Understanding the ISBN

Let's dive into the world of ISBNs—the unique identifiers that make the book industry tick.

A Quick Stroll Down ISBN Lane

Back in the 1960s, W.H. Smith, a major British book retailer, wanted a streamlined inventory system. This led to the Standard Book Numbering (SBN) system, a nine-digit code. This system caught on internationally, morphing into the 10-digit ISBN format and, in 1970, became the ISO 2108 standard.

As retail systems became global, by 2007 the ISBN transitioned to a 13-digit format.

The International ISBN Agency: The Global Librarian

Overseeing this system is the International ISBN Agency. They ensure each ISBN is unique and coordinate with national and regional agencies to assign these numbers to publishers.

The Price Tag on ISBNs: It Depends

The cost of obtaining an ISBN varies by country:

• United Kingdom: Nielsen UK handles assignments in the UK. Prices vary based on the number of ISBNs purchased - starting at £93 for 1, to £994 for 1000. Always cheaper to buy in bulk!
• France: AFNIL are the agency for France, with initial pricing for a first listing and then additional listings free - assuming the publisher has planned ahead enough to account for the 3 week wait. Rush treatment costs more.
• Germany: MVB provide numbers in Germany, with a similar structure of pricing to the UK but much steeper bulk discounting.
• United States: Bowker is the go-to agency for the US, with pricing comparable to the UK.

• Canada: Library and Archives Canada offers ISBNs free of charge to Canadian publishers and authors.

Given these differences, it's wise to check with your local ISBN agency for specific costs and procedures. You'll also find that the region you publish your book in will affect other rules, such as Legal Deposit in the UK (more on that in a future article), and of course the country of registration of your ISBN is where your book is likely to be considered published.

ISBN Barcodes: No Need to Pay Extra

An ISBN is a number, not a barcode. For retail, books use EAN-13 barcodes that incorporate the ISBN. Creating these barcodes is straightforward with free tools, so there's no need to pay extra for this service, even though many of the agencies offer it as a premium extra service!

Free Barcodes

A number of POD (Print-On-Demand) platforms for self-publishers do offer free barcodes, but these come with strings attached. As an example KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) offer free barcodes which will show the publisher as "Independently Published", but will only ever be printable through the KDP service and subject to any rules Amazon choose to apply.

Why ISBNs Matter

ISBNs uniquely identify each edition and variation (except reprints) of a book, simplifying distribution and sales. They help publishers, booksellers, libraries, and online retailers manage inventory, process orders, and track sales efficiently. Most importantly, if you have the ISBN of a book you can find out all the details about it without any risk of confusing it with another title of the same name.