fbpx

The Ins and Outs of ISBNs

It’s time to talk about ISBNs. ISBNs are important. ISBNs are confusing. ISBNs are numbers.

In the four parts of this blog, I’m going to explore the following areas:

1) The Ins and Outs of ISBNs
2) Why you should get your own ISBN
3) Where you can get your ISBN
4) How to get an ISBN in Canada

The Ins and Outs of ISBNs

ISBN stands for International Standard Book Number and it is, simply put, the identification number for your book. So… when Books-A-Million decides they want to sell your book and seeks to order 2 million copies of your book for each and every brick-and-mortar store plus another 4 million for their online store, they will look up your book by the ISBN. NOTE: this hasn’t happened to me, yet, but I expect it will soon.

An ISBN comes in three formats: 9 digit (back in the 60s); 10 digits (from the 70s till 2006); and 13 digits (2007 till now). It includes information in it such as the publisher’s identifier, country, number identifying the title and a check digit.
I know… who cares what the numbers mean! What IS important is that we understand what an ISBN is all about, and why we need one. So let’s move on.

Do I absolutely need an ISBN?

No.

I would say you almost definitely should have an ISBN, but in the end of the day, you can get by without getting your own (sometimes you can get a free one, sometimes you can go without).

It is possible to publish without an ISBN. Ebooks do not require them. You can also find ways to print and distribute your book without an ISBN, but then anyone who wants a copy of it will need to be a bit more creative in tracking it down (don’t count on creative customers). Bookstores (both online and brick-and-mortar stores) will need some way of identifying your book, and ISBNs are the standard way.

I’ll explore some of this a bit more in the second part of this blog.

What does an ISBN number do?

An ISBN identifies not only the publisher but also the specific book. As a result, you need a separate ISBN for each and every edition of your book. For instance, if your book comes in ebook, paperback and hardcover formats, you will need three (3) separate ISBNs. If you make a new edition of the book (change it significantly to warrant a 2nd edition), you will need a new ISBN again.

Now, if you just do a second major printing of the same book, it doesn’t need a new ISBN. This is because it is the same book. If you make significant changes (updates for new information, new chapters, etc.), you’ll need a new ISBN as the book is a new edition.

What have we learned so far?

An ISBN identifies your book in a way which allows bookstores and retailers and libraries and more to find and order your book… assuming there is a distributor at which is it cataloged. Ingram is the big distributor, and I will be blogging about them in a short while.

A unique ISBN is necessary for each and every version of your book.

The Downside to an ISBN

The downside with an ISBN is that it will often cost you money to get one. There are ways to get them free, but they are not always the best option. I know that a LOT of self-publishers will use the free ones. I would encourage you to purchase your own if you have the money, but I’ll cover that in Part II of this blog.

Reasons to get an ISBN

The ISBN offers International sales tracking for your book

You think you’re going to be a best-seller? The way your best-seller status is determined is based on your sales. It will be more difficult to be recognized as a best-selling author if there is no ISBN to track your sales.

Book Orders

The way that companies order books is by an ISBN. If you have an ISBN, companies can order your books through your distributor. If you are, for instance, set up with Ingram (I highly recommend it), companies will be able to look up your ISBN, see your book listed and order it!

The way Brick-and-Mortar stores (physical buildings with books in them for sale) order and manage your books is with the ISBN. If you don’t have one, they simply don’t know that your book exists.

Libraries work this way as well. I was in conversation with Library Bound Inc. (a big library distributor for libraries in Canada), and they let me know they order right from Ingram. Again… I’ll be blogging about Ingram soon. Ingram is definitely worth working with.

ISBNs are Tried and True

ISBNs have been around since the mid-sixties. I know we are in the age of “newest is always best,” but often times “newest” lasts for the “shortest.” Consider the fact that anything can happen and stick with what works. 🙂

Okay, those are the Basics of ISBNs. The other blogs are coming soon:

1) The Ins and Outs of ISBNs
2) Why you should get your own ISBN
3) Where you can get your ISBN
4) How to get an ISBN in Canada

Shawn

Click here To Sign up for Shawn’s Newsletter!

, ,

Shawn P. B. Robinson

I’m an author, a dad, a husband, a Christian and an encephalitis survivor (still trying to get back on my feet after that one). I love to write and I love to share my stories!

12 responses to “The Ins and Outs of ISBNs”

  1. I have a question, and i’m honestly curious now. when i first decided to publish my book, ISBN was a big headache for me, and then i decided that no, i don’t need it. But when i was uploading it all and setting things up, i was offered a free ISBN – now, i know one, free or not, is better than none, but what’s the difference between paid and free?

    • That’s such a great question! There’s a big difference, but it doesn’t always affect the author in a big way. Let me get back to you in a little bit on this (just in the middle of something right now).

    • Alright, the next blog in this series will be covering this in a lot more detail, but here’s the short explanation. ISBNs act as the means by which a book is found by someone who wants to buy your book. If you own the ISBN, you are the publisher and you can set up distribution and more as you see fit and where you see fit. If someone gives you a free ISBN, then they, typically, will own the ISBN and as such, they are listed as the publisher (regardless of what you print in your book). There are two main problems (we’ll explore more in part II): #1 if you’re self-publishing, you have technically given that away; #2 if they go under, you will have to republish your book with a new ISBN as they will no longer be offering it. It’s a major difference in terms of who the publisher is and who maintains all control over the book, but it doesn’t always affect the author. If you only publish with Amazon, then go for their free one. If you’re looking at distributing your book far and wide, one of the advantages of owning the ISBN is that your sales tracking will then all be tied to one ISBN in terms of sales through Amazon, Books-A-Million, Ingram, etc. One ISBN means all your sales count toward one book. I expect the second part of this blog will be posted on Saturday so that’ll cover more, but this is a short little answer to a big question. 🙂 Thanks for commenting!

      • This is interesting.
        I actually have an ISBN from smashwords and an ASIN for Amazon – for the same book. On Goodreads, i combined them because each showed as a separate edition.
        Thanks for taking the time to explain this. I’ll look forward for your next post.

        • Yup. That’s the way it works… Different companies will give you different codes. For me, I’m selling my ebooks all over the world through different companies. Amazon may assign them an ASIN, but they all have one ISBN (in addition to the ASIN). Same with my print copies (just without the ASIN). It allows tracking across the board and across businesses.
          That’s great that Goodreads tied the two different numbers together. That makes Goodreads work much smoother!

          • Yes, it shows one book, two editions. At the beginning, before i combined both, the ratings and reviews were being separate, but once i combined editions, all the ratings combined as well.
            Now, print is my next step, with audio after that. I gather the ISBN for the e-book won’t be the same for the print or audio?