Publisher Services ISBN FAQ's

What is an ISBN and how is it used?

ISBN stands for "International Standard Book Number". It is a unique identifier for books, e-Books, tapes, and CD's. The ISBN numbering system is used worldwide and publishers around the globe identify their work in this standardized format. Each title or edition must be identified by a unique ISBN. In essence, the ISBN is similar to a license plate which guarantees that each book type product is identified uniquely.

1. Group or country identifier - identifies a national or geographic grouping of publishers (US: 978-0-);
2. Registrant - identifies a registrant (publisher) within a group;
3. Title identifier - identifies a particular title or edition of a title;
4. Check digit - the single digit at the end of the ISBN which validates the ISBN.

Who assigns an ISBN?

The International ISBN Agency in the UK coordinates all ISBN allotments, and individual group agencies assign ISBN's for each country. Every country has an organization which administers these numbers, and the US ISBN agency is R.R. Bowker. Bar Code Graphics, Inc. is not related to R.R. Bowker, but does have an agreement by which the Publisher Services division can act as an agent for small publishers and facilitate single ISBN assignments through Bowker with the publisher's name listed as the registrant (Personalized Publisher Program).

Do I have to have an ISBN?

From the point of view of the international ISBN system there is no legal requirement to have an ISBN, and it conveys no legal or copyright protection. However, both brick/mortar and online book sellers in the US require ISBN identification.

What happens if I decided to publish under a new publisher and ISBN?

Publications which are reprinted should carry the new listed publisher's ISBN, and ISBN of the previous edition on the verso of the title page. Example: ISBN 0-999-00123-1 (previously ISBN 1-59972-091-X)

What is the Bookland EAN barcode?

Retailers and distributors require book products to carry a barcode which encodes the ISBN and pricing information. The Bookland EAN barcode is a standardized format which is accepted by trading partners worldwide. Our experience with bar codes enables us to provide our customers with symbols which comply to the GS1 guidelines and offer assistance with providing the appropriate format. Click here for an example.

If you require only a Bookland EAN symbol, we encourage you to purchase ISBN Bookland barcodes files from www.createbarcodes.com for only $10 each.

How is it possible that you provide individual ISBN numbers?

We provide two distinct programs which abide by the ISBN requirements to enable independent self publishers to obtain ISBN/barcodes and other production/marketing services. ISBN assignments by either program enable our customers to retain all legal copyright and distribution rights.

Our Independent Publisher Program is geared towards providing publishing assistance to small author/publishers who plan on distributing their publications by themselves or over the internet (i.e. Amazon.com). Our publisher prefix identifies Independent Publisher as the registrant and ISBNs purchased through our service have a Publisher Identifier listed as Independent Publisher. It is important to recognize that our customers retain all copyright and distribution rights, since the assigned unique international identifier associated to a particular publication (title/author). The Independent Publisher Program does not violate the ISBN terms and the numbers we provide are legitimate and cause no disruption to the book industry supply chain. If you are a US publisher and plan on distributing your publication yourself or through Amazon.com, our publishing solution is just an easy and economical method to obtain ISBN numbers and additional publishing assistance. For publishers who intend on utilizing book distributors and would like an ISBN with their company listed as the registrant we offer the Personalize Publisher Program. Through an agreement with Bowker, the US ISBN Agency, we can act as an agent to process single ISBN applications and expedite the application process and barcode. Click here to learn more about distribution and identification in the book industry supply chain.

Book sellers and distributors use various bibliographic informational databases, such as Bowker's Books in Print^® product to identify individual books. Small authors/publishers who self distribute or sell over the internet directly convey this information. For example, when a publisher establishes an Amazon Advantage account, they are required to manually enter their book data and corresponding ISBN number for each publication they wish to sell. If you have any questions or concerns, we encourage you to contact us by telephone (800-662-0701 x240) so we can help you decide if our service meets your needs.

How do I list my book information with traditional bookstores and online retailers?

Book data and ISBN assignment information will be done directly between trading partners. Amazon, Borders and Barnes & Noble each have their own processes for updating information about your published items.

Amazon: Most self publishers use the Amazon Advantage program to sell their items on Amazon. Once an account is established, there is specific title information pages which enable publishers to upload book data and cover images.

Barnes & Noble: Please read the Publisher & Author Guidelines. There you will find instructions about e-mailing your information to specific B&N representatives.

What other publishing services to you offer?

In addition to bar coding and numbering assistance, our Publisher Services program offers assistance enabling publishers towards book production and online marketing. Our service include:

Copyright application assistance
Discounted Book Printing - 3 day turnaround
Promotional and marketing products
Pre-printed labels
Individual Publisher Web Pages for displaying our customers' book information