An ISBN is an identifier. It stands for International Standard Book Number. It’s a 13 digit code that gets assigned to your unique book in order to sell it. You will need one for every version of your book no matter what part of the world you live in. Both self-publishers and traditional publishers need an ISBN in order to be part of a global database. Depending or your country of origin, you may have to purchase an ISBN or have the option to get it free. There are many questions and misconceptions about the infamous ISBN, so let’s discuss them.
ISBN Q&A
1. What is an ISBN? – An ISBN is a number assigned to a book to identify it in the global database. It is a 13 digit code that stands for International Standard Book Number.
2. Where do I get an ISBN? – ISBNs are country specific so the method in obtaining them depends on what country you live in. Below is a list of where you can get ISBNs by country. (To simplify things I will only list Canada and US agencies)
3. How much does an ISBN cost? – Canadians get ISBNs for free. United States citizens will have to pay $125 for a single ISBN.
4. Is a Canadian ISBN good for the U.S? – Yes, all ISBNs are good internationally. Once you purchase an ISBN in your country, you can use it all over the world.
5. Is an ISBN the same as an ASIN? – No. An ASIN stands for Amazon Standard Identification Number and is specific to only the Amazon marketplace. It consists of 10 digits rather than 13 like an ISBN but consists of numbers and letters. Even though you supply your own ISBN for your book when you publish to Amazon KDP, they will only use their own ASIN to identify it.
6. Is a free ISBN as good as a paid one? – In Canada, yes! A free ISBN is just as good as a paid one because Canadians get them for free. But they aren’t the same as those provided free through Smashwords or Create Space for example. Those are not as good because you can only use them in that specific marketplace. If you intend to sell your book in other marketplaces, you must buy an ISBN or get one free through the Library and Archives Canada if you are a Canadian.
7. Do you need to be a publisher to get an ISBN? – Yes and no. If you are an indie author and self-publish your books, you can purchase an ISBN for that book. Some authors register as their own publishing company when opening an account or they can do it under their own name. The author is the publisher, therefore the answer is both yes and no for a self-published author.
8. Does an ISBN expire? – No. Once purchased, they will last forever. If buying in bulk, they will last until you assign them to a book. This applies to ISBNs in any country.
9. Do you need a different ISBN for each marketplace? – Yes! This question is misunderstood by most authors. Many debates have gone on over this question but this is straight from the government of Canada website. You must have a distinct identifier for each format of your book. That means paperback, ebook, softcover, hardcover, new editions, and revised editions. You do not need a new ISBN if you are changing a cover or doing minor edits and changes. You DO, however, need a different ISBN for versions like MOBI, EPUB, PDF, AZW, TXT. The reason is that they are all DIFFERENT VERSIONS. This should put any confusion to rest over whether you need a different ISBN for different marketplaces. Take for example Amazon. They use MOBI and that is a different version from Apple which uses EPUB. It only makes sense that you will need a different ISBN for them.
10. Can I re-use an ISBN? – No. Once you use an ISBN it cannot be re-used. It identifies something and once that something no longer exists, neither does the number. For example, if you unpublish an ebook, you cannot use its ISBN number on a new ebook. That’s just the way it is.
11. How do you keep track of multiple ISBNs? – In Canada, you create a CISS account. That’s the account through the Library and Archives Canada you create to request ISBNs for your books. There is a manage log section listing all your ISBNs and where they are assigned to. In the United States, this is all done through the Bowker Website.
12. Can a self-published book get an ISBN? – Yes. Traditional publishers are not the only ones that can get an ISBN number. Self-published books qualify for an ISBN as well.
13. Is there a difference between a self-published ISBN and a traditionally published book ISBN? – No. There is no difference whatsoever.
14. Should I use a free ISBN from ebook platforms like Amazon and Smashwords? – You can, but you might not want to. These ISBNs are only good for THAT particular platform. Some booksellers don’t like free ISBNs. An example of this is the free ISBNs offered through Create Space. Many booksellers will not order books identifying from this particular ISBN. It might be advantageous to purchase your own ISBN if you want to get your book on shelves rather than only online markets.
15. Where does the ISBN go on my book? – The ISBN goes in the metadata of your book, both ebook and paperback. An author usually puts it right in the beginning underneath the author’s name on the first page. When you submit your ebook for publication through Amazon or Smashwords for example, there will be a section to insert the ISBN. Also, at the back of a hardcover book, for example, the ISBN goes into the barcode.
