I’m writing this explainer to cover what ISBNs are and how they work due to a recent exchange with a client. It seems there is some misinformation out there concerning them and I was surprised to find these misunderstandings were widespread. So, to clear up the confusion, I decided to write an explainer for indie authors on the subject. I hope you find it helpful!
What ISBNs are and How They Work
First, let’s cover what ISBNs are, and how they work, then I’ll explain why you need them. I’ll also let you know how many you’ll need, and under what circumstances.
ISBN stands for International Standard Book Number. You see them on the lower back cover of books, above the barcode. They also appear on the copyright page. These numbers consist of 13 digits(since 2007, anyway) which are a sort of code, representing everything from the country the book was published, to its publisher, and the format and edition of the book to which they’re attached.
In other words, they hold a lot of information that serves the purpose of uniquely identifying a book.
How Do They Work?
Because ISBN numbers provide all this information in a simple 10 digit code, they are used by retailers and libraries to order books and list them, as well as for records and stock control purposes. They do a lot!
Imagine if a distributor or retail store wanted to purchase your book but had no information beyond the title and author’s name. What if they want the paperback version? Or the eBook? That could get confusing, and be a lot of work. Why wouldn’t you make it easier to get your book out there into the hands of your readers?
Luckily, ISBNs ensure your book is stored in the Books In Print database, which retailers, publishers, and libraries all over the world use to order the books they want to stock and sell.
Do I Really Need an ISBN and How Do I Get Them?
Although you don’t need an ISBN to catalog your book in the Library of Congress, and an ISBN alone does not copyright your work, if you want to sell your book anywhere you do need an ISBN.
Sure, you could print your book and sell it from your home or via your website and ship it to your readers… But why would you? So, if you want to sell your book via distributors (Yes, even through the likes of Amazon, Book Baby and Ingram Spark) and retail locations, you absolutely need an ISBN.
It’s also easy to purchase ISBNs for your book. Here in the US, you can buy ISBNs through your local ISBN agency, or Bowker. I recommend the latter.
How Many ISBNs Do I Need?
I generally recommend buying ISBNs in bundles. Why? Because each format of your book will need its own ISBN. You may think you’ll want to publish your book only as an eBook now, but what if you decide you want a print version down the road? Or vice versa.
To address one of the things that causes some of the confusion I mentioned earlier, each format of your book will need its own, related yet distinct ISBN.
No, this does not mean that you will need a distinct ISBN for each distributor of your book. For instance, if you use both Ingram Spark and Amazon as distributors of your book, the same ISBN will be attached to the same book. But you WILL need distinct ISBNs for each format. Meaning, your ISBN for your eBook will be different from your paperback and your paperback from your hardcover. You’ll also need different ISBNs for any new editions published in the future.
What About Barcodes? Are They the Same as an ISBN?
Although a book’s barcode contains your ISBN, it is not the same thing. You do need both. The barcode contains your ISBN for all the reasons I explained earlier. Retailers and distributors need to have this information, along with the price of each format of your book.
You can get barcodes for your book, just as you do ISBNs, but a barcode alone cannot replace an ISBN. But barcodes are free!
Barcodes Serve a Different Purpose than an ISBN
Although you can purchase a barcode just like an ISBN and your ISBN is contained within the barcode, they are separate things and serve a different purpose. Yes, barcodes are essential for selling your book too, because they also list the price at which you’ve chosen it to be sold.
This means that retailers don’t have to price it for you, and you wouldn’t want them to. Barcodes list the price your book should be sold, new, at retail. They do not reflect the price that retailers pay to book distributors, however.
Making the right pricing decisions is more important than you’d think and it can seem a bit complicated if you don’t know how it all works. But pricing your book is a whole different thing, which I’m going to cover at some point in another post. So keep your eyes out for that!
I hope this quick explainer has cleared up any confusion you may have as a new indie author about what ISBNs are and how they work. If you have any questions about it that I didn’t cover, please leave them in the comments!
