I’ve been a proud member of the Professional Audiobook Narrators Association (PANA) since its inception. The organization offered its first convention PANAcon last month.

 

When I was asked earlier this year to speak at the first PANAcon on a panel about self-producing your work, I couldn’t say “yes!” fast enough!

If you attended, you should have received an email with links to the videos from all of the sessions. Download all the videos now because they won’t be available after 1 September.

This article and its resources should benefit attendees and non-attendees alike.

The Panel

I was delighted to join and learn from my co-panelists and multi-talented narrators Shiromi Arserio, Tanya Eby, and Cassandra Medcalf as they shared their knowledge and experience in writing, publishing, and marketing their books. I talked about creating and publishing audiobooks from Public Domain texts. Thanks also to narrator Kelly Wilkinson for facilitating our session, the audience members who spent time with us and asked wonderful questions, and to all the volunteers who planned, coordinated, and made PANAcon such a fantastic success.

As panel moderator, Shiromi asked very thought-provoking questions, a few of which I’d like to share here.

What was the most unexpected challenge or most pleasant surprise you encountered when you decided to release your own audiobooks?

I published my first title, a Public Domain book, in 2014. I didn’t know then how that action would completely open up and enrich my life!

Public Domain books have become my passion and a cornerstone of my work. I’ve taught other narrators about finding PD books they love and distributing the finished audiobook.

My ever-deepening interest in copyright led me to apply for and then enroll in the CopyrightX program at Harvard University.

After publishing that first book, I combined 2 Public Domain books into a new book. It remains one of my favorite projects: Bly vs Bisland: Beating Phileas Fogg in a Race Around the World.

I’m currently working on perhaps the most electrifying professional undertaking of my life, which started as an idea to record a single Public Domain book. I discovered more books on the subject and thought I’d create a mash-up of multiple PD books similar to Bly vs Bisland.

This new topic has evolved into a fascinating multi-year historical research adventure for a new book I’m creating that I’ll produce as a full cast audiobook! It will be a celebration of Public Domain texts and fabulous audiobook narrators!

I’ve always admired biographers and historians who weave together a wide range of disparate facts and sources into a compelling story. It’s thrilling to be on that path!

I love and am absorbed in my daily research! It’s terribly exciting to discover hidden gems that the (many, many!) others who dived in this ocean of material completely missed. I’m planning a research trip in the coming months.

The biggest joy of the whole thing is going from idea to implementation — to take something that I had as an idea and work at it to make it appear in tangible form. That’s what makes us artists and what makes self-producing worthwhile.

And I have to say, not spending my time constantly writing to people and saying, “please hire me, please hire me” is huge for me! I’m generating my own work and totally in my own lane here. You can’t put a price tag on that.

 

I’ve done a handful of public domain titles, and it’s usually just what seems like a fun book that I wish people would cast me for. But you’re much more strategic about how you pick titles. Did you want to talk about that?

First of all, know that an incredible trove of books are in the Public Domain that you would not expect to be there. Most people seem to think Public Domain books are 100 years old and overflowing with very florid Victorian language.

That’s not true! In fact, the juiciest Public Domain titles were published in mid-century 1900s. At that time, the copyright had to be renewed, and a lot of people didn’t do that. In fact, between 1930 and 1963, about 74% of the books published in the US are Public Domain! The copyright has expired, so anybody can do anything they want to with them.

Whenever I see or hear about a book that piques my interest, the first thing I do is check out its copyright status. Is it in the Public Domain, or did the author or publisher renew the copyright?

A lot of people ask me for help finding a book, and the first things I ask them are:

• What do you like to read?
• What kind of books do you like?
• Which genres do you work in, and which do you want to work in?

You’re going to spend time with this book, and you may or may not make any money on it. You might as well do something that you really like that looks good for your portfolio.

Remember I said the key publication dates range between 1930 to 1963. The earliest age of a Public Domain book is 62 years old, meaning it’s stood the test of time. If a book has a lot of ratings and reviews and continues to be of interest, then it’s probably going to make money.

Books published in the US in 1930 will all become Public Domain on January 1st. It’s not too soon to find one, record it, and have it ready to publish in the new year!

Goodreads maintains lists of books that are popular for a given year. You can review their list of books from 1930 to find one that speaks to you as an artist. The books that appear high on the list usually include big sellers in literary history that we always hear about. They attract a lot of attention with many people, including big audio publishers, who are eager to record them. Further down that list, though, you’ll find books that are still interesting, that people are still reading and writing reviews about on Goodreads. I think that list is a really good place to start.

 

As someone who produces their own audiobooks, you have to handle the distribution, the marketing, the cover art, the writing. How are you able to manage your time?

I take an incremental approach, and I create a to do list every day in Evernote of three things:

• • Most important task of the day — If this was the only thing you did today, you’d be satisfied. (1 task)
  • Secondary tasks of importance — Completion of these tasks will make the day even better. (2 tasks, though I often add more)

This article details my use of Evernote and links to the templates of my daily and monthly action plans.

