Do I Need an ISBN for My Book?

New authors are often uncertain as to whether or not they should go to the expense of buying an ISBN. More than that, they aren’t even sure what an ISBN is or what it does. They’ve just heard that they should have it.

There’s nothing mysterious about ISBNs and nothing complicated about buying and using them. This short article will give you what you need to know about ISBNs and how to use them for your book.

What is an ISBN?

ISBN stands for International Standard Book Number. It’s the identifying control number for your book. Each ISBN is a unique product identifier used by publishers, libraries, book stores, and other retailers for ordering, stock control, and record keeping. Up until 2006, the ISBN was a ten digit number. In 2007, they were changed over to 13 digits, which should tell you how many books are being published these days.

Just a note: Your ISBN has nothing to do with your copyright. They are two separate things.

How do you buy them?

In the United States, you purchase your ISBN through Bowker Identifier Services.

If you have a traditional publisher, your publisher will apply for the ISBN. If you are self publishing, that means you; you’re the publisher. You can publish under your own name, use a…