ISBN

Do I need an ISBN for my book? How do I acquire one?

The topic of ISBNs challenges many self-publishing authors, so I want to take this opportunity to remove some of the mystery and angst.

What is an ISBN?

ISBN stands for International Standard Book Number, and it is exactly that: an officially registered number given to a specific book. The system was created in the United Kingdom in 1967 by WHSmith , the largest book retailer in England, for the purpose of organizing their new computerized book warehouse. In 1970 it was made into an international standard by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), based in Geneva, Switzerland. The official agency that runs the program is called the International ISBN Agency, and it is located in London, England.

In the words of David Whitaker, the chairman of the original WHSmith panel : “ISBN, simply, is the key to a bibliographic record. We were trying to solve problems related to the transmission of a book order. Say, for example, that you were looking for a particular edition of Black Beauty. Previously, you had to go through 125 alpha-numeric characters before you could identify the unique edition that you wanted.”

How Does an ISBN Work?

Originally, ISBNs were ten digits long, but since January 1, 2007, all new ones consist of 13 digits. Ten-digit ISBNs must be converted to 13-digit ISBNs for use today.

These 13 digits are divided into groups that contain information relating to the publisher and title. Currently, the first three digits are either 978 or 979; these are the codes for all books. The next group of numbers is the registration-group element. This relates to either a country, a geographical region, or a language. This group of numbers can be between one and five digits in length. The next group of numbers is the publisher’s identification code, which can be up to seven digits in length. Following this code is the publication element, which identifies the particular title, edition, and format. The final number is a checksum, a character that represents a calculation of all the prior digits.

Let’s take the example of the title Why Don’t Penguin’s Feet Freeze? And 114 Other Questions. The ISBN is 9781861978769. The first number, 978, indicates that the title is a book. The registration group is 1, for English. The publisher’s identifier is 86197, which is Profile Books, based in London. The publication code is 876, the unique number given for this title, edition, and format. And the final digit, 9, is the checksum.

What Needs an ISBN?

ISBNs allow quick and accurate identification of any registered book, which has made them the primary catalog reference for books across the world, used by booksellers and libraries alike. Anyone who wishes that his or her title be listed in one of these places should have a unique ISBN associated with it. This is a crucial step for having your book listed on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books in Print, and thousands more places.

Not only does each title require a unique ISBN, but each version and edition requires its own ISBN. For example, if you are publishing a title in a variety of versions – hard cover, soft cover, and e-book – each one requires its own ISBN to avoid confusion. The same is true for new editions of titles, which require their own ISBNs to distinguish them from previously published versions. If there were only one number for all of these, it would be difficult to assess sales results for each version; even worse, a customer wishing to order one version may end up with another. (For more details about when to use a new ISBN, follow this link.)

But not everyone publishes a book with the intention of having it listed by a bookstore. If you’re publishing a private publication, such as a family book, there is no need to purchase an ISBN. Most Hebrew Torah books are published without an ISBN because their distribution channel does not use the ISBN system.

Where Does One Obtain an ISBN?

The publisher is responsible for purchasing ISBNs and registering each title with the appropriate authority. Self-publishers, too, have to purchase their own ISBNs, which can be yet another expensive chore to take care of. A single ISBN for a US-based self-publisher costs $125. Purchasing ISBNs in bulk is a better value. For $295 you can buy ten of them, but that is many more than the average self-publisher needs.

Companies like CreateSpace purchase ISBNs in bulk quantities and share them with authors for a small fee, or even for free. But there is a catch: The publisher for the title is listed as the company that provided the ISBN (CreateSpace in our example), and that can saddle a book with a stigma and leave the impression that it is a low-quality publication.

There is a solution to this quandary: You can try to purchase an ISBN from CreateSpace or another distributor and have your own imprint registered as the publisher. But you should be careful with this trick, because if someone searches for your publishing company and doesn’t find it, you will be mighty embarrassed.

Barcode

The ISBN is the actual number assigned to each title, and it should be printed on the copyright page below the copyright details. But once that number has been assigned to the book, it should also be used as the barcode number.

But where do you get the barcode itself?

There are many free barcode generators available online. Some companies, like CreateSpace, offer cover templates with barcodes attached. They do this to ensure that the barcodes are made accurately, with the resolution and size they require.

One piece of advice: If your book will be for sale in more than one country, don’t print a price together with the barcode; it will only cause confusion. (For more information about barcodes, follow this link.)

JewishSelfPublishing’s Approach

Since my office is in Israel, I am obligated to purchase my ISBNs from the National Library of Israel, the regional distributor of ISBNs. As of this writing, I am using ISBNs that I purchased for my traditional publishing house, Torah Temimah Publications. When I’ve used all of those, I will register JewishSelfPublishing with the NLI and order a new batch of ISBNs. I receive barcodes with the ISBNs from the NLI.

I offer my ISBNs to all of my customers and include them in the price of the overall publishing package. There is one condition that goes along with these ISBN: I must receive two copies of the title to forward to the NLI, where the book is archived. That requirement comes from them.

 

 

I hope this post has enlightened you on this mysterious topic of ISBNs. The next step is to discuss the other major registration item for your book – copyrights, which will be the subject of our next blog post.