Adapting Public Domain Classics

Every book in our catalog adapts a story that's in the public domain — Pride and Prejudice, Dracula, Little Women, the Korean classics. That freedom is wonderful: you can retell these stories, illustrate them your way, and sell the result. But "public domain" has edges, and it's worth knowing where they are.

This is general information, not legal advice. Copyright rules differ by country and change over time; if a project depends on it, check with a lawyer.

What "public domain" means

A work in the public domain is no longer protected by copyright, so anyone may copy, adapt, and sell it. In the United States, works first published in 1930 or earlier are in the public domain as of 2026, and each January 1st another year's worth of books joins them. That's why The Great Gatsby (1925) is now free to adapt.

Other countries count differently — often seventy years after the author's death — so a book can be public domain in one country and protected in another. If you sell worldwide on Amazon, that matters for recent classics.

The original text is free. Later versions may not be.

The original book is free to use. What's often not free:

• Translations. A classic written in another language is public domain, but a modern English translation of it may be under copyright. Work from an old public-domain translation or translate it yourself.
• Edited or annotated editions. New introductions, notes, and modern editorial changes can be protected.
• Film and TV versions. A famous movie's costume design, makeup, or invented scenes belong to the studio, not the novel. Draw your characters from the book's descriptions, not from a screen adaptation.
• Other people's adaptations. Another publisher's graphic novel of the same book is its own copyrighted work. Don't copy its panel layouts or designs.

Titles and trademarks

You can't copyright a title, so you can call your book Pride and Prejudice. But some character names and logos are registered trademarks for certain products. Use the classic's title as the title of your adaptation, and don't borrow a studio's logo or branding.

Make it yours

The best reason to adapt a classic is to bring something new to it: your art, your pacing, your choices about what to show. Your adaptation — your drawings, layouts, and dialogue edits — is your own copyrighted work. Credit the original author, be clear that your book is an adaptation, and enjoy working with stories that have lasted for centuries.

Looking for inspiration? See how we approached Jane Austen and the Korean classics.