Go to the Library of Congress catalog website to check the author's date of death. Type in the author's full name in the "Quick Search" function. Select "Author Keyword" from the scroll bar and Click "Search." The author's name will appear on the next page, accompanied by her date of birth and date of death (if applicable).
Calculate how many years ago the author died. If the author has been dead for 70 years, the text is considered part of the public domain, and you can safely reprint the book.
Search for a version of the text to use for your reprint. A good place to start is Internet Archive, an online database that includes a variety of public domain texts. Click "Texts" on the homepage. Type the name of the text in the search bar and click "Go" to view your search results.
Download the PDF version of the text, or select the full text version. Highlight the text itself and copy and paste it into a MS Word document.
Edit the text if the book was scanned from its original version into a PDF. During this process, sometimes everything does not copy and paste 100 percent accurately into a Word document. Therefore, it's important to carefully proofread the text before proceeding with the printing process.
Add a book cover to your file. You can scan the original book cover if you have the hard copy. If not, you can design your own.
Convert the Word file into a PDF using Adobe or an equivalent software application.
Publish your book using one of the many self-publishing companies available. Some popular choices are Lulu, Outskirts Press and CreateSpace. Usually these companies require you to download the PDF to their website and then set a price for your book. The company will then take a portion of the profits if and when the book sells.