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How to Make Money Creating Audiobooks from Public Domain Books

 


A Hidden Gem in the Passive Income World

When people think of passive income, they often imagine dropshipping, affiliate marketing, or selling print-on-demand products. But there’s a hidden opportunity that very few know about: turning public domain books into audiobooks and selling them online.

This side hustle is not only low-cost but also has virtually unlimited potential. Why? Because millions of classic books are already in the public domain—meaning their copyright has expired, and anyone can republish or adapt them legally. With the rise of platforms like Audible, Findaway Voices, YouTube, and Spotify, you can transform these texts into audiobooks and build a long-term stream of passive income.

If you’re searching for a low-competition, evergreen side hustle, creating audiobooks from public domain works might be your golden ticket.

What Are Public Domain Books?

Before diving in, let’s clarify what “public domain” means.

  • Public domain books are works whose copyright has expired or was never copyrighted.

  • In most countries, this happens 70 years after the author’s death (in the U.S., many works published before 1929 are public domain as of 2025).

  • Examples include:

    • “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen

    • “Moby Dick” by Herman Melville

    • “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes” by Arthur Conan Doyle

👉 Because these works are public domain, you can legally republish, adapt, or narrate them into audiobooks without asking permission or paying royalties.

This creates a wide-open market for anyone interested in the audiobook side hustle.

Why Audiobooks Are a Growing Market

Audiobooks are booming:

  • According to the Audio Publishers Association, audiobook sales have grown by double digits every year for the past decade.

  • Platforms like Audible and Spotify are aggressively pushing audio content.

  • Busy lifestyles mean people prefer listening over reading—during commutes, workouts, or house chores.

This growing demand, combined with the free supply of public domain books, creates a perfect side hustle opportunity.

Step 1: Find Public Domain Books

The first step is to identify which books you can use. Here are reliable sources:

  • Project Gutenberg (gutenberg.org) → Over 60,000 free public domain ebooks.

  • LibriVox → Free audiobooks already made, but you can record your own unique versions.

  • Google Books (Public Domain filter) → Millions of scanned books that are free to use.

  • HathiTrust Digital Library → Another massive archive of public domain texts.

Pro Tip: Choose popular classics with proven demand, but also explore niche genres (poetry, self-help, history) where competition is low.

Step 2: Record the Audiobook

Once you have your book, it’s time to bring it to life.

Recording Options:

  1. DIY Recording

    • Use a microphone + free software (Audacity, GarageBand).

    • Pros: No cost. Cons: Time-consuming, requires editing.

  2. AI Narration

    • Tools like Murf, ElevenLabs, Speechify can convert text to high-quality narration.

    • This is faster, cheaper, and now almost indistinguishable from human voices.

  3. Hire Narrators

    • Platforms like Fiverr or Upwork let you hire professional narrators.

    • Ideal if you want top-quality production.

Step 3: Edit and Format Your Audiobook

Your audiobook must meet platform standards:

  • Audible/ACX requires:

    • Each file ≤ 120 minutes

    • 192 kbps or higher MP3

    • RMS levels between -23dB and -18dB

  • Add an intro and outro with the title and your name as the narrator/publisher.

This part may sound technical, but software like Audacity makes it manageable even for beginners.

Step 4: Publish Your Audiobook

Here are the best platforms to sell and distribute your audiobook:

  1. Audible via ACX

    • The largest audiobook marketplace in the world.

    • Reach millions of paying subscribers.

  2. Findaway Voices

    • Distributes to 40+ platforms (Spotify, Apple Books, Google Play).

  3. Etsy (Digital Download)

    • Surprisingly, you can sell MP3 audiobooks as digital downloads on Etsy.

  4. YouTube / Podcast Platforms

    • Upload for free → Monetize with ads or sponsorships.

Step 5: Marketing and SEO Strategy

Even with a great audiobook, you need visibility. Here’s how:

  • Optimize Metadata

    • Title: Use keywords like “Classic Audiobook – Pride and Prejudice | Public Domain Audiobook”

    • Description: Add audiobook side hustle, passive income with audiobooks naturally.

  • Create a Blog or Website

    • Publish articles (like this one) targeting keywords: make money with public domain books, audiobook side hustle.

    • This builds organic Google traffic.

  • Social Media Snippets

    • Share short 30-second audio clips on TikTok, Instagram Reels, or YouTube Shorts.

Step 6: Scaling the Business

The beauty of this model is scalability:

  • Start with one audiobook.

  • Add more titles over time → build a library of audiobooks.

  • Bundle multiple works into collections (e.g., “Complete Jane Austen Audiobook Set”).

  • Expand into related niches: e-books, print-on-demand versions, study guides.

With each new title, your passive income stream grows stronger.

Challenges to Expect

Of course, no side hustle is without hurdles:

  • Competition: Some classics already have many versions. Solution: Use unique narration styles or focus on niche works.

  • Audio Quality: Poor editing can lead to rejections. Solution: Follow ACX guidelines carefully.

  • Marketing: You need SEO and promotion to stand out. Solution: Start small, then reinvest profits into ads or better production.

Conclusion: Turn Free Books into Passive Income

If you’ve been searching for a low-cost, low-competition side hustle, look no further than creating audiobooks from public domain books.

  • The content is free and legal.

  • The market for audiobooks is exploding.

  • With tools like AI narration and platforms like Audible, even beginners can start earning within weeks.

👉 This is not a get-rich-quick scheme, but a true passive income model. The more audiobooks you create, the larger your long-term earnings potential.

So next time you’re scrolling for side hustle ideas, remember: sometimes the best opportunities are hiding in plain sight—in this case, inside the pages of classic books waiting to be heard again.

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