isbn meaning in books

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How to Understand an ISBN Code

Last Updated: September 23, 2023

This article was co-authored by Megan Morgan, PhD . Megan Morgan is a Graduate Program Academic Advisor in the School of Public & International Affairs at the University of Georgia. She earned her PhD in English from the University of Georgia in 2015. This article has been viewed 102,634 times.

On the back of your books you’ve probably seen a number above the barcode labeled “ISBN.” This is a unique number used by publishers, libraries, and bookstores to identify book titles and editions. The number is less useful to the average book reader, but we can all learn something about a book from the ISBN.

Using the ISBN

• The ISBN should also be available on the copyright page. [1] X Research source
• It is separated into four parts, each separated by a hyphen. For example, the ISBN for the classic cookbook The Joy of Cooking is 0-7432-4626-8.
• Books published before 2007 were given 10 digit ISBNs. From 2007 on, they have been given 13 digit identifiers. [2] X Research source

• Conversely, if the title string is long and the publisher string is short, the book was released by a major publisher. [3] X Research source

• Each nation has its own ISBN granting corporation. [4] X Research source
• A single ISBN number costs $125, 10 cost $250, 100 cost $575, and 1,000 cost $1,000.

Interpreting a 10 Digit ISBN

• For English books, this string will typically only be a single digit, but it can be longer for other languages.

• Sometimes the last digit is an “X.” This is the Roman Numeral 10.
• The check number is computed using a modulus 10 algorithm.

Interpreting a 13 Digit ISBN

• For books published in United States, this number should be “0.” For books published in other English speaking countries it should be “1.”

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• ↑ http://www.isbn.org/faqs_general_questions
• ↑ http://www.thebookdesigner.com/2009/09/self-publishing-basics-isbn/
• ↑ https://www.isbn-international.org/content/what-isbn

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Your Definitive Guide to ISBN. What Is an ISBN and How to Get an ISBN

From Print to Digital: Navigating the World of ISBNs and Book Metadata.

An International Standard Book Number is an important commercial book identifier used by publishers, booksellers, libraries, internet retailers, and other supply chain participants to accurately identify and track different editions and formats of a specific book title. ISBNs help organize, distribute, and manage book inventory across the global publishing industry. This definitive guide provides an in-depth look at what an ISBN is, how it works, and how both publishers and self-publishing authors can obtain the number for their books.

What is an ISBN?

An International Standard Book Number is a 13-digit number that uniquely identifies a commercial book title or specific edition across the entire supply chain. The number allows publishers, booksellers, libraries, distributors, and retailers to identify, track, order, stock and sell available book formats in their inventory systems.

ISBNs only apply to commercial books made broadly available for sale to the public. They do not apply to private documents, public domain books, ebooks, print-on-demand books or unpublished works not intended for commercial distribution through regular publishing sales channels. Each commercially published print, audio book and Braille edition in the supply chain receives its own unique 13-digit number during the publishing process.

An International Standard Book Number contains important information about a book including its country/geographic origin, publisher name, format details and a check digit used to validate the number to prevent errors. It provide an organized method for the industry to identify and distinguish between different editions and bindings of the same book title.

When did ISBNs start?

The International Standard Book Number system was created by ISO (International Organization for Standardization) in 1970 to provide the book industry with a universal product coding system at a time when automation started playing an increasing role in inventory management, order fulfillment and sales processing. ISBNs replaced the older SBN identifier in use since 1966.

The purpose was for ISBNs to become the single global standard numerical book identifier shared across the entire international publishing industry for all commercially available books. This helped pave the way for computerized book inventory systems and global online bookselling.

Who uses ISBNs?

International Standard Book Numbers are widely used by every player in the global book industry supply chain including:

• Publishers – Identify and track different book editions and formats
• Printers – Organize print runs of book editions
• Book, ebook and audio book retailers (online and bookstores) – List available inventory
• Libraries – Catalog and shelve book inventory
• Distributors and wholesalers – Process book orders
• Authors – Track royalties on specific editions
• Consumers – Identify and find book editions

ISBN Format and Elements

The International Standard Book Number is a 13-digit number broken into five parts consisting of numbers 0 to 9 plus the Roman numeral X represented in the form of 5 hyphenated numbers:

978-1-4028-9462-6

The parts of the International Standard Book Number indicate:

Prefix Element – Either 978 or 979 which designates the ISBN is part of the GS1 global trade item numbering system. Helps distinguish International Standard Book Numbers.

Group or Registration Group Element – 1 to 5 digits indicating a geographic/language area participating in the ISBN system. Assigned by designated International Standard Book Number agencies in each country.

Publisher Element – Variable number of digits assigned by agency and identifies a specific publisher or imprint.

Title Element – Number assigned by the publisher to identify a unique format or edition of a book title after the prefix, group and publisher elements.

Check Digit – Single digit number calculated mathematically from the other digits to validate the entire International Standard Book Number. Detects errors.

Hyphens are used to make the number easier to read and manually handle by dividing it into more manageable groups of numbers. However, ISBNs still work without hyphens and are often represented without hyphens in computer databases.

What information does an ISBN carry?

While the ISBN contains only a short 13-digit number, it actually reveals and carries contextually important information embedded in its structure about a book. Specifically on where it was published geographically, which publisher released it, a title identifier and format details. This helps distinguish between editions during ordering and sales.

For example, in the 978-1-4028-9462-6:

• Prefix 978 identifies it as an ISBN product in the GS1 system
• Group 1 signifies it was issued in an English speaking country
• Publisher identifier 14028 stands for the specific publisher
• Title number 9462 indicates a format or edition variant
• Check digit 6 verifies accuracy of entire number

When decoded, the International Standard Book Number provides basic metadata clues about publisher location, book edition and binding variant that sets it apart from other versions of a title. This aids book handling in inventory systems.

Do all books have ISBNs?

While all commercially published books made widely available for sale to the public require an ISBN, there are some exceptions. Specifically, International Standard Book Numbers do NOT apply to:

• eBooks or digital-only publications (these use digital ASIN identifiers or other schemes)
• Print-on-demand or custom one-off books printed individually
• Private documents not commercially sold to the public
• Public domain books with expired copyright protection that anyone can publish
• Unpublished or vanity works not distributed to regular sales channels
• Textbooks and academic books distributed directly by publishers to schools
• Documents issued by private companies, governments or organizations

However both paperback and hardcover editions that publishers commercially print, market and distribute through normal book selling channels require dedicated ISBNs, no matter the subject, language origin or distribution method.

Do self-published books need an ISBN?

Self-published print books that will be broadly distributed through bookstores, online retailers and regular wholesale distribution channels require an ISBN for inventory management and sales tracking. Self-publishing platforms will usually provide instructions on obtaining a valid number if you intend to sell your book through normal publishing outlets beyond just personal sales and marketing.

An International Standard Book Number acts more like a commercial product numbering SKU allowing self-published print books to be identified and ordered by retailers the same as any other book title in their systems. So ISBNs are necessary to expand distribution and sales of your print book to get it stocked in bookstores and online marketplaces. Self-published ebooks usually rely more on retailer-specific ASIN numbers for distribution.

How many ISBNs do you need?

Typically each separately published commercial format or edition of a book (except reprints) needs its own unique ISBN. So every commercial print and audio book edition in circulation is assigned a number during production even if it is just a special binding, book cover design or alternate language version.

Publishers only need to assign one number to each broad edition or format of a book title intended for commercial distribution. However, that single number can never be reused or duplicated across any other book title for inventory and sales tracking accuracy.

