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And One ISBN Shall Bind Them….
Why You Need
ONE ISBN for your Paperback
ONE ISBN for your eBook and
ONE ISBN for your Audio Book
Paperbacks
Let me be very clear (because apparently other folks out there are not)
You need ONE ISBN for your paperback book. That ISBN needs to be purchased from and registered at Bowker (or your country’s official provider if you are not in the US) and the ISBN should be put on your book cover file and on the copyright page.
That SAME file with the SAME ISBN should be uploaded and used at CreateSpace, IngramSpark, you local printer, and anywhere else you need to submit your files for printing or distribution.
ONE ISBN. It does not matter where you print your book or whom you choose to distribute it. If you have three printers and two POD companies supplying the marketplace copies of your book, ALL of them should have the SAME ISBN.
Don’t listen to anyone who tells you that you cannot use the same ISBN at CreateSpace and IngramSpark. That is not true if you have purchased your ISBNs from Bowker as you should have. It USED to be true for all of those who took free ISBNs from CreateSpace because CS owned the ISBNs and would not allow you to use them at IngramSpark. (Because they did not belong to you.)
(sorry about the all caps)
eBooks
You need ONE ISBN for your ebook formats of the same book. Kindle (mobi) and Non-Kindle (epub) use the SAME ISBN for the one book. That ISBN needs to be registered and the ISBN should be put on the copyright page.
No matter where you upload your ebook, Kindle, Smashwords, Overdrive, Nook, Kobo, Proquest, 3-M, Bookbaby, KDP, IngramSpark…. SAME ISBN for all.
ONE ISBN. It does not matter what the format is (mobi, epub or prc) or whom you choose to distribute it. If you have a dozen companies supplying the marketplace copies of your eBook, ALL of them should have the SAME ISBN.
Don’t listen to anyone who tells you that you don’t need an ISBN for an eBook. ISBNs are the best way to track your sales and identify your book. What are you going to do at your local bookstore when you want them to list your eBook in their catalog? Give them your AMAZON number? I’d like to be there when you try that… call me….
As eBooks become more and more a part of our industry, tracking their sales and downloads will only work with ISBNs.
(yes, there was a little cutting and pasting there)
Audio Books
Sing along with me folks…. You need ONE ISBN for your audio book, no matter how many places you distribute it through.
If you would like more information about the correct way to publish and get your book out to the market with a minimum of fuss and mistakes, THE WRITE WAY can be purchased here.
The ISBN is connected to the format of the book, not the printer or distribution company/model.
(Thank you for your kind attention, we now return you to your regularly scheduled internet viewing)
Library of Congress, Cataloging Data, and Bowker, Oh My…
Do you have questions about how to register your book with the Library of Congress? Not sure where to go to register your book for Books in Print?
You can register your book with the Library of Congress if your publisher has more than 4 books published and registered.
However, there are ways around this rule. Library of Congress registration and a valid, properly formatted CIP block on your copyright page are some of the items that separate the “men from the boys” marketing-wise.
If you are a small press with fewer than 4 titles and want the benefits of a Library of Congress Registration and a Catalog-in-Publication block, the follow these steps:
1. Make sure your publisher name is not trademarked. It does not matter if you have a publisher with a similar or identical name as someone else UNLESS it is trademarked. Go here to find out: http://www.uspto.gov/trademarks/index.jsp
There will be another article later on the benefits and detriments of similar or identical publisher names at a later date….
2. Register your publishing name and your TITLE information at Bowker. Go here: http://www.myidentifiers.com/
Libraries and Bookstores will look up your information on Bowker. Don’t skip or skimp this step. A fully fleshed out profile and title data listing on your ISBN log will make a good impression. A poorly executed profile or title data block will make a bad one.
3. Apply to the Library of Congress for a Preassigned Control Number. Go here: http://www.loc.gov/publish/pcn/
From the LOC website: A Library of Congress catalog control number is a unique identification number that the Library of Congress assigns to the catalog record created for each book in its cataloged collections. Librarians use it to locate a specific Library of Congress catalog record in the national databases and to order catalog cards from the Library of Congress or from commercial suppliers. The purpose of the Preassigned Control Number (PCN) program is to enable the Library of Congress to assign control numbers in advance of publication to those titles that may be added to the Library’s collections.
4. Once you have all of that done, it is time to get a CIP. A Cataloging in Publication record (aka CIP data) is a bibliographic record prepared by the Library of Congress or one of its vendors for a book that has not yet been published. When the book is published, the publisher includes the CIP data on the copyright page thereby facilitating book processing for libraries and book dealers.
It is not possible to get a CIP from the LOC if the book is Print on Demand, subsidized in any way by the author or published by a house that has published books by fewer than three separate authors.
Do not despair! You can get a CIP data block from a vendor. Libraries want the data in a specific way and you can hire someone to provide that to you. Check out these guys:http://www.dgiinc.com/pcip/
or these guys: http://www.quality-books.com/pcipintro.php
You are now on your way!
D5 Creation