In this video, we are going to see how to use public domain works to sell our eBooks through Amazon KDP
This video is actually a response to one of the subscribers' comment requests, so here's
a shoutout to you Wheat Play!
To publish public domain works using KDP, here's what you'll need:
Number 1.
KDP account Second one is Bank online account, then
Public domain work that you intend to republish and
Fourth - Knowledge on re-using public domain works
and last but not the least, Knowledge on copyrights information.
The fourth and the fifth are more or less the same thing but then it has some more intricacies
to learn from.
To create a KDP account, check my other video on how to start your KDP account as shown
on the top right corner of the screen now.
And of course, I assume you already have an online bank account.
Now, we are left with the three other requirements, which mostly deals with the 'knowledge' of
what's public domain work, re-using public domain works to publish again under your name,
and knowing the boundaries of working with copyrights and Intellectual Property rights
safely.
What is a public domain work?
"Public domain" is a phrase that describes something that belongs to all people in general, that
is, the "public".
The opposite of "public domain" is copyrighted material, which is owned either by the creator
of the work or his/her legal representatives.
The term public domain is only used to describe things such as photographs, drawings, written
articles, books, plays, or similar works of art.
As a general rule, all intellectual works, after enough time has gone by, will become
part of public domain.
Actual examples include the works of Leonardo da Vinci, Shakespeare, Beethoven, the King
James Bible, and the books of Isaac Newton.
Just to name a few.
A work can enter the public domain in many ways.
Such as the copyright could expire, many years after its creator dies.
Or the work's creator may legally give up all
claims to the material.
The creator forgets to renew the work's copyright.
Or the work may have been created by agencies
of certain governments, in which case it was in the public domain from the time of its
creation.
In some cases, if a work enters the public domain after copyright expiration, anyone
using the work may still be required to note who created the work.
So, that was a brief intro into what is Public Domain.
Now that we know about what Public Domain is, let's see what Amazon KDP has to say about
using Public Domain works to publish an ebook.
In this case, we have a good news!
KDP allows the selling of content that is in the public domain.
But there is a catch.
At the time of publishing, we must provide proof that the work is indeed in the public domain.
Here's how to do that:
In the "Kindle eBook Details" setup page under the Bookshelf menu, scroll down to see the
setting for "Publishing Rights".
If you are going to use "Public Domain" work, this is where you choose the option to do that.
Keep in mind that the duration of copyright varies between countries.
So, if your book is in the public domain in one country but not another, you must identify
your territory rights accordingly.
Just for your information, in case you are planning to publish your ebook for pre-order,
remember that Public Domain eBooks are not eligible for pre-order.
Alright.
Let's say, you are now ready to publish your eBook that was created using Public Domain
works and has hit on the publish button for Amazon's review.
We must remember that Amazon may reject the public domain content that's already available
through KDP or other sites like Google Books, Smashwords, etc.
Now this is for a good reason.
Imagine having same eBooks showing up under different authors without much variation or
value-addition for readers to enjoy and benefit from.
That's why there is a line drawn here to discourage people from using Public Domain works without
any value-added on top of it.
This could enable scammers to game the system and use all public domain works to re-publish
and make money out of no hard work from their end.
That's why Amazon restricts publishing undifferentiated versions of public domain titles to provide
a better customer experience.
Differentiated works are unique and will meet one or more of these requirements:
It could be Translated, Annotated, or Illustrated.
Let's see what they mean now.
With translated, it means it has Unique translations in different languages.
With annotations, it must have unique annotations with some additional content like study guides,
literary critiques, detailed biographies, or historical context.
With illustrations, there should be at least ten or more unique illustrations that are
relevant to the book.
Books that meet these requirements must include (Translated), (Annotated), or (Illustrated)
in the title field of the book.
For example, "Works of Shakespeare (Illustrated)" is acceptable; but "Works of Shakespeare (with
an Introduction by Arun Sarathy)" is not.
The product description must also include a summary of how the book is unique in bullet
point format, remember, 'bullet point format', at the beginning of the product description
with a maximum of 80 characters.
These three factors are officially used as a barometer to check if there is any value-addition
made to differentiate the public domain work that you've used.
If you have followed all these rules and still aren't getting published, you can write to
Amazon KDP help team and they may reconsider your books for sale in the Kindle store.
But as a caveat, know that generally, higher-priced public domain reprints from large publishers
include extensive introductions, annotations, and other educational information that make
it worthwhile to the reader.
That's all it has to using Public Domain works to publish your eBook on the Kindle store.
Thanks for watching.