One important aspect of writing and publishing is the use of an ISBN (International Standard Book Number). This number uniquely identifies your book and other similar book products worldwide so that booksellers, libraries, universities, wholesalers and distributors can locate your book and market it appropriately. We shall be answering some common questions that writers have about ISBNs.
1. What is an ISBN?
ISBN is an acronym which means “International Standard Book Number”. It is a unique 13-digit number used as an identifier for all books. It is usually written behind the back cover of books, specifically at the bottom part. ISBN is used internationally; this means that it is used by book writers around the world.
2. What do all the numbers of an ISBN mean?
The number combination that makes up an ISBN can be divided into four parts, all of which are useful and represent something related to every book where these numbers are found. The example below will be used to explain what each number combination stands for.
0-936385-40-2
0-936385-40-2 (The first number which is “0” is the “language group identifier”)
0-936385-40-2 (The second set of numbers which consists of 6 digits is called the “publisher identifier)
0-936385–40-2 (The next two digits is called the “title identifier”)
0-936385–40–2 (The last digit, in this case, “2” is referred to as” the check digit.”)
3. Why do we need ISBNs?
An ISBN number is needed to identify every book that is published and all the editions of the same book. It is also a way to identify the publisher of any book.
4. Should I get an ISBN?
If you plan to sell your book(s) in places like libraries, bookstores or via online book retailers like Amazon.com, an ISBN will be needed to make that possible.
5. Does a book have to be published to have an ISBN?
A book does not have to be already published before it gets an ISBN. This is because ISBNs have been issued to publishers, who then assign them to individual books. So the publisher can definitely give out an ISBN to a writer’s book, long before it is written.
It is also necessary to note that there is a very high possibility that an author somewhere else in the world, will write a book and give it the same title as yours, with multiple editions. In this situation, your ISBN is essential because it enables customers to differentiate between your book and other books of the same title when making an order for books. Contact us if you have any other questions about book publishing.
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