You can’t simply republish a Google PDF since each page is water-marked “Digitized by Google.”

Not only might it annoy readers, but that watermark wouldn’t pass the KDP standards for differentiation shown on this Amazon page:

— original translation
— original annotations
— 10 or more original illustrations

However, you are free to extract the text and images from the PDF and create a new document, which you could then publish on Kindle or any other format. Be aware that you will still need to meet 1 or more of the requirements above in order for KDP to publish your book.

Also, refer to this answer, which includes info about registering the US copywriter of your edition.

May I republish a Kindle edition from a PDF of a Public Domain text that was digitized by Google?

As of 1 January 2026, all books published in the US in 1930 are in the Public Domain.

Be aware that an edition on Amazon may still be copyrighted if the rights holder changed the text.

Two parts of this answer particularly apply here:

1. Once a work becomes Public Domain, it’s always in the Public Domain.
2. I wouldn’t record from the published edition as I wouldn’t know whether the rights holder had made any changes to the text. Instead, I would find the original version.

My guide Planning Your Trip to Public Domain World has more info.

I hope this info helps. Best wishes for your success!

If a book published in the US in 1930 is listed on Amazon, does that mean it isn’t Public Domain?

Once a work becomes Public Domain, it’s always in the Public Domain.

Anyone could assemble a collection of short stories and copyright their edition. However, the individual stories remain Public Domain in their original form.

You could create your own volume of PD stories, perhaps by author and/or theme, regardless of whether the stories appear in others’ anthologies.

If you want to record all of the stories you found in a new edition, you could always ask the rights holder for permission to pair your audiobook with their edition on Amazon. See item 2 of my guide Planning Your Trip to Public Domain World for more info.

However, I wouldn’t record from the published edition as I wouldn’t know whether the rights holder had made any changes to the texts.

Instead, I would find the original versions of those stories and assemble my own collection for recording.

This Q&A offers more info about avoiding potential copyright infringement when using books composed of PD texts.

If someone published a book of short stories, are those texts still Public Domain? Could I repackage a published anthology of short stories into a new book and record it?

Absolutely! If you want a great example, look no further than WICKED! Gregory Maguire imagined new stories for the beloved Wizard of Oz characters because they were in the Public Domain. He wrote a book, which became a bestseller. He then licensed the rights — making even more money for himself! — for a musical and movies, plus all the merchandise!

However, you don’t have to invent a new story. Remember, you can change anything you want in a PD book. Narrator Alison Larkin received great acclaim about her adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic book Great Expectations. She changed Pip’s gender to female, which breathed new life and meaning into an old story.

An email recently arrived in my inbox promoting the March 2026 release of Lady Tremaine: A Novel by Rachel Hochhauser, in which the author tells the Cinderella story through the point of view of the stepmother.

Your possibilities are limited only by your imagination and creativity!

Public Domain means you, as the producer, can create the audiobook any way you want. If you want to change the language, change it. If you want to delete sentences, paragraphs, or pages, delete them.

I look at each book on a case-by-case book and decide whether I’d add a disclaimer to the book’s description. For something like Huckleberry Finn, I’m not going to change the language. I would add a disclaimer in my book’s printed description and say this language reflected the time that it was written, viewpoints have obviously changed for the better since then, and be aware you’re going to hear objectionable language.

I haven’t included a disclaimer in the recording, but there’s no reason you couldn’t do so.

Disclaimer examples are in Step 6 of my article Planning Your Trip to Public Domain World.

I only need an ebook if I want to claim the title on ACX. If I’m going through another distributor, I don’t need an e-book. More information is in Step 2 of my article Planning Your Trip to Public Domain World.