Common scenarios requiring separate International Standard Book Numbers:

• Hardcover, softcover and spiral bound editions
• Special retail or library bindings
• Alternate cover art, colors or designs
• Differing page count, dimensions or maps
• Audio book format recordings
• Braille, large print and translated language editions
• Book club, annotated or licensed editions
• Differing publisher imprints

Basically any edition where production details or distribution differs enough that sales channels must distinguish between versions requires assignment of a discrete ISBN. This allows detailed inventory tracking as books pass through the supply chain.

How to Get an ISBN?

Publishers and self-publishing authors looking to acquire an ISBN number to publish and sell a commercial print book have two main options:

• From Your Publisher If you have signed a formal contract with an established publishing house to release your book, your publisher will handle assigning an ISBN from their own purchased block of numbers or catalog system. You do not need to apply separately if going the standard publisher route.
• Purchase Your Own ISBN For self-published authors or smaller presses, you can directly purchase single ISBNs or blocks of registration numbers for a fee from official national ISBN agencies like Bowker in the US, Nielsen in Canada or associated groups in your country.

ISBNs are sold individually or in bulk blocks ideally suited for publishers planning to release multiple book titles per year. You officially own the purchased ISBN numbers and can assign them to books as needed for inventory tracking across all sales channels.

Where to Buy ISBNs?

Every country participating in the global ISBN standard designates an official national ISBN registration group or agency responsible for selling and coordinating ISBNs within that geographic region. These agencies in turn report to and coordinate with the central ISBN International Agency.

In the United States, R.R. Bowker is the designated ISBN agency authorized to assign ISBN registration numbers. Bowker sells ISBNs in both single quantity or blocks suitable for larger publishers through its MyIdentifiers.com service.

Other major country ISBN agencies include:

• United Kingdom & Ireland – Nielsen Book Services
• Canada – Canadian ISBN Service
• Australia & New Zealand – Thorpe-Bowker
• South Africa – ISBN Agency
• India – Raja Rammohun Roy National Agency

Depending on where your publishing company is registered geographically determines which ISBN agency you would buy your ISBN numbers from. They each sell ISBNs tailored for local publishers and regional publishing needs. Prices can range anywhere from $125 USD per single ISBN number to over $2000+ for extended blocks allowing many future book title assignments.

How Much Do ISBNs Cost?

The cost to buy an ISBN differs slightly country to country based on local economic factors. But in general, here are typical pricing tiers for purchasing ISBNs:

Single ISBN A single ISBN allowing you to identify one book format or edition typically costs between $125-$275 USD depending on the country ISBN agency. This is the minimum quantity that can be purchased.

Block of 10 ISBNs A small block of 10 ISBN numbers for assigning across future book titles and editions ranges from $250-$500 depending on region. This allows publishers to save money by buying ISBNs in bulk upfront instead of individually each time a new book is released.

Block of 100 ISBNs Larger publishers who release high quantities of book titles and editions can save substantially on ISBN costs by purchasing a block of 100 ISBNs. Pricing ranges from $1000-$2500+. Buying this quantity scale offers the cheapest per ISBN cost and allows hundreds of books to be assigned inventory numbers for several years into the future.

Block of 1000 ISBNs Some national ISBN agencies offer extremely large blocks of 1,000 ISBN numbers which translates into inventory and tracking capacity for thousands of individual book titles and editions. Cost is $5000+ but offers biggest bulk rate saving on individual ISBN cost to around several dollars per number. Subject to eligibility.

Note regional pricing, incremental discounts and local taxes can alter exact ISBN costs so verify current rates with your country’s ISBN registration agency. But in general buying ISBN number blocks in larger volumes saves publishers substantially over individually purchasing each separate ISBN at retail cost.

How to Assign an ISBN?

Once you or your publisher purchase a block of registered numbers from your regional ISBN agency, you can start assigning ISBNs to books as part of pre-production and inventory tracking:

• Select an unused 13-digit number from your purchased listing or catalog system
• Write the ISBN on sticker on the outside back cover of your print book to identify for scanning
• Input the number and associated book details into your sales, royalty and inventory database systems
• Provide number details to printer, distributors and retailers for ordering
• Market the number in all locations your book is sold so buyers can easily look up
• Never duplicate or reuse an already-assigned number across separate books

Important: Each commercially published edition and format should be assigned its own 13-digit ISBN number for inventory tracking across all worldwide sales channels. Every print and audio book needs a discrete ISBN if you intend to distribute commercially.

Where to Place an ISBN on Books?

Once assigned to a book, the 13-digit ISBN number must be prominently printed in bar code format along with human readable digits on the outside lower back cover of your publication above the bar code for retail scanning purposes. This allows bookstores, libraries, distributors, and warehouses to reliably scan your number to identify, categorize and manage inventory like any other book title.

Some publishers also opt to discreetly print the ISBN and a small publisher logo on one of the inside front matter pages near the title page and disclaimers though this is considered more of an identifier.

• Only print ONE ISBN on the outside back cover, not multiples.
• The barcode should be large, flat and free from marks or creases for easy retail scanning.
• Include the human readable digits printed underneath the bar code.
• Do not print number on removable book jacket cover or othertransitory components.

The back cover printed barcode is essential as the primary inventory tracking identifier for retailers, so placement matters to keep your book identified accurately across all sales channels.

ISBN Bar Code Guidelines

To ensure broad compatibility across all retail sales points and online systems, the ISBN printed on books should follow standardized bar code specifications:

• Code 128 Barcode Symbology
• Calculated Check Digit
• Large Font Human Readable Numbers
• Clear Space Around Barcode
• Printed Horizontally 50-75mm Long
• High Resolution Print Quality
• Printed on Matte Background Color
• Dark Ink, Not Reflective Silver

There are specific printing requirements around barcode size, placement, check digit calculations and formatting to ensure retail scanning devices can easily read the ISBN off the back book cover across stores worldwide. Following bar code publishing standards also allows sales channels to accurately track books.

How ISBNs Tie to Book Metadata?

While an ISBN is just a short unique 13-digit number, it serves as a shortcut numeric identifier that ties together important descriptive metadata about your book. It unlocks a wealth of associated information about your book automatically across industry databases:

• Publication Date
• Retail Price
• Category/Subject
• Product Images
• Edition Format Notes
• Distribution Rights
• Sales Statistics
• Publicity/Reviews

This metadata is maintained in the supply chain allowing customers, retailers and distributors to learn key details about your book quickly from the single ISBN. So ISBNs act as important relational identifiers connected to expansive descriptive book data feeding wider online visibility. Ensure details are kept updated.

Do eBooks Use ISBNs?

While print books use the 13-digit number for inventory tracking across physical supply chains, ebooks and digital publications actually use distinct identifiers called ASINs or other ebook identifiers specifically for online distribution sales channels. This avoids duplicate number conflicts between digital and print formats which may confuse buyer systems.

ASIN stands for Amazon Standard Identification Number and is a unique 10-character alphanumeric identifier that Amazon assigns to each ebook. ASINs only work on Amazon and are used by Kindle ebook readers to manage and synchronize ebook libraries.

So International Standard Book Number still uniquely identifies the intellectual book title and any commercial print editions. But digital ebook formats flowing through online-only sales channels utilize specialized ASIN codes or other identifiers compatible with top ebook retailers. This segmentation keeps the inventory tracking separate.

Ebook authors must associate their title to ASIN identifiers to distribute on Amazon Kindle and other major ebook platforms. Print ISBNs generally cannot be used directly for digital editions. Self-published ebook authors who only release digitally may not require any number assignment.