Almost every day, I list 2, 30-minute activities: research on my book, and content creation. For instance, it might take me several days to write an article like this one if I’m just doing a little bit at a stretch.

I’m not saying I always accomplish everything — or even anything — on my daily list!

I take you behind the scenes of my process and offer 9 ways I’ve increased my output in my article How I Get Stuff Done.

In terms of marketing my own books, I’m a firm believer in having a promotions calendar. Look for things in and associated with the book that give you reasons to talk about it long after its release date.

I mentioned Bly vs Bisland earlier. Two female reporters, Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland, each went on a solo trip around the world that started in November 1889. I can promote that audiobook:

• every October 2nd because that’s the date Jules Verne’s imaginary character Phileas Fogg made a wager that he could go around the world in 80 days
• every November 14th when the race starts
• every December 21st as that’s the date Phileas Fogg won his bet
• every January 25th on the anniversary of the end of the reporters’ race
• Nellie Bly’s and Elizabeth Bisland’s birthdays and dates of death
• if their name comes up in the news or I create some other reason. For instance, I’ve talked about it being a good book to listen to on a winter trip!

I might only promote that book a couple times a year, but I love having options!

At least enter basic dates on your promotion calendar and add a reminder a week before the date. Once you develop assets of marketing pieces, you can just pop them back out on social media again. Nobody knows or cares that this is the same thing that you used the last three years on the same day! Just keep utilizing and repurposing the things you have. You don’t always have to create something new.

My Audiobook Marketing Cheat Sheet gives you a bounty of tips and tactics you could employ to market your book.

 

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Audience Q&A

How do you determine if a mid 1900’s book is in the PD?

You have to research the copyright date. See Step 1 of my article Planning Your Trip to Public Domain World.

Can you take a public domain book and make it more of a modern story?

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!

Would you ever write and record an introduction to a public domain book, for example as a way to address problematic language that you want/need to keep in? Or would you just put the disclaimer in the written description?

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.

Do you make an e-book of a public domain book you’re making an audiobook of?

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.

If you work with a person who has already released the e-book on Amazon, how do you handle the royalty share percentage on Audible?

Ebook and audiobook royalties are 2 different things. If the rights holders of the Amazon edition and audiobook are different, they don’t share in each others’ royalties.

Once you produce a PD book, how then do you distribute it?

You have to make this decision for each book. I have a distributor comparison chart for members of NarratorsRoadmap.com, where I look at 22 criteria for 6 distributors. Not only are the royalty amounts different, but you’ll want to consider how often a distributor pays you, whether they offer promotional support like download codes, and many other factors. I also provide my full recommendations there.

You may want to join Rebecca Hefner’s Facebook group Marketing Audiobooks Wide as it’s a reliable source of information.

On all my audiobooks, I want to claim the book on ACX with exclusive distribution on Audible for at least the first 90 days. With an exclusive deal, I’ll receive Audible download codes, which everybody understands and are a great way to promote the book.

Exclusive distribution also garners the highest royalty rate Audible is going to pay anybody. Audible pays me 40% for exclusive distribution, but if I’m not exclusive, they only pay me a 25% royalty rate, leaving a gap of 15%. I think contemporary romance and other modern fiction like cozy mysteries are going to do better with wide distribution. I’ve been publishing biographies and history. So far, the wide distribution hasn’t made up that 15% difference. I therefore still have some books that remain exclusive with Audible because they’re paying me the most money.

On ACX, do you create a Rights Holder’s Profile as well as a Narrator Profile? And do you have to make a Direct Offer to yourself?
You do need separate narrator and RH accounts with different email addresses. They can use the same tax ID (SSN or EIN, which I recommend, as discussed near the end of this article.) You won’t make an offer to yourself. Instead, sign in with your RH/publisher account, select Already Have the Audio (DIY project), and upload all of the files, including cover art.

NarratorsRoadmap.com members can watch my 1:48:21 webinar Public Domain Audiobooks and Self-Publishing, in which I show the entire process for claiming a book as an ACX rights holder.

Does your Audible listing state that it is a public domain book?
Each distributor asks for basic information including the copyright date and owner. I’ll enter the original publication year and “PD” or “Public Domain” for the original rights holder.

Would you create an LLC for your publishing empire?
You don’t have to establish an LLC. I run a sole proprietorship and file a joint 1040 tax return with my husband that includes a Schedule C for business. I have 3 “Doing Business As” (DBA) names: A VOICE Above The Crowd, Jewel Audiobooks and NarratorsRoadmap.com. You really need to talk to your accountant about your particular situation and what makes sense for you.

Regardless of your business type, though, you will want to ensure your business earnings and expenses are separate from your personal ones. Maintain different bank accounts and credit cards for personal and business uses.

 

You’ll find more info and Q&As on my Public Domain Narration Headquarters page. I hope you feel inspired and equipped to tackle a Public Domain project and self-produce your own work!