If you are considering self-publishing (SP), you’re probably hearing about ISBNs. First off, let’s define it. ISBN stands for International Standard Book Number. It’s the number that goes with the bar code on the back of your book. It is a unique number that identifies one particular version of your book. If you intend to sell your book through any traditional venue (like Amazon or a brick and mortar store), you must have an ISBN. If you are just printing for your own use, or to sell out of the trunk of your car, then feel free to skip the ISBN.
When you get an ISBN, you may get both a 10-digit and a 13-digit version. Go ahead and use both on the copyright page in your front matter. For a book, ISBNs will all start with 978. I’ve heard that Canadians get their ISBN’s for free, but in the U.S. you have to buy one for each version of your book. For instance, if you do a paperback and a hardback, you will need two ISBN’s. If you do an e-book, you have to get an ISBN for each version: Kindle, Nook, etc., because they are different file formats.
If you get traditionally published (TP), your publisher will handle getting the ISBN, and it will be registered in the name of the publisher or their imprint. If you self-publish, there are several options, depending on what printer/distributor you use. For Print On Demand (POD), I recommend Amazon’s affiliate, Create Space (CS). Create Space ( http://www.createspace.com ) will provide an ISBN at no charge, if it is registered in their name. For $50 they will put it in your name of choice, but it is not transferrable (which means that if you wanted to print your book elsewhere, you’d have to get a new ISBN). For $99, CS will provide an ISBN in your name of choice, that IS transferrable. CS will also add the bar code graphic to your book cover. (Note, Create Space will not release the bar code graphic file or the cover with the bar code included to you.) You can choose to register the ISBN in your name, your pen name, or you can create your own publishing imprint name to use.
In the U.S. all ISBN’s are issued by R.R. Bowker ( http://www.bowker.com ). A single ISBN costs $125, but for $250 you can get 10 numbers, or for $500 you get 100 numbers. You don’t have to assign the numbers to a particular book when you buy them. They are held in your account until you are ready to use them. Bowker will also sell the bar code image that corresponds to different ISBNs for $21-25 each, depending on the quantity purchased. There are other sites that will also produce bar code graphics for you, but I have not tried any of them myself.
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