How ISBNs Connect Books Globally?

What makes International Standard Book Numbers so incredibly useful is that they interlink millions of print books worldwide across a single cohesive identification system spanning publishers, distributors, booksellers, and libraries everywhere, both digitally and physically.

The shared global standardization of the International Standard Book Number format means any book can be uniquely identified and tracked across all sales channels, languages, and borders to:

• Streamline ordering and returns processing between publishers, distributors and retailers
• Integrate shared title, author and publisher databases across systems
• Allow customers to easily search and find books at local booksellers based on International Standard Book Number
• Help retailers categorize inventory based on standardized publisher and subject metadata
• Eliminate ambiguity between book edition variants during sales
• Provide publishers valuable real-time sales channel analytics based on ISBN scans

No matter the country, language, or retailer, the 13-digit number ties every commercially published book together into a single universal indexing system, supporting sales globally.

Future of ISBNs

While established for over 50 years supporting print book distribution, the core values and processes behind International Standard Book Numbers remain highly relevant in our increasingly digital-first ebook world. This is evidenced by ISBNs still going strong, with over 365 million registered numbers assigned across over 154 designated national agencies as of 2023.

However, to modernize International Standard Book Number for more efficient digital identification, updated ‘ISBN-A’ proxy identifiers are starting to get introduced to better support online bookselling channels on top of the legacy 13-digit ISBN standard.

Additionally, newer digital-first products like audio books, book apps, blogs, serial content and multimedia bundles are exploring ways to leverage ISBN-type identifiers to better catalog and manage emerging digital formats.

Yet the need to accurately identify and track iterative book releases across fragmented global supply chains will keep core ISBNs essential for managing print inventory despite industry shifts to digital. By neatly encompassing important metadata within a short unique number sequence, ISBNs offer a future-proof method for publishers, distributors and sellers to cooperate universally.

In Summary The International Standard Book Number remains the globally accepted 979 prefix registration identifier cementing order and visibility across international publishing. Assigned to each commercial book edition, compact 13-digit numbers establish a common language linking publishers, distributors, booksellers and readers to accurately exchange and track inventory across channels anywhere worldwide. As the universal book product code greasing wheels of the expansive print supply chain, ISBNs are indispensable identities interconnecting books globally through underlying metadata meaning.

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What is an ISBN?

An ISBN is an International Standard Book Number. ISBNs were 10 digits in length up to the end of December 2006, but since 1 January 2007 they now always consist of 13 digits. ISBNs are calculated using a specific mathematical formula and include a check digit to validate the number.

Each ISBN consists of 5 elements with each section being separated by spaces or hyphens. Three of the five elements may be of varying length:

• Registrant element - this identifies the particular publisher or imprint. This may be up to 7 digits in length  
• Check digit – this is always the final single digit that mathematically validates the rest of the number. It is calculated using a Modulus 10 system with alternate weights of 1 and 3.  

What is an ISBN used for?

An ISBN is essentially a product identifier used by publishers, booksellers, libraries, internet retailers and other supply chain participants for ordering, listing, sales records and stock control purposes. The ISBN identifies the registrant as well as the specific title, edition and format.  

What does an ISBN identify?

ISBNs are assigned to text-based monographic publications (i.e. one-off publications rather than journals, newspapers, or other types of serials).

Any book made publicly available, whether for sale or on a gratis basis, can be identified by ISBN.

In addition, individual sections (such as chapters) of books or issues or articles from journals, periodicals or serials that are made available separately may also use the ISBN as an identifier.

With regard to the various media available, it is of no importance in what form the content is documented and distributed; however, each different product form (e.g. paperback, EPUB, .pdf) should be identified separately.

You can find examples of types of qualifying products and more information about the scope of the ISBN here .  

ISBNs, the law and copyright

The ISBN is an identifier and does not convey any form of legal or copyright protection. However, in some countries the use of ISBN to identify publications has been made into a legal requirement.  

Who should apply for ISBN? 

It is always the publisher of the book who should apply for the ISBN. For the purposes of ISBN, the publisher is the group, organisation, company or individual who is responsible for initiating the production of a publication. Normally, it is also the person or body who bears the cost and financial risk in making a product available. It is not normally the printer, but it can be the author of the book if the author has chosen to publish their book themselves. 

In a number of countries there is detailed legislation regarding publishing so contact your national ISBN agency in good time for advice.

© 2014-2024 International ISBN Agency

What Is An ISBN?

Carina Pereira

Carina Pereira, born in ‘87, in Portugal. Moved to Belgium in 2011, and to Rotterdam, The Netherlands, in 2019. Avid reader, changing interests as the mods strikes. Whiles away the time by improvising stand-up routines she’ll never get to perform. Books are a life-long affair, audiobooks a life-changing discovery of adulthood. Selling books by day, writer by night. Contact

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Have you ever stumbled upon the letters ISBN when people talk about book stuff, and always wondered what exactly an ISBN is, but you were always too lazy – or forgetful, no judgment here – to google it and find out?

Fear not! ISBN doing some research, and I am about to explain to you exactly what those numbers on the back of your books mean. So buckle up, enjoy that pun – which, yes, I absolutely needed to make – and let me take you on a little ride down ISBN history lane. 

What Does ISBN Stand For And Why Do We Use It?

Let’s begin at the root of the initialism: ISBN stands for International Standard Book Number, and as its full name reveals, it was created with the intent to standardise the way we identify books across the world.

If you are ever looking to buy a specific edition of a book, that book’s ISBN is your best friend. Equally, if you are requesting the help of a bookseller while finding said book, providing them with an ISBN will not only make their life easier, it will assure you get exactly the book and edition you are looking for.

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Remember when people were buying Randall Hansen’s Fire and Fury in mass, instead of Michael Wolff ’s book on Trump? This could have been avoided if 1) people knew what to look for exactly, and 2) if they had had the ISBN of the book in the first place. The only way you can get it wrong with an ISBN is, of course, if you have the wrong ISBN.

Every edition of a book gets its own ISBN, meaning that ebooks, audiobooks, hardbacks, and paperbacks – and books with different covers or sizes, or translations – will have a different ISBN. The only exception to this rule is for reprints.

In simple terms, ISBNs are like IDs for books.

A Little Bit Of History

I thrive in neat and organised environments, so it is a joy to see other fellow humans doing their best to create a world where organisation is key, making life easier for all of us. I really can’t imagine the chaos it would be to work in publishing, or in any job which deals with books so closely, without a number to make them easier to identify.

In bookstores, we already get people on the regular asking for “that book with a blue cover, which is none of the books with a blue cover you have in the shop, but maybe you know which book I’m looking for?” so anything that can make books easier to find is a blessing.

Here it is then, my personal appreciation for Gordon Foster , for creating the first Standard Book Number system (SBN) in 1965. Commissioned to create a filling system by WH Smith , a British retailer, Foster paved the way and put his back into what would later become the ISBN.

The ISBN was created two years later, by David Whitaker , and began to be used in the United States in 1968, developed by Emery Koltay. It was a standard nine digits.

This caught the attention of the ISO (International Organisation for Standardization), and after a few meetings with executives across Europe, it was decided to implement the system on a global scale.

The ISBN became standard in 1970, with a ten-digit format, and is now used in over 150 countries.

Much later, in 2007, books started to contain 13 digits, an effort to make them compatible with the International Article Number (or European Article Number, which you might have stumbled upon under EAN), that you find in barcodes. This means that books with an ISBN assigned after 2007 will all have 13 digits.

