be sure to specify how your book is unique in the beginning of your product description in bullet point format (maximum 80 characters).

While it’s possible that other features may make books unique, they only allow the criteria noted above. Examples not considered differentiated include a linked table of contents, formatting improvements, collections, sales rank, price, freely available Internet content, etc.

More than this, remind to add all contributors in your article's page; otherwise we won't be able to accept your title as public domain.

Google Play and OverDrive

They do not accept public domain content as it is often duplicated and offers little added value.

Therefore, when you tick the box on StreetLib to certify that it is a public domain book, it will not be published on Google Play and OverDrive.

General ethics

There are a few standards codes and practices that we recommend you follow when publishing a book that is in the public domain:

a) Create your own book files

You should take the original text and format the eBook or Paper book yourself. There are great tools online to do so, such as of course our very own, and completely free, StreetLib Write. Do not simply download the free ePub and upload it as your own. Why?

  • The main reason is that the ePub you downloaded may be horrible. Why resell it when you can get a beautiful book file with a little bit of work.
  • You also need to be sure that all the content is in the public domain. There might be images inside to which you don't own the rights.
  • And finally, because it’s only right to do the publisher’s work if you intend to be a publisher: formatting is part of that

Plus, think about how you can let set your creativity free. You could create a unique collection, and thus have something special to promote amidst the whole pool of public domain publishers around the world.

b) Choose your own cover image. Yes, the law allows you to use the same stock images or non-proprietary pictures as another publisher doing the same thing you’re doing with the exact same book. However, that’s not the best decision:

  • Firstly, that’s not too clever because you aren’t retaining your audience who won’t be able to distinguish you from another publisher (and thus may not choose you for the next book). So, business-wise I wouldn’t advise it.
  • Then, it’s just not right. If you are committing to create a book collection, actually create. You may not be the creator of the content of the books, but there is a huge place for your creativity. Enjoy it and choose a picture or image you think depicts the book you are publishing. Maybe even work with a cover designer and guide their art towards what you are looking for and imagining (if you want an inspirational pep-talk on designing covers I highly recommend Chip Kidd’s Ted Talk).

c) Create your own cover layout (follow-up on the previous point).

You can’t actually reproduce a cover layout (the fonts chosen, the colors applied, the elements on the cover, etc.) as it may well be protected by its own copyright. Plus, once again, let your creativity shine.

Conclusion

If there is one thing you should take away from this article, it is this: don’t ever publish a book unless you are 100% sure you have the right to do so.

*It appears that the book you want to publish is not copyrighted. Therefore, when publishing your book, you must select "Yes" in the "Public domain" field. Next to that, you will see the “User Rights”. Even if it is in the public domain, you should select "I am the author of the book" if you have made some significant changes to the original work (e.g. your book is a commented or illustrated version, or if you are publishing a translation and you are the translator).

This information is necessary for us to correctly create your invoice and send the right information to stores. For instance, some stores like Google Play do not publish books with expired copyrights. We thus use the “public domain” flag to sort which books to send them. Similarly, taxation on your royalties may vary if you are the author of a book or publishing the book of someone else.
It is thus important to provide us with accurate information.

How to classify the work if you own the rights to the unedited translation

Also in this case you must classify it as in the public domain on the Hub. The classification on Hub does NOT impact the rights of the work, it is a classification that StreetLib serves to avoid sending public domain content to stores that do not accept them even in cases where they are actually differentiated.

Only if the original work is in the public domain but the translation is yours, you can select the following options:

  • This is a public domain book
  • I am the author of the ebook

Still need help? Contact Us Contact Us