International Standard Book Numbers (ISBNs) are important for self publishers. Some printers, print-on-demand publishers, and ebook vendors will offer to provide you with an ISBN, but it’s usually better to get your own. Part of the ISBN includes a “publisher number,” which is assigned to a specific publisher. Therefore, if you allow another company to provide the ISBN, then that company will be listed as the publisher of your book.
We’ll explain everything you need to know: how, where, and why to get your own block of ISBNs, and how to assign them to your print and digital books.
ISBNs are assigned by an agency in your country. They usually come in blocks of 10, 100, or 1,000, and you’ll need a separate number for each edition of your book. Even if you’re publishing just one book, be sure to get more than one number as you’ll probably produce more than one edition (for example, a softcover edition and an ebook edition). You might even have other editions, such as hardcover and audio.
For example, for Book Design Made Simple, we’ve already used five ISBNs for different editions:
- First edition – 978-0-9940969-0-6
- EPUB (fixed layout) edition – 978-0-9940969-1-3
- Second edition – 978-0-9940969-2-0
- EPUB (reflowable) edition – 978-0-9940969-3-7
- PDF edition – 978-0-9940969-4-4
(Note: We explain below that you no longer require unique ISBNs for each ebook edition. One ISBN can be applied to all ebook editions of the same title.)
Below we’ll explain everything you need to know about:
- How to get ISBNs
- What the numbers stand for
- Assigning ISBNs to print books
- Assigning ISBNs to ebooks
- Does a reprint or second edition require a new ISBN?
How to get ISBNs
As mentioned earlier, ISBNs are assigned by the ISBN agency in your country. Some countries provide them for free and others require a fee.
Getting ISBNs in the United States
U.S. publishers can purchase ISBNs from R. R. Bowker LLC. They are available one at a time, or in blocks of 10, 100, or 1,000. It’s best not to buy just one, as you’ll need a unique number for each edition of your book.
Getting ISBNs in Canada
ISBNs are free to Canadian publishers. Go to Library and Archives Canada ISBN, where you’ll see the steps to register explained. Once approved, you’ll receive a user ID and password by email, together with instructions for using your online account. You’ll then be able to assign a unique number from your block to each edition of your book through your online account.
Getting ISBNs outside North America
Go to the International ISBN Agency and click the “Find an agency” button. Select your country from the drop-down menu and you’ll see information there on how to obtain them.
ISBNs — how, where, and why to get your own, and how to assign them. #indieauthor #selfpublishing #books https://bit.ly/3w0Bfr1 Share on XWhat the numbers stand for
In North America, most retail products are marked with a UPC symbol. The corresponding bar code symbol in use outside North America is the European Article Number (EAN). Every EAN begins with a two- or three-digit prefix, which indicates the country of origin. EANs for companies registered in France, for example, might begin with the prefix 34; Australia’s prefix is 93. Since the book industry produces so many products, it has been designated as a country unto itself and has been assigned its own EAN prefix. That prefix is 978, and it signifies Bookland, that wonderful, fictitious country where all books come from. Soon the numbers with a 978 prefix will be all used up! But don’t worry, 979 is up next.
The publisher number is a unique seven-digit number assigned to your publishing company. All the books you publish will have the same country prefix, country indicator, and publisher number. The only digits that will change from book to book are the title number and check digit.
You’ll assign a unique title number to each edition of each book you publish.
Assigning ISBNs to print books
When you’ve obtained your block of ISBNs, you’ll need to assign a unique number to each edition of every book you publish. Let’s say your first book is a hardcover. That means your first number will be assigned like this:
ISBN 978-0-1234567-0–3 / BookTitle1 / Hardcover Edition
The second-last number is 0, the first digit in your block of ISBNs. This number is always assigned to the first edition (in this case the hardcover edition) of your first book. The last number is automatically calculated by an algorithm, and it’s called the “check digit.” (Sometimes the check digit is an X, so don’t worry if you get an X as the check digit in one of your ISBNs.)
Let’s say you then release a softcover edition of your book. You’ll assign the next ISBN in your block of numbers to your softcover edition:
ISBN 978-0-1234567-1–7 / BookTitle1 / Softcover Edition
The second-last number is 1, being the next digit in your block of ISBNs. And the last number is the check digit. So far so good, right?
Assigning ISBNs to ebooks
There are three main formats for ebooks: EPUB (for ereaders such as Kindle, Nook, Kobo, iBooks), MOBI (only for fixed-layout Kindle books, such as comics), and PDF.
The best practice as of November 2021 is to assign a single ISBN to multiple ebook formats of a single title. Fixed-layout Kindle ebooks can still use the MOBI format, but all reflowable ebooks moving forward will be EPUBs.
We now recommend assigning one ISBN for the EPUB, MOBI, and PDF formats of a title.
Can your ebook be published without an ISBN?
Yes. If you are only publishing a Kindle edition through Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing, you can use their internal ASIN tracking number to track your sales instead. Or, if you are only selling ebooks from your own website, you can choose not to assign ISBNs to them.
Keep in mind that publishing ebook editions using your own ISBNs means that you’ll be listed as the publisher in the appropriate Books in Print database, and that may help readers search for your ebook online.