But, Carina, you ask, what happened to the nine-digit SBNs, and how did they make up a 13-digit ISBN from a ten-digit one? Simple: to all nine-digit SBNs was added a prefix 0, and an EAN prefix (usually 978) was added to the ten-digit ISBN, completing the 13-digit ISBN we currently use.

But What Do The Numbers Mean?

Each ISBN (published after January 2007), contains five elements: EAN prefix, registration group element, registrant element, publication element, and a check digit. This is what each of these groups of words mean:

EAN prefix: the international article number (for books that is currently 978 or 979 – check the following link if you want to find out what Bookland is);

Registration group element: identifies a national or geographical grouping of publishers;

Registrant Element: identifies the publisher;

Publication element: identifies a particular title or edition;

Check digit: I have to admit that when I first read the definition for check digit, I didn’t understand a thing. Here is the quote: “check digit is always the final single digit that mathematically validates the rest of the number. It is calculated using a Modulus 10 system with alternate weights of 1 and 3.”

I understand the words in it individually, but not as a whole, especially the second sentence there.

Wikipedia has a long-ass section explaining check digit s , which only confused me further, but after a bit of research, I ended understanding that this is a number meant to detect errors and avoid redundancy. This is also the reason why some ISBNs contain an X at the end.

I mean, personally, I don’t really understand what the point of the X is exactly , but I’m okay with my ignorance in this matter. If you’d like to find more – and brace yourself for some mathematics – check the last link above.

(Yes, I am a Humanities student, why do you ask?)

Where Do I Find The ISBN?

Although this can vary from book to book, there are usually two places where you can find the ISBN: on the copyright page (usually second or third page of the book), and on the back cover, either on the barcode or just printed onto the cover – sometimes both.

As a bookseller, I must admit I have stumbled upon books where the ISBN is not in its usual place, and it feels a bit like a treasure hunt to try and find it. But it’s always there.

I’m An Author And I Want To Publish A Book. Do I Need An ISBN?

While ISBNs are not a form of copyrighting in any way, some countries require books to be legally identified by an ISBN.

If you’re taking the traditional route and getting your book out in the world through a publishing house, an ISBN will be attributed to your book by the publisher.

When you self-publish and sell online, you have the option to use an ISBN provided by the company that owns the website you are using to sell your ebooks. But do you really need an ISBN to sell a self-published book? Depends on where you want to sell it, and what exactly you are trying to achieve with your book.

Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Apple do not require your ebook to have an ISBN in order to be sold online, but if you want to sell physical copies to retailers, libraries, and bookstores, you will need to get one.

The advantage of getting your own ISBN, even for ebooks, rather than using one provided by a website, is that you can keep it even if you change platforms.

ISBNs are also super helpful when it comes to unmarketed sales, because it makes your book easier to find through its metadata, and it makes it more likely to be shared. Trust me, book people like ISBNs.

If you are self-publishing an ebook, you can certainly skip the ISBN and save that money for something else. If the sales end up being so good that you decide it’s worth printing it, or selling it on other platforms which require an ISBN, you can always get an ISBN later.

You can find a database of all agencies selling ISBNs worldwide at the International ISBN Agency website. 

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a blue cover book to find.

For more book anatomy, check out this guide to t he parts of a book . If you have enjoyed the pun at the beginning of this article, check out this cool Book Riot x Out Of Print ISBN Thinking of You T-shirt (and more).

International ISBN Agency

Barcode Ireland

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ISBN and ISSN Systems: General Information and Resources

• General Information and Resources

ISBN and ISSN Standards

This resource guide provides general information and a history on the ISBN and ISSN standards.  

ISBN General Information

The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is a 13-digit number that uniquely identifies books and book-like products published internationally. The ISBN is intended for a monographic publication: text that stands on its own as a product, whether printed, audio or electronic. ISBNs are never assigned to music, performances or images, such as art prints or photographs. ISBNs are not assigned to magazines, academic journals or other periodicals. However, if a single issue of a periodical is being sold as a book, then that issue alone may be assigned an ISBN. 

When participating in the ISBN standard, publishers and self-publishers are required to report all information about titles to which they have assigned ISBNs. For more than thirty years, ISBNs were 10 digits long. On January 1, 2007 the ISBN system switched to a 13-digit format. Now all ISBNs are 13-digits long. If you were assigned 10-digit ISBNs, you can convert them to the 13-digit format at the converter found on the ISBN website . A 10-digit ISBN cannot be converted to 13-digits merely by placing three digits in front of the 10-digit number . There is an algorithm that frequently results in a change of the last digit of the ISBN.

ISBNs beginning 979 will not be issued in the United States for at least several years until current inventories of ISBNs are depleted. When they are assigned, they will not replace those beginning with 978.

• ISBNs beginning 978 and 979 will coexist in the book industry for a number of years.
• 978 ISBNs cannot be converted to 979 ISBNs.
• 979 ISBNs are not convertible to a 10-digit format and exist only in a 13-digit format.

ISBN Resources

• Buy ISBNs & Other Identifiers (U.S. only) Offers the purchase of ISBNs, barcodes, and self-publishing packages.
• ISBN FAQ - Publication Formats, Reprints, Editions, etc. Provides a chart of products/entities that are eligible for ISBNs.
• United States ISBN Agency Bowker is the official source for ISBNs in the United States. An ISBN uniquely identifies your book, and facilitates the sale of your book to bookstores (physical and digital) and libraries. Using ISBNs allows you to better manage your book's metadata, and ensure maximum discoverability of your book.

ISSN General Information

The ISSN is a U.S. standard and an international standard. The number itself -- unlike the coded digits of the ISBN -- has no significance other than as a brief, unique, and unambiguous identifier; an ISSN consists of eight digits, specifically two groups of four digits, in Arabic numerals 0 to 9, except for the last -- or check -- digit, which can be an X. Its proper reference is for the two groups of four digits to be separated by a hyphen and preceded by the letters ISSN.

Assignment of ISSNs is handled by the U.S. ISSN Center at the Library of Congress and is free. There is no charge associated with the use of the ISSN. An ISSN application form may be completed online. Enter the required information and then email or fax the form (in the interests of conserving paper and bandwidth, please limit faxes or email attachments to no more than five pages), or mail the application by U.S. mail or private carrier. A suitable representation of the publication must accompany the application. For print serials a sample issue or photocopy of the title page, cover, or masthead should be provided. For electronic serials in a tangible form such as CD-ROM or floppy disk, an actual issue and printouts of title screens should be submitted. For online serials, provide an appropriate URL or e-mail actual issues or mock-ups which will accompany the application form.

ISSN Resources

• ANSI/NISO Z39.9 International Standard Serial Numbering (ISSN) Well-known as the ISSN, this standard defines the structure and presentation of a code to uniquely identify serial publications in print and nonprint formats. This standard sets forth the format and characteristics of the ISSN and designates a central authority for code administration.
• ISSN-L When a publication is published on several media, a linking ISSN is assigned so that the media can be easily grouped and the contents are easier to manage.
• ISO 3297 Information and documentation -- International standard serial number (ISSN) Defines and promotes the use of a standard code (ISSN) for the unique identification of serials and other continuing resources.
• ISSN International Center (CIEPS) The CIEPS, also known as the ISSN International Centre, is an intergovernmental organization which manages at the international level the identification and the description of serial publications and ongoing resources, print and online, in any subject.
• U.S. ISSN Application Form The ISSN application is a "fillable" pdf form. Once completed, it should be emailed, faxed, or mailed to the Library of Congress for processing. Full instructions and a link to the form are provided on the application forms page.
• U.S. ISSN Center The U.S. ISSN Center, part of the international ISSN Network, assigns International Standard Serial Numbers (ISSN) to serials published in the U.S. The ISSN is a standard identifier for serials (e.g., journals, magazines, newsletters, newspapers, annuals) whether published in print, online or other media. Each medium version is assigned a separate ISSN.

