What does public domain mean for books?

A work is in the public domain when copyright no longer protects it — usually because its term has expired — or when it was never eligible for protection. Anyone can then copy, adapt, translate or republish it without permission or payment.

Which books are public domain depends on the country. In the US, works published long enough ago are public domain, and each 1 January another year's publications join them (for example, in 2026 works first published in the US in 1930 entered the public domain). In countries where copyright lasts for the author's life plus a set number of years — 70 in the UK and EU, 60 in India — it depends on when the author died. A book can be public domain in one country and still protected in another, which matters when stores sell worldwide.

Be careful with modern editions. A new translation, annotations, illustrations or an introduction can have their own copyright even when the original text does not. Use the original text, or your own work, rather than copying a recent edition.

Stores have rules for public domain content. Amazon KDP, for example, expects public domain books to be clearly differentiated — such as through an original translation or substantial annotations — may decline undifferentiated versions of freely available works, and has offered public domain titles a lower royalty rate. Check the platform's current rules. This is general information, not legal advice.