As you may know, I’ve tried many, many ways of making money online and I’ve found some things that work for me.  Over the years I’ve learned that just because I “could” do something doesn’t mean that I “should” or “have to” do it.  Meaning that while there are hundreds and hundreds of ways to make money online – I sure don’t need to try them all.  All I needed to do was to find the ones that really worked for me.

Anyways, one of my passions has always been hunting for information.  For many of my friends I’m the “go to girl” for finding info. on various topics.  I truly enjoy the hunt for information.  A phrase I often say is “knowledge may be power, but knowing how & where to find it is KEY”.

Mix my affinity for finding info. with my love of the Public Domain and I’ve found my own little niche.  Over the last couple of years I’ve used Public Domain items in many different ways – created web sites, created digital products, sold individual items, clickbank items…etc.  I even created an audio-book from a PD book I slightly re-vamped.

So, I found what I am good at and I finally took it and made it into a product so I can share my passion with other people.   vThis was a product that I started back in the fall of 2009 about people profiting with Public Domain on eBay.  I started it, got distracted by other things and somewhat forgot about it.  A few people asked me about it recently which caused me to resurrect the project and finally complete it! I beefed up the product a bit, added training videos and a guide book.  It shows other people how to quickly and easily find Public Domain items to profit from – plus it has my original ebook about people profiting from the public domain on eBay.  I am quite pleased with the product and know it will be useful to many people.

I had a few days where I just was paralyzed with fear.  I think it was fear of success with some fear of failure thrown in and also a mild obsession with perfection.  I was finally able to push through that, finish what I had to and I submitted my completed product to ClickBank!  Woo Hoo!

I expect the product to be officially available by the first full week in April.  I’ll let ya know when it officially launches!

If you don’t know what the “Public Domain” is you might think it refers to our National Park Land

Public Domain refers to published items that are no longer covered by copyright.  This refers to all items published in the US prior to 1923, items published between 1923-1977 WITHOUT a proper copyright notice, items published between 1923-1963 that HAD a copyright notice, but copyright was not renewed, and lastly, many government publications.  The above rules only apply to works published in the United States.  The rules for other countries get all sorts of confusing.  I have to look up the terms each time I encounter a possible Public Domain work published outside the U.S.

No copyright (in the U.S.) means that they can be used in any fashion, by anybody without any credit given to the original author – no permission needed!

Here’s where the questions and acusations come up…

• Isn’t that plagarism?
• You’re STEALING someone elses work!
• How could YOU do that !?!?
• Why would you do that? – that’s old useless stuff in them there ol’ books!

The reality is that it is LEGAL to “do that”.

There are plenty of people who have taken items in the Public Domain, slightly altered the text and re-published the same work as their own.

Do I totally agree with doing that?  No, I don’t – but people are free to do that if they wish.

There are also numerous people who take a Public Domain work, improve upon it in some fashion, give credit to the original author and then publish the work.  They might have their name on there as a co-author or editor.  Do a web search for “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill – everybody and their brother has re-done that one.  I don’t think you’ll find anyone trying to pass off that book as their own original work though – that would just be plain silly!

I believe that it is ethical to use Public Domain material.  I believe that it is only fair to give some sort of credit to the original author.

Whenever I use Public Domain material I see it as a recycling project.  I am taking long-lost ideas from books that are usually buried in someone’s basement or in the far off archive of the library – I’m taking these old musty books and turning them into something bright, shiny and new.  Those almost lost ideas are then given new life and shared with a new generation that otherwise may not have known of their existence.

I could even get all Houdini like and say I’m helping long-dead authors to speak from the grave…spooky!

That’s my view on it