ISBN, Not Your Grandmother's Book Number

Have you ever wondered about the process of getting an ISBN?  Well, here's some in-depth information taken from some reputable sources* that will help you on your way:

Why do you need an ISBN?  What purpose will it serve?  And how can you obtain one for your e-book?  These are questions that we all have had to ponder on our way to self-publication.  Fortunately, the process is simple and painless.  Still, anything worth having is worth working for, so here we go...

The International Standard Book Number, or ISBN, is a number that identifies your work from anyone else and their work.  It also uniquely identifies your different works from each other.  For instance, you may have a collection of stories with one ISBN and then later publish one of those same stories as a novella, or vice versa; each separate publication would have its own unique ISBN.  In fact, separate editions will also have separate ISBNs.  Additionally, each format type will have its own ISBN.  This means that a paperback version's ISBN is different from a hardback with the same exact content, title, forward, etc.

In recent years, the ISBN has moved from a 10 digit to a 13 digit number.  This is not important to the content of this thread, but I thought I would mention it in terms of changes in the industry since the mushrooming of e-publications.

In printed books, your ISBN will appear on the back of your book or on the jacket as well as on the copyright page.  The ISBN on the back cover or jacket is represented by a bar code as well as the ISBN in digits preceded by the letters 'ISBN.'  Here's an example:

This is a fictitious example and should in no way be deemed representative of any actual work.  If it does, it is merely a coincidence.

Yes, you have seen this a thousand times before.  But what happens when the publication is exclusively electronic?  Well, as you would imagine, each platform has a different approach.

If you intend to publish on Smashwords, they can issue an ISBN for you.   This defaults them as your publisher, but it doesn't cost anything. It also means you don't have to read any further on this thread.  However, if you are the type of do-it-yourself-writer/publisher that really needs to maintain it all, and you intend to publish to any of other platforms with your own ISBN, read on!

Amazon will also offer to publish exclusively to the Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) platform without the use of an ISBN.  They will issue an Amazon Standard Identification Number (or ASIN) which is unique to Amazon but also limits the writer on where she can publish (i.e., KDP has issues of exclusivity that I will cover in another thread).  It is important to note that you can get published on Amazon without an ISBN.  However, if you intend to obtain your own Amazon makes it very easy to enter your already established ISBN as you upload your book.

Barnes and Noble requires an ISBN for tracking their inventory so be prepared to furnish one.

Bowker operates the ISBN database for the U.S.  Here, you can navigate to the self-publishing companies that Bowker has partnered with so that you can find the ISBN package that best fits your needs.  There are also loads of extras you can accomplish with Bowker, including a step-by-step guide to making your e-book into an app.  But for now, we will just focus on getting your ISBN.

The good old fashioned way to get your ISBN was to write to the ISBN Agency and request one (and you still can): 

ISBN Agency
630 Central Avenue
New Providence, NJ 07974
877-310-7333

Nowadays, it is much more efficient to visit www.ISBN.org and follow the prompts that fit your needs.  If you intend to publish in various formats (even eventually) it might be wise to invest in a larger block like the quantity ten ISBN package.  However, for simplicity sake, we will just leave our example as purchasing just the one.  

You can purchase a single ISBN for a current price of $125.  This does not include the bar code generator, but the good news is that bar codes are not necessary for e-books.  It is as simple as following the links on the Bowker hosted page for the ISBN Agency to the application.  Once completed, the wait time for processing is about 2 weeks, but you can use that time to generate hype for your upcoming publication on threads and social media. Don't be shy about this opportunity either.  After all, as a self publisher, you are your own PR and Marketing Rep.  I'll cover more about this in another thread.  But I digress.  

Once the ISBN is issued and your e-book is published, you should report your publication to Bowker for record into the ISBN Agency's database.  In some instances, this might also include free listing in their various directories.  Having an ISBN establishes your e-book's unique content in our ever-shifting world of publications.  It allows for easy submission to the many platforms available.  It also permits you to host your e-book on your own platform (such as a personal website or linked on a social network sites).  Do not underestimate the value of having your own ISBN in this fast-paced publishing environment.  And, you should also give yourself credit for this accomplishment.  You have your own ISBN--a proud moment, indeed!

Then, you're off to the races (so to speak).  Time to start marketing and selling your book.

Write now!


*
The ISBN Agency site: http://www.isbn.org/standards/home/index.asp

Smashwords ISBN Information: https://www.smashwords.com/about/supportfaq#isbn

Barnes and Noble ISBN Information: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/help/cds2.asp?PID=8153#3

Amazon ISBN and ASIN Information: https://kdp.amazon.com/self-publishing/help?topicId=A36BYK5S7AJ2NQ#1-23_Do_I_need_an_ISBN