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• Last Updated: Jun 28, 2022 3:15 PM
• URL: https://libguides.ala.org/isbn-issn

A Comprehensive Guide to ISBNs

Originally published May 25, 2020; most recently updated July 25, 2023.

When I presented “Self-publishing 101” at a conference, one of the biggest topics during the Q&A was ISBNs. Lots of questions and lots of confusion surfaced. ISBNs are one of the elements of indie publishing that took me a long time to figure out, so if you’re puzzled by them, you’re in good company.

In this article, we’ll cover the basics of ISBNs as well as ISBN-related logistics to pay attention to when publishing via KDP and IngramSpark , the two major self-publishing platforms.

What is an ISBN?

ISBN stands for International Standard Book Number. And it’s just what it sounds like: a unique identifying number for your book. It is a global standard and required by most retailers. Through December 2006, ISBNs were 10 digits; now they are 13 digits.

An ISBN usually looks something like this: 978-1-945209-05-5.

• The first element (978) indicates it is an ISBN.
• The second element (1) indicates country or language.
• The third element (945209) indicates the publisher.
• The fourth element (05) indicates the title and format.
• The fifth element (5) is a check digit (a number that verifies the other digits were entered correctly).

When someone looks up a book, the owner of the ISBN is listed as the publisher of record. (Note: The ISBN is separate from copyright; owning an ISBN does not necessarily mean you hold the copyright.)

In addition to being part of your book’s metadata , the ISBN is usually located on the back cover of a book and listed in the front matter along with the publisher, copyright, and so on.

How do I get an ISBN? What does it cost?

The publisher acquires the ISBN—and this includes author-publishers, i.e., those who are self-publishing.

ISBNs are distributed by country. In the US, ISBNs can be purchased from Bowker Identifier Services .

As of November 2021, Bowker charges:

• $125 for a single ISBN
• $295 for 10 ISBNs
• $575 for 100 ISBNs
• $1500 for 1000 ISBNs

(Note: KDP and IngramSpark offer free or discounted ISBNs. I recommend getting your own. More info below.)

Once you’ve purchased a block of numbers, you can hold them until you are ready to assign them to specific books. When you assign a title to an ISBN, it gets added to Bowker’s Books In Print database, which is used by publishers, retailers, and libraries. (Read more Bowker FAQs .)

If you’re based outside the US, you’ll have to find your national ISBN agency to determine the process for getting ISBNs. For example, in Cyprus, ISBNs are provided by the Cyprus Library and are free; the application process includes assigning the ISBN to a specific book.

How many ISBNs do I need?

You need an ISBN for each version of your book: hardback, paperback, ebook, audiobook, large print, and so on. Got a fancy illustrated special edition? It needs its own ISBN. Doing a color version of a book already in black and white? Again, it needs its own ISBN.

Most of my clients have at minimum a paperback and ebook, so they need a minimum of two ISBNs. Many indie authors quickly realize that it makes sense to get a block of 10 ISBNs even if they are only planning on one book in paperback, hardback, and ebook. Authors who plan to create multiple books might want to consider the block of 100 in order to keep the per-unit cost down.

Do I really need an ISBN for my ebook?

Some online retailers (like Amazon) do not require an ISBN for an ebook. Amazon will assign an ASIN (Amazon Standard Identification Number) instead.

However, many online retailers DO require ISBNs for ebooks, e.g., iBooks and Kobo. Additionally, libraries require ISBNs on ebooks.

If you don’t assign an ISBN up front, you may end up with multiple ISBNs (for example, if you get a free one on one platform, then another on another platform) or multiple other identifiers (the equivalent of Amazon’s ASIN) for the same ebook. All this can do is muddy the waters for people looking for your book.

Even if initially you’re publishing only a Kindle version, I recommend assigning your ebook an ISBN so that in the future it can be clearly identified and sold on as many platforms as you’d like.

Do I need a separate barcode?

The ISBN barcode is a machine-readable version of the ISBN—the larger barcode at left in this image (the price is at right). You’ll see the human-readable digits above and below the barcode.

If you never plan to sell in a retail setting, you don’t need a barcode; however, I recommend having one simply because it is standard practice.

Bowker will try to sell you a barcode on top of the 13-digit number you purchase, but there is no need to pay for a barcode.

If you use KDP or IngramSpark to self-publish, they will generate a barcode for you based on the digits you provide. If you use KDP’s cover creator, it will create a barcode for you; likewise with IngramSpark’s cover template creator. If you create your own cover without a barcode and upload it to KDP, KDP will add a barcode using the number you provide.

You can also search online for free barcode creators. Just be sure to test that the barcodes actually work (use your phone’s camera or download a scanner app to your phone and test it to make sure it reads the numbers correctly).

Do I need the price in my barcode?

In addition to the ISBN barcode, you can have a supplemental barcode that includes the price—the smaller barcode at right in this image. The price is indicated in human-readable form as a five-digit number, in this case 52495. The first digit indicates the currency, e.g., 5 is the code for US dollars. The next four digits are the price, in this case $24.95.

Most barcode generators will ask if you want to include the price in the barcode. And there are actually three barcode variations you could choose:

• ISBN barcode only with no supplemental price barcode.
• ISBN barcode and price barcode with no actual price in it. You’ll notice books like this have a “price” of 90000.
• ISBN barcode and price barcode with the price (as shown).

Include the price in the barcode:

• If you plan to sell in retail stores. This is standard practice and an expectation for retailers.
• As a marketing strategy. For example, if you plan to do bulk sales, you may want to anchor the perceived value at $24.95 even though the volume price may be $17.95.

You could skip the price in the barcode:

• If your primary sales will be online and/or if you will be handling them in person.
• If you think you might change the price of your book, e.g., for different events.

When do you buy and assign ISBNs?

In the US, you can purchase your ISBNs any time before publication and hold them indefinitely. You must assign your ISBN to your book prior to publication.

If you plan to request US Library of Congress (LOC) cataloging, be sure to assign the ISBN well in advance of publication to allow for LOC processing time.

One tactical note: You must have your title finalized before assigning the ISBN. If you change the title, you need a new ISBN. I mention this because I sometimes have clients who want to change titles all the way up until just before publication. Be sure to recognize the potential snags that that approach can throw into your timeline (not to mention the crimp it puts in your pre-launch marketing).

Can you buy a block of ten ISBNs and then resell them?

ISBNs cannot be resold. Ownership of ISBNs can be transferred for an entire block (e.g., when one company buys another), but ownership of individual ISBNs cannot be.

If you find someone other than Bowker selling ISBNs, exercise caution: they will likely end up listed as the publisher of record.

What about the free ISBNs from KDP and IngramSpark?

When self-publishing on KDP and/or IngramSpark, you can get an ISBN for free. If cost is an issue, this is a nice benefit; however, it comes with a few strings…

• The free ISBNs can be used only on the platform where you acquired them and can limit your distribution options.
• The “Publisher” field (e.g., on your Amazon product page) will show “Independently published” rather than your publisher or imprint name. On IngramSpark the publisher will be listed as “Indy Pub.”
• My understanding is that your book information will get into Bowker’s Books In Print database, but to the best of my knowledge, you will not have access to update that information directly.

One final thing that may or may not matter to you: while many readers won’t care who is listed as the publisher, many bookstores will. My sense in talking to bookstores is that when they do not carry books published through KDP, it is for two primary reasons:

• If the book is not available and returnable via Ingram (the book distributor, not IngramSpark the self-publishing arm), it is too inconvenient for them. (KDP’s expanded distribution actually does go through Ingram; however, the books are not returnable.)
• They don’t want to support the competitive 800-pound gorilla, Amazon.

Do bookstores have the same reaction to IngramSpark’s free ISBN? To date, I have not heard of this being an issue. (Let me know if you have direct experience to the contrary.)

What about discounted ISBNs from KDP and IS?

In addition to the free ISBNs KDP and IS offer, they have discounted ISBNs. And of May 2024, it looks like KDP’s discounted ISBNs are $99 each, and IS’s are $85 each.

In this case, it appears you do truly own the ISBN, so it will show your own imprint and you can use it as you like. (Thanks to Sasha for checking on this and reporting back to me!)

Do the math for your situation to decide if this is a good option for you.

How do I use my own ISBN on KDP and IS? Any tips I should know?

Now there are a couple of tricky spots to be aware of when using your own ISBN.

Using Your ISBN on KDP

Let’s look at KDP first:

• When you upload your files to KDP, they do a check against Bowker to make sure your imprint matches what is on file. If there is a mismatch, you won’t be able to proceed.
• When KDP does the check, they are also looking for whether the ISBN is in use elsewhere, e.g., on IngramSpark (thus in the Ingram catalog). If it is in use elsewhere, you will not be able to use KDP’s Expanded Distribution.
• In fact, using your own ISBN appears to limit some of the Expanded Distribution options, regardless of whether the ISBN is in use elsewhere. (I am having trouble finding any nitty-gritty details in KDP’s Help, and I don’t use this option enough to have recent first-hand experience.) However, if you plan to use a KDP–IngramSpark combo, this is not a problem.

Using your ISBN on IngramSpark

On IngramSpark, you can assume they do a check against Bowker as well. However, the question of whether the ISBN is already in use is less of an issue. Here’s why…

When IngramSpark makes your book available for distribution, they basically send a data feed to all their distributors, including Amazon. The distributors get to decide (presumably via some algorithm) whether to accept the data and list your book for sale. If IngramSpark sends the data feed to Amazon and Amazon is already listing the KDP version of your book with the same ISBN, they will not accept the IngramSpark listing.

The Combo Strategy

Many indie authors use both KDP and IngramSpark for the same version of their book, typically a paperback. (Remember, it has to be the exact same book to use the same ISBN–same trim size, cover format, etc.) Using KDP is believed to give your book a boost in the Amazon search algorithm, and author copies (books purchased at cost) are usually less expensive than those from IngramSpark; however, IngramSpark gives you better access to bookstores and in some situations can pay higher royalties. So using both platforms–KDP for Amazon and IS for everything else–is believed to provide the best of both worlds.

If you plan to use both platforms , here’s my suggestion:

• Buy your own ISBNs.
• Set up KDP so that the KDP data populates the Amazon marketplaces. Do NOT enable Expanded Distribution. Don’t press Publish yet.
• Set up IngramSpark to populate everything else. Don’t press Publish yet.
• When you’ve got both platforms set up (and you have reviewed the print proofs and all is good), go back and press Publish on KDP, then press Publish on IngramSpark.

If you publish via IngramSpark first, the data feed can actually populate Amazon, so you end up selling the IngramSpark version of the book rather than the KDP version, thus negating the whole algorithm strategy (presumably).

I will add a caveat: I have experienced this issue with publishing in the “wrong” order, and I’ve talked to other authors who have run into this problem. In working with KDP and IngramSpark to try to resolve version issues in the listing, neither has been helpful; each pointed at the other as the party responsible for fixing the issue. But it’s possible they will resolve this issue systemically (or have resolved it), so at some point the order in which you publish may not matter.

How do ISBNs apply to a series of books?

Say you have a series of books–it could be a fiction trilogy or a series of related nonfiction books. How do ISBNs apply to the set?

• Each book needs its own ISBN, as described above.
• If you package multiple books into a box set, the set itself needs an ISBN. (The individual books already have their own ISBNs.)
• Depending on the type of series, you may also want an ISSN (International Standard Series Number), available from the Library of Congress. They are most commonly assigned to magazines, journals, and other types of continuing publications. The acronym is similar but an ISSN is a different thing, so read more on the LOC ISSN site .

The Bowker FAQ page is useful for more on series and packages.

Still have questions?

ISBNs are a surprisingly confusing topic. If you’ve still got questions, send me an email, and I will do my best to answer or point you to another resource, and I’ll update the comments with the information. (I turned off comments after getting tired of managing spam.)

Related Reading

• KDP vs. IngramSpark: Which Publishing Platform Is Right for You?
• KDP and IngramSpark Printing Options

40 Comments

Karin, thank you so much for this article! I am about to purchase a pack of ISBN’s for my first (but not last) book Suicidal to Superhuman: Accepting Mental Illness and Its Role in Global Sanity. I have family members who also write, and while I realize you cannot transfer ISBN’s to family members, could they use my additional ISBN’s and publish under my name? Or, alternatively, if I create a (very basic) publishing company could we all publish under that instead of buying our own blocks individually? And would doing that hurt my chances of being picked up by a more well known publisher? Thanks in advance for any more insights.

Hi, Mike. Thanks for the questions. Yes, you could purchase a block of ISBNs and let your family members publish under your name or your agreed upon publishing imprint. When you purchase the block you’ll need to include the name of the publisher, so it would be good to hash that out with them up front. I have a block of ISBNs under Clear Sight Books that some clients choose to use–they want to have a publisher name for marketing purposes and/or don’t want to deal with setting up everything up themselves. For your question about hurting your chances with a more well known publisher, that’s kind of a big topic. If you are hoping a publisher will pick up your self-published book, that is pretty uncommon. But how you do on this book could help or hurt future books. If you are sloppy on this first self-published book, it could hurt future books. If you do a good job with the first book though–show professionalism, good marketing, good sales, good reviews–it could actually make your next book more appealing to a publisher.

When I buy one ISBN number, is that number for all the copies I make so long as it’s for the same book that his been copyright. for example if I make 1000 copies of one book can I purchase one ISBN number for that amount?

When you buy one ISBN, it is for all copies of one specific size/format/edition. For example, if you have a 6×9 paperback, you need one ISBN regardless of the number of books printed. But if you decide to also make the same book into a 5.5×8.5 paperback, you need a new ISBN because it is a different size.

The ISBN is not directly related to copyright. You still hold the copyright on your creative work even if you do not get an ISBN, e.g., if your book is unpublished or if you publish an ebook on KDP without an ISBN. To be able to ENFORCE the copyright, you must register it though. Visit https://www.copyright.gov/ for details on copyright.

Thanks a lot for clarifying this! Now, what can someone do if already published in KDP (extended distribution) and got a free ISBN from them and now want to publish in Ingramspark? What do you advice? Thanks.

Hi, Carol. If you have a free ISBN from KDP and are using expanded distribution, the book is actually going through the Ingram distribution channel to reach all the retailers outside Amazon. Even if you are able to turn off KDP expanded distribution and add your book to IngramSpark, you would have to have a new ISBN–you cannot use the one from KDP. And that would give you two ISBNs for essentially the same book (assuming you are talking about, for example, having your paperback on both platforms), which is not a best practice. You could purchase your own ISBNs from Bowker, give your book a new ISBN, and republish on KDP (without ED) and on IngramSpark (using the same new ISBN that you own). The challenge here is that you may lose your reviews on Amazon–I’d suggest doing some research on that point before you proceed. You may want to consider why you are interested in making this change and if it is really needed. Could it wait for a second edition, for example? –Karin

Hi Karin, Great information! My question relates to an author using IngramSpark for the print version (hardcover) and KDP for the eBook so he can distribute through Kindle. Does it matter which one he sets up first? He wants to release the print version then follow up with the eBook, but after reading your article I wonder which order is best. Thanks!

Hi, Kari. Technically it should not make any difference which version you do first since they are two different products. The problem comes when you do a paperback on KDP and a paperback on IS and the data feeds get crossed. Strategically I think you usually see the hardback and ebook released at the same time, then the paperback a year or so later. But that’s more a matter of choice. One thing to watch for is that the hardback and ebook get properly matched on Amazon so that you see all the versions on the same product page. When doing paperback and ebook on KDP, it usually takes a few days after publication, so it might take a little longer to get the IS product matched. If they still aren’t matched after a couple weeks, KDP/Amazon has usually been really helpful resolving the issue.

This is really useful. Thanks for posting it. I’m so confused with it all!! Can I just check that I have understood correctly? 1. Get Ebook available using KDP under my own bought ISBN 2. Then use Ingram for ebook (with same ISBN as the one used for KDP) and for print paperback (second ISBN that I have bought) 3. This will mean Ingram send data of paperback to Amazon and it will appear as saleable on there? Will it show up with the listing of the ebook, that I’ve placed on there with KDP? But Ingram data for ebook will be refused as the ISBN no. recognised to be the same as already in use with KDP? Oh God! It’s all so scary! And returns could see you bankrupt couldn’t they? Thanks for your help, Jeni

Hi, Jeni. You will want 2 ISBNs–one for ebook, one for paperback. You can use the same ISBN on multiple platforms (e.g., KDP and IS) as long as you own it.

Re paperback, I would suggest KDP for Amazon (not the expanded distribution) and IngramSpark for everything else. However, you can do just IS and the data feed will go to Amazon, so that works too.

Re ebook, I would probably rethink what you are describing. If you want to be exclusive to Amazon, just use KDP. Exclusive can be a good idea if you only have one book and you want to build readership by using the free download days, for example. If you want to go wide, I would probably not use IngramSpark. I would look at Draft2Digital. I have not used them personally, but my understanding is that they pay a much higher royalty than IS does.

Re returns, if your goal is to sell your paperback in bookstores (rather than online), yes, you will want to make your paperback returnable. And yes, you need to price carefully and understand that you take a hit when books are returned (including shipping costs). If your goal is to sell mostly online via Amazon, your website, social media, etc., you can choose to not make the books returnable. And on IngramSpark you can also set the discount to the lowest amount (30-35% instead of 50-55%)–thus earning you more on each sale. There is not a clear right/wrong answer–it all depends on your goals.

I know self-publishing can be nerve-wracking, but honestly, even if you screw something up, it can almost always be fixed (some fixes are uglier than others, but still fixable), so do your research but don’t let nerves hold you back.

Congrats on your book–and good luck with it!! –Karin

Printing hardcover on IS for client. If I use the free IS ISBN will it be usable for selling this book on Amazon? Thanks

Hi, Pete. If you are using IngramSpark for hardback, when you approve the book for distribution, the data feed will go everywhere that Ingram sends it, including to Amazon. So in that sense, using a free ISBN from IngramSpark to sell on Amazon is not a problem. However, if you were ever to publish on a different platform–say for instance KDP decided to offer hardback as an option and you wanted to use it–I suspect you would not be able to take the ISBN with you from IngramSpark–just as you can’t take a free KDP ISBN elsewhere. IngramSpark just started offering free ISBNs relatively recently and I haven’t seen good documentation from them, but here is what I did find: https://www.ingramspark.com/blog/isbn-facts-for-self-publishers .

I just want to double check that I am understanding this correctly. I purchased ISBN’s from Bowker. Do I assign the title information to the ISBN in my Bowker account first, and then use that ISBN to go through the title set up process with KDP and IS?

Hi, Amanda. I think you got it. In Bowker, assign one ISBN to paperback and one to ebook (assuming that’s what you have). When you set up your books in KDP or IS, they will ask whether you want them to assign a free ISBN or you want to use your own. Use the ISBNs you assigned to those books. Note that when you assign an ISBN to a book in Bowker, there are a few fields that you won’t be able to change after the fact (like title, I think), so you need to be firm on those. But many of the fields can be updated later, and usually I find I need to go back to Bowker near or after publication to update a few, e.g., price or publication date, or to upload the cover file, so don’t panic if you don’t have all the fields finalized when you first assign the ISBN.

I’m about to self-publish my first book and have acquired my own ISBN. I intend to use a local printer to print a few dozen copies and also use KDP for wider distribution. The only difference will be, presumably, the type and quality of paper used between my local printer and KDP. Can I use the same ISBN in both cases? Or should I go for the free ISBN for the KDP version?

Hi, Sam. If you own your own ISBN, you can use it at the printer and on KDP. If you plan to publish on IngramSpark, you can use it there as well, but in that case, do be sure to read my article about how to set it up correctly (link is at top of this article). One more note about your printer and KDP… You are probably right about the paper being different. That can lead to differences in the spine width, so be sure you get the correct calculations for your cover designer; you may need two slightly different versions of the cover (it should be minimal work). Good luck! –Karin

Hello, Thank you for some great info on this. I have spent days trying to resolve this with KDP and IngramSpark. I briefly has expanded distribution with KDP checked before my two books were published but I then unchecked the box. I then tried to input the basic infor to setup the books on Ingram. It said the print ISBNs were already in use. A KDP manager has said that I can’t use the same ISBN for KDP and Ingram, even though I own the ISBNs (from Nielsen) and my own imprint. He said that I can transfer the ISBN to Ingram. However, what does this mean for the KDP/Amazon book distribution and sales? Can I still use the KDP platform? Who prints the KDP books. This is a nightmare!

Hi, Nyla. I’m sorry your having so much hassle. Aarrgh. The KDP manager is wrong. If you own your own ISBN, you can use it on both platforms; you just can’t use it on KDP expanded distribution and IngramSpark at the same time. Here’s the problem: KDP uses Ingram for its expanded distribution, as does IngramSpark. (IngramSpark is a sister company of Ingram the distribution company–they are not the same thing even though we sometimes speak of them that way as shorthand.) When you checked the expanded distribution box, you sent your book (its metadata) into Ingram’s distribution stream. So when you tried to send it from IngramSpark, the data was already there, thus the message it was already in use.

I honestly am not sure whether you will be able to untangle expanded distribution. Sometimes if you wait a few days for the metadata to cycle through (it takes a while to propagate to all the systems), things get resolved, but I wouldn’t count on that. I know at least one person in your situation who ended up purchasing another ISBN for her book (or maybe she assigned one she’d already bought–I suggest buying at least a package of 10 just because the marginal cost is less). If you have to do that, it’s annoying but just chalk it up to life experience and the cost of doing business.

The other option you mentioned is to use just IngramSpark. If you do this, Ingram sends your book’s data feed everywhere (just like KDP’s expanded distribution did, because remember it’s the same thing), including to Amazon. So your book would be on Amazon, but all your sales and royalties would be reported and paid to you through IngramSpark. The slight drawback as I mentioned in the article is that there is a presumption that Amazon’s algorithms treat KDP books more favorably than books from other sources.

Re printing, KDP and IngramSpark both have print facilities and networks of printers around the world, so they are printing their own respective books. (Do they ever use each other’s printers? Maybe, but I’m not sure.)

Hang in there–you’ll get this sorted! –Karin

ps would you use IngramSpark for ebooks or not?

No. The royalties are not competitive. Mostly I use Kindle because that suits my clients and their goals. But if you want to go broad (many ebook platforms), look at Draft2Digital. And DO assign an ISBN to your ebook; some platforms will require it.

You are a rock star Karin. This has been so so helpful. I have a simliar issue to Nyla Just put my book up on KDP and I chose expanded distribution. I had no idea what this meant. I need to try and de-select. Thank you for sharing your wisdom. 🙂

I appreciate your taking the time to leave a note, Theresa. I’m glad the information is helpful! –Karin

This was very helpful, Karin. Thank you so much!

You are welcome! –Karin

Hi Karin – I have published with Amazon KDP and used an ISBN that I purchased from Bowker. When I imputed the ISBN information into KDP I listed Bowker as the imprint, not realizing Bowker would then show up as the listed publisher. I have updated my information in the Myidentifiers section of Bowker (listing myself as the publisher) and the information is pending. Do you know if this will resolve the issue of KDP listing Bowker as the publisher or if I will have to further edit my book details on Amazon KDP?

Hi, John. Before you publish, the imprint field stays changeable. After you publish, it locks. I am a little surprised KDP let you put Bowker as the imprint, because my understanding (from the hover help) is that they verify that the imprint and ISBN exist/match before they let you proceed with publishing. Since you used your own name as the imprint in Bowker/MyIdentifiers, that should have caused a red flag for their check. I’m not entirely sure, but I don’t think that Bowker is sending their data feed to KDP, and if they are, I’m not sure it updates anything, so I think your best bet may be to contact KDP and see if they can change the imprint name for you in their database. (You’ll probably need to prove to them the correct name.) When you get this resolved, I’d be happy to have you come back and share what happened in case other people run into a similar situation. Good luck! –Karin

Thank you so much for this article. It’s the most concise and informative explanation of a very confusing issue that I’ve found so far. My question is related to barcode pricing options for the print book. I am publishing my sci-fi novel through both KDP and Ingram Spark (and in the order you’ve suggested). I own my own ISBNs, registered to my own publishing company imprint. With Ingram Spark, it works out that I need to price the book at a minimum of 14.99 in order to go with the 55% wholesale discount option, which they recommend as the best (or the only) way to insure that brick-and-mortar book stores will carry my book. And they highly recommend using a barcode that encodes the price (coded as 51499). On the other hand, all the feedback I’m getting from indie authors using KDP points argues for using a barcode with the “no-price” option (coded as 90000)–presumably, to allow more freedom to alter pricing strategies. IngramSpark discourages this practice (for several seemingly good reasons), but almost all the indie sci-fi books I’ve seen sold on Amazon carry the “no-price” 90000 code. What to do?So, why not generate two different barcodes (same ISBN)– one with the 14.99 price on the cover for the IS book, and another one with the “no-price” 90000 code for the KDP book? I already need two separate pdf cover layouts from my cover designer due to differences in spine width between IS and KDP, so it would be easy enough to print just different barcode prices on them. Would this be considered an acceptable practice? Thanks again for the light you’re shedding on this topic. ~David

Hi, David. Thanks for the message. You raise an interesting question. Indeed brick-and-mortar stores are unlikely to carry your book unless it is available through Ingram (with an appropriate discount and returnability). However, simply setting up those options does not “ensure” stores will carry your book. It takes some significant marketing effort to make stores aware of your book and interested in stocking it. If they do carry it, they will want the price encoded–it simplifies their processes. If they are just ordering a one-off copy for a customer who requests it, the price barcode may be less important. Just make sure you have realistic expectations about getting into stores.

For the above reason, many indie authors focus on online sales rather than store sales, which is why the price barcode is less helpful/important. In fact many of my clients who use IS set the minimum discount/non-returnable because they know the difficulty of getting into stores. (But realize also that my clients tend to be focused on using their book as a marketing tool for other services, not so much as a product to make money on, which I think is a different approach from yours.) If stores are not part of your strategy, then the 90000 code makes sense.

I thought about your idea of using a price barcode on the IS version and not on the KDP version. Initially I thought, “Well, that’s a clever solution.” And it may be, if you want to be able to set varying prices at in-person events (higher or lower, box sets, etc.). Where my hesitation arises is in the pricing online. I would suggest it is a bad practice to set different prices for the same product on different platforms. If you are pricing at 14.99 on IS, that price is going to all the places IS sends their data feed, in your case, everywhere except Amazon. If you then price your book at, say, 12.99 on KDP, that’s what Amazon will show. How will a customer feel if they buy your book at a higher price on B&N and then see the lower price on Amazon? To me, it’s important to provide consistency in pricing for equivalent purchases. I could easily argue that an in-person sale is not equivalent (signed copies, personal interaction with the author, etc.), which is why I could see pricing those sales differently and the benefit of the 90000 code. But I would not price IS and KDP versions differently online.

Nutshell: If you are committed to one price online and use a price barcode on IS and not on KDP, and want to use the books with the 90000 code for in-person events, that may be a good approach.

I would be curious if anyone else has feedback on this point. Let me know where you land! –Karin

Thanks for your response. This is really great info. Especially your point about not using two different prices on different platforms. So, I’m thinking one approach would be to keep the 90000 barcode on the KPD books and set the online price the same as the books from IS–$14.99. Except that’s a bit high for the books in my genre I’m seeing on Amazon. All the 90000-coded sci-fi paperbacks I checked out had list prices between $9.99 and $15.99. I had planned on $12.99 for Amazon. So why not simply lower the barcode price of the IS book to $12.99 and just not worry about that 55% wholesale discount issue? (That was another good point you made–I have to be realistic about the chances of B&N rushing to carry the work of an unknown sci-fi author). So, if I used the above strategy, I could keep the flexabilty of the 90000 code on KDP for possible future price changes down, and used the $12.99 barcode with IS, I’d avoid their clear disdain of the 90000 code. Then the prices on both platforms would be the same. (And only my cover designer will be unhappy at having to redo the IS cover 🙂 Anyway, does that sound like a better approach? Thanks again so much for what you’re doing to help indie author’s figure this stuff out. Yours is truly the clearest voice out there in these matters. ~David

Based on what you are telling me, David, I think 12.99 sounds like a reasonable price for both platforms, and having one cover with no price code gives you some flexibility for pricing variations in person. If you decide not to worry about brick-and-mortar sales for now, you can set IS to be the lowest discount (30% or 35%) and nonreturnable. If you want to test out bookstores, you could always approach your local indie store to carry your books on consignment; they’ll most likely expect a 40% discount. (Incidentally on IS, when you set the discount to 55%, the store usually gets 40% and Ingram, the distributor, gets 15%. The store is not getting 55%.)

Two other things: 1) When I recommend keeping prices the same across platforms, that doesn’t mean you can’t do price promotions on occasion (e.g., have a 9.99 sale for a week). They are easier to manage on KDP, but you can do them on IS too–it just takes more planning because the data changes only once a week and takes time for it to propagate through the various retailer systems. 2) If you grow an audience and think you could find some interest from bookstores, