International Standard Book Numbers (ISBN's)
If your purpose for self-publishing is to distribute your book to family members or friends, or to sell it in local stores or gift shops, then you won’t need an ISBN (International Standard Book Number). But if you plan to sell your book through major retail chains, bookstores and distributors, then you will need to get an ISBN. In order to do this, you must submit an application to R. R. Bowker Company to apply for a publisher prefix number (the first eleven numbers that make up a 13-digit ISBN). Their website is listed below.
This 13-digit number identifies the publisher, the book title and the author. It is important that you obtain your own ISBN rather than using one issued by your printing company or subsidy publisher, because these numbers are assigned to publishers. In other words, for as long as your book is in print, the “publisher of record” and their contact information is determined by the ISBN that is printed on the copyright page of the book.
Anytime someone wants information about your book or wants to discuss a business deal regarding it, they will contact R. R. Bowker (Books in Print) to get the official publisher’s name, address and phone number. You are not officially a self-publisher unless you are using your own ISBN’s and are listed as the “publisher of record” for your book.
ISBN’s are purchased in blocks of ten numbers for about $250.00. You can also purchase just one ISBN. Learn more about ISBN’s and how to purchase them online at: www.isbn.org.
You will receive a log book by e-mail, listing your ten numbers. Print a copy of it and keep it in a safe place. See the sample log book below. As you write your books, assign one number to each book. You will also need to assign a different ISBN to each edition of your book (i.e. soft cover or hard cover, comb binding or perfect binding).
If you later decide to make major revisions to your book, assign a different ISBN to this new edition. Once assigned, an ISBN cannot be reassigned, even if the book is out of print. Your log book is a permanent record of all the ISBN’s you have assigned. As mentioned before, keep it in a safe place.
After assigning an ISBN to your book, you will need to register the title and information with R. R. Bowker, so they will list your book’s details in Books in Print. This is a directory of all books published in the U.S. that have ISBN’s. The website is: www.bowkerlink.com.
Other topics covered in Self-Publishing on a Budget:
You will receive a log book by e-mail, listing your ten numbers. Print a copy of it and keep it in a safe place. See the sample log book below. As you write your books, assign one number to each book. You will also need to assign a different ISBN to each edition of your book (i.e. soft cover or hard cover, comb binding or perfect binding).
If you later decide to make major revisions to your book, assign a different ISBN to this new edition. Once assigned, an ISBN cannot be reassigned, even if the book is out of print. Your log book is a permanent record of all the ISBN’s you have assigned. As mentioned before, keep it in a safe place.
After assigning an ISBN to your book, you will need to register the title and information with R. R. Bowker, so they will list your book’s details in Books in Print. This is a directory of all books published in the U.S. that have ISBN’s. The website is: www.bowkerlink.com.
Other topics covered in Self-Publishing on a Budget:
Bar
Codes
Copyrights
Library of Congress Control Numbers
Order Self-Publishing On a Budget: A Do-It-All Yourself Guide in these formats:
Print version for $6.95 on Amazon.com
E-Book for $2.99 on Amazon.com
