Your unique ISBN is like a fingerprint for your book. It helps people identify your book and eliminates confusion between similar works. An ISBN could be critical if someone decided to publish a book with the same title as yours, for example.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n \t
- Why ISBNs are important<\/li>\n \t
- What the numbers in an ISBN mean<\/li>\n \t
- 3 fast steps to follow to get your own ISBN<\/li>\n \t
- The pros and cons of free ISBNs<\/li>\n \t
- The types of books that need ISBNs and the books that don\u2019t<\/li>\n
- Questions to ask yourself to find out if you should buy your own ISBN<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Table of contents<\/h2>
- Why Does Your Book Need An ISBN?<\/a><\/li>
- Getting Your Own ISBN For Self-Publishers<\/a><\/li>
- Get A New ISBN In 3 Fast Steps<\/a>
- Free or Discounted Options\u00a0<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- How To Determine If You Need An ISBN<\/a>
- Which Books Need An ISBN?<\/a><\/li>
- Which Books Don\u2019t Require An ISBN?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- ISBN Costs: A Breakdown<\/a><\/li>
- Locating A Book\u2019s ISBN<\/a><\/li>
- Common Questions About ISBNs<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Links in this article may earn me a small commission if you use them to purchase a service or product. This has not affected my opinion. However, it helps me continue to write these awesome articles that anyone can read for free!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
For more on this topic, visit our post on what an ISBN number is<\/a>, as well as our free barcode generator<\/a> to integrate your ISBN into a custom barcode.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Why Does Your Book Need An ISBN?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
ISBNs are assigned by the International ISBN Agency. The ISBN Agency then stores the information for your book, which helps wholesalers, retailers, and libraries find your book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You also need an ISBN to get a barcode for the back cover of your book when you self-publish it. A book\u2019s barcode includes the same digits as the identification number.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A 13-digit ISBN may look like a random series of numbers, but those numbers contain metadata and can tell you a lot about the book. Here\u2019s an example ISBN and what its numbers mean:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
978-0-679-80527-3<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- EAN Prefix<\/strong> (978): The first 3 digits of all ISBNs are always 978 or 979.<\/li>
- Registration Group <\/strong>(0): This number can be 1-5 digits long and tells you the country or region where the ISBN is registered.<\/li>
- Registrant Element <\/strong>(679): The registrant element tells you which publisher created this book.<\/li>
- Publication Element <\/strong>(80527): This number tells you the title of the book, format, and edition of the book.<\/li>
- Check Digit <\/strong>(3): This number is mathematically calculated and helps ensure that the ISBN has been typed out properly.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Can I use the ISBN number for my book on my other books?<\/strong> No, you can\u2019t use the ISBN number from your book on other books. Each printed book must have its own unique ISBN \u2014 each number is created to identify just one title or edition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Getting Your Own ISBN For Self-Publishers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Getting your own ISBN is a relatively simple process. Depending on the country you live in, you can either get an ISBN directly from your government or through an agency that handles ISBN registration. The U.S. ISBN agency is Bowker MyIdentifiers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Who can I contact to get an ISBN?<\/strong> You can contact Bowker MyIdentifiers to get an ISBN if you\u2019re in the U.S. If you\u2019re outside the U.S., you\u2019ll need to look up your country\u2019s ISBN agency<\/a> and contact them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Get A New ISBN In 3 Fast Steps<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How do I get an ISBN number for my book?<\/strong> To get an ISBN number for your book, follow these three simple steps:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Create an account with Bowker MyIdentifiers at myidentifiers.com<\/a>.<\/li>
- Choose a package with the number of ISBNs you\u2019ll need. If you plan to get multiple books into print, you might choose a package with 10 or more ISBNs. You\u2019ll need a different ISBN for each format you produce (hardcover, paperback, abridged, etc.).<\/li>
- Check out and pay for your ISBNs.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
Once you\u2019ve paid, your ISBNs will be under your account. Simply go to My Account > My Identifiers and fill in the information for your book, such as its title, author, publication date, and pricing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
When you\u2019re done, simply submit the form. For peace of mind, Bowker keeps all of your book\u2019s data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Free or Discounted Options <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Amazon\u2019s KDP Print (formerly CreateSpace) is the most popular printing service that gives authors who use its service a free ISBN. But beware: You cannot use the free ISBNs to print your book elsewhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To take advantage of the free ISBN from KDP, simply choose \u201cGet a free KDP ISBN\u201d in the \u201cEdit print book content\u201d area when you\u2019re adding your book to KDP. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Other printing services offer free ISBNs as well, including Blurb, BookBaby, Smashwords, and D2D<\/strong><\/a> (Draft2Digital) Print.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Why would you choose to pay for an ISBN if you can get one for free? The printing service or distributor is listed as the publishing company if you get a free ISBN, not you. For example, if you use KDP Print, your publisher will be listed as \u201cindependently published\u201d instead of your name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
KDP Print, IngramSpark<\/strong><\/a>, and BookBaby offer discounted ISBNs to customers who use their printing services. If you buy ISBNs with a discount from one of these services, then you will be listed as the publisher, rather than the service being listed as the publisher.<\/p>\n\n\n\r\n
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How To Determine If You Need An ISBN<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Here are some questions to ask yourself to determine if you need an ISBN:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Are you publishing your book physically?<\/strong> (If your answer is yes, you need an ISBN, either free or paid.)<\/li>
- Where do you plan to publish your ebook? <\/strong>(Some ebook publishers and distributors require an ISBN for ebooks.)<\/li>
- Is it important to you that your name or <\/strong>publishing company<\/strong><\/a> is listed as the publisher for your book?<\/strong> (If yes, you should consider buying your own ISBN.)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019re going through a distributor that doesn\u2019t need an ISBN, you won\u2019t print physical copies, and you don\u2019t care about being listed as the publisher, then you may not need an ISBN.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Which Books Need An ISBN?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
An ISBN can be necessary for your book for many different reasons. Some of the most common reasons for getting an ISBN can include: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Publishing books in print rather than just online<\/li>
- If you publish a new edition<\/strong><\/a>, you\u2019ll need new ISBNs for each print version.<\/li>
- Printing a book in different formats (e.g., paperback and hardcover). In this situation, you\u2019ll need a separate ISBN for each format.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Some ebook distributors require you to have an ISBN, though most major ebook retailers won\u2019t need one. Check with the service you\u2019re using to distribute your ebook to online retailers to determine if you\u2019ll need an ISBN. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Printing a book in different formats (e.g., paperback and hardcover). In this situation, you\u2019ll need a separate ISBN for each format.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- Where do you plan to publish your ebook? <\/strong>(Some ebook publishers and distributors require an ISBN for ebooks.)<\/li>
- Registration Group <\/strong>(0): This number can be 1-5 digits long and tells you the country or region where the ISBN is registered.<\/li>
- Which Books Don\u2019t Require An ISBN?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- How To Determine If You Need An ISBN<\/a>
- Getting Your Own ISBN For Self-Publishers<\/a><\/li>
- Why Does Your Book Need An ISBN?<\/a><\/li>