For more information about assigning ISBNs to ebooks, visit Bowker’s eBook FAQs and download their info PDF.
Does a reprint or second edition require a new ISBN?
You don’t need to assign a new number if you’re ordering another print run of your book with no substantial changes (just fixing a few typos, for example). If you’ve changed the cover but not the text, you can continue to use the same number.
You’ll need to assign a new number if you’ve changed the content of your book or added new material (another chapter, preface, appendix, or other content, for example). In this case the book is a new edition.
ISBNs—part of the publishing process
Getting your own ISBNs is easy to do online, and allows you to retain control of your books after they’re published. You might choose to get your books printed somewhere else down the road, or produce an updated version or second edition. When you have your own block of numbers, you’ll be in control of your books’ destiny.
Read more: Your copyright page: everything you need to know including a template to use in your book »
Read more: Amazon updates for book authors » Stay up to date on the latest changes
And more: The ISBN tag shows all related info on our website »
Book Design Made Simple. You can do it yourself.
Hello!
I’m hoping you can help me as I’ve searched for an answer (all day!) to no avail.
I purchased 10 ISBNs several years ago. I’ve just completed a book ready to self-publish. How do I allocate one of my numbers to this book? What is the process? I’d be so grateful for any guidance. Thank you!
Hi Lynne,
Since we explain in the blog post where to buy and how to allocate ISBNs, I’m assuming that you’re stuck on how to assign the numbers at wherever you purchased them. If you are in the US and purchased your block of 10 ISBNs through Bowker, this is what you do:
Once you’ve logged in to Bowker, click on your account name at the top right, and this will show you the account information under four headings: My Identifiers, My Subscriptions, My Services, and My Profile Data. These headings can also be accessed in the My Account drop-down menu in the blue bar across the top.
Go to My Identifiers. This is where you can see which ISBNs have already been assigned. In your case, there should be none assigned yet. You’ll see all 10 ISBNs listed there. Click on the first ISBN (the second last digit should be zero as explained in our blog post). You’ll be asked to provide all the information about the book: title, subtitle, format (paperback, hardcover, etc.), subject/genre, author’s name, publication date, price, currency, audience, and so on.
Once you’ve entered all the info and submitted it, your ISBN will be assigned to your book!
I hope this helps.
Fiona
Yes, this helps! Thank you so much. I’m in the U.K. so I’m using Nielsen but I see it’s a similar process. Thank you again. I really appreciate it.
Hey there. I am publishing a book and have secured an ISBN number from Bowker. The book is a pictorial history of a historical home on Cape Cod. I am not anticipating this book will be on the NY Times Bestseller List, and am just looking for someone to help me and the designer to get it to the finish line. There are all sorts of things on that page with the ISDN number. How do I find someone to help me get this thing printed with all the proper codes, listings etc.
Helping my sister publish her first/poetry book. Initially publishing as a paperback via the Amazon kdp route. Have already been assigned one of Amazon’s free ISBNs.
Question: If she wants to re-/publish it later as a paperback via IngramSpark’s pod service, does she need to deselect anything in this initial Amazon kdp process in order to have that capability?
Specifically, she intends to purchase a block of ISBNs if she goes through with this later publication, and wonders what is the minimum change(s) she would need to make to the book – change the cover and/or minimal content – in order to republish it (as a second edition) via IngramSpark or whatever?
Thanks!
Perry
Hi Perry,
I wish you had not gotten the ISBN from Amazon KDP because then you wouldn’t have to go through all this trouble to republish through IngramSpark.
I’m afraid I can’t help you with the selections in the KDP process. Just be very cautious. Do not let them take exclusive control of your book (KDP Select).
As for a second edition, it’s kind of subjective, but I’d say you should change out or rearrange at least 15% of the poems. A new cover will help also. Maybe you could significantly change the introduction or preface or foreword, too. And get some nice new reviews to put in there to make it look worth buying.
And by the way, I hope you’ve paid attention to our instructions on how to typeset poetry so it looks professional. We made a video: https://www.bookdesignmadesimple.com/videos/#layout, and you’ll find slightly more detailed instructions starting on page 353 of Book Design Made Simple.
Best of luck with your poetry publishing venture, Perry. Feel free to contact us again if you run into any kind of trouble.
Glenna
Let’s say I use the first four ISBNs for a book like your example, and then I want to publish a second book. The second to last number of that books’ ISBN would then be a 4. Why is that okay when you say the first edition needs a 0 to be the second to last number? Why can’t I just choose any ISBN from the block that I like? Or can I?
Hi Erika, great questions!
The first book you publish is supposed to use the first ISBN in your block, and 0 will be the second to last number as in the example we gave. Then you carry on assigning consecutive numbers to subsequent books/editions, in the order they are published. So the first edition of your first book will have 0 as the second to last number, but the first edition of a different title will not, since that number has already been taken. Make sense?
Can you choose any ISBN that you like from the block? Yes, I think you can. I worked with an author who didn’t want anyone to know that it was their first book, so rather than start with the first ISBN in the block, they chose to assign the third ISBN instead. As far as I know, nothing bad happened!
Fiona