When you start researching self-publishing books, the chances are that it wont be long before you come across the term ISBN. But what actually is it and is it essential to have one for your book?
What is it?
ISBN stands for International Standard Book Number. An ISBN is a unique number which allows the book to be registered in to an international library of books and then be called upon by book re sellers. Having an ISBN allows for a unique barcode to be created and printed on your book which then has the added benefits of allowing shops and online shops to track stock levels and keep tabs on selling price etc.
Does my book need one?
It is not a legal requirement for a book to have an ISBN and in our opinion it can be a waste of your money to have one on some book projects. The best way to approach whether you want one or not is to think about how you are planning to sell the books.
If you are planning to give the books away as a gift to friends and family, or if you will be selling it in person at talks or events you attend, then there is no real benefit to having an ISBN.
However, if you are hoping to sell the books commercially through local book shops or online shops such as Amazon then it is almost always essential. Amazon will strictly not take a book into their marketplace without an ISBN and barcode.
Some local independent book shops may take some books to sell without one but it would be down to each book shop owner and whether they use a barcode system within their store. It is worth noting that the world is constantly moving in a direction to more automated systems and having an ISBN may be a way to ensure that your book doesn’t fall behind local shops systems.
What does it cost me?
You can purchase and register your ISBN yourself direct by using the site here: https://www.nielsenisbnstore.com/Home/Isbn
At time of writing a single ISBN is charged at £89 and then costs come down if you buy batches of 10 or more at a time.
Alternatively, we can also handle the registration and purchase of the ISBN for you and we charge £85 for that service. We are not precious about which route you take to register your ISBN and are happy to help where we can.
One cost that people do not often think about is in the library copies required from your print run. The process requires 7 finished books to be taken from your printed quantity. 6 go to library archives and we have to keep one copy as the printers of the book. This is something worth keeping in mind when thinking about the number of books to have printed and also how many you will be able to sell.