16. Do I need an ISBN for both ebook and paperback books? – Yes. As we’ve covered above, you will need an ISBN for every version of your book. That includes ebook and paperback books.
17. If you have an ISBN, does that mean booksellers will carry it automatically? – No, there is still work to be done. You must get them to carry your book and order copies. It’s not automatic. It takes a lot of marketing and hard work. Having an ISBN doesn’t guarantee you sales or distribution.
18. How do you retire an ISBN? – When you no longer need a certain version of your book, you must retire its ISBN number. Perhaps you revised the book and have a new ISBN. You need to change that ISBN to ‘inactive’ in your ‘manage account’ section of your ISBN account either through Library and Archives Canada or Bowker.
19. Do revised books need a new ISBN? – Yes. As stated above, you will need a new ISBN if you do any major revision of your book. Minor revisions do not need new ISBNs. An example of a minor revision would be fixing spelling mistakes. An example of a major revision requiring a new ISBN would be, taking out complete chapters or adding new chapters. That would mean a completely new book and require a new ISBN.
20. Do you need an ISBN to sell your book on your own website? – No. You don’t need an ISBN if your only intent is to sell your book through your own website. It doesn’t need to be in any kind of global tracking database. However, if you want it to have an ISBN, you can certainly give it one. It makes it more professional.
21. Does an ISBN have a hidden meaning in the numbers? – Yes. It isn’t some hidden message or anything sinister like that, but it does identify the publisher, the country, and the author.
22. How long does it take to get an ISBN? – It can take anywhere from 5 to 10 business days to get an ISBN depending on your country of origin. In Canada where I live, it can take up to 10 business days for your account to be processed and your ISBN to be ready. However, if you request a bulk order, like 10 ISBNs. The initial order will take up to 10 business days, but once you have them in your account, you can access them at any time.
23. Do I need a different ISBN for different languages? – Yes. If you write a book in different languages, that means they are different versions and you will need a different identifier for each one. That means different ISBNs for each language.
24. Is a barcode the same as an ISBN? – No. An ISBN is just a number. A barcode is that zebra striped box on the back of any product sold at retail. The ISBN number is incorporated into the barcode when you sell a physical product like a book in a bookstore. Once you publish your book, a barcode is assigned to it that includes your specific ISBN. For example, if you publish through Create Space, Create space will assign a barcode to your book. On that barcode, you will see your ISBN.
25. Does the ISBN give you copyright protection? – No. As stated above, and ISBN is only a number. A copyright is simply something that goes in the metadata of your book, usually the first page and states the author’s name and year of copyright with a copyright symbol or written word. You can officially register something to protect it from being stolen, but generally, anything that is written by an author is already copyrighted and only needs something like this: Copyright Kathleen Morris 2019 to be official. That is completely legal.
26. What happens to your ISBN when you die? – You ISBN will live on. When you die your literary estate will be passed down to a beneficiary and will have the same identifiable number. Your ISBN will only change if the book needs to be completely revised to make it sellable. However, if you don’t want people revising your work, changing your words, and ISBN after you die, then you need to state that in your will. I wrote an article on that here.
27. Can I assign an ISBN to a future dated book? – Yes, you can. In your ‘manage ISBN’ section of your account, you can assign ISBNs to certain titles even if they are not written yet. Instead of marking them as ‘active’ you will select ‘inactive’ until they are ready for publication. However, be aware that if you don’t finish the book or you disregard it, you have wasted a perfectly good ISBN and cannot reuse it. So, you may not want to assign an ISBN until your book is completely ready.
28. How many ISBNs should I buy? – I buy 10 at a time. I don’t like to get ahead of myself, but you may want to have more. It really depends how fast you write and how many books you put out in a year.
29. Can someone steal my ISBN? – No. They can try but being that an ISBN is a unique number that identifies your book, there wouldn’t be any sense in stealing that number. Someone is more likely to steal your words than your ISBN number but that’s a whole other topic altogether.
30. Does the audio version of your book need an ISBN? – Yes. As stated above, every version of your book must have a different ISBN even an audiobook.
For more on Kathleen Morris, check out Author Kathleen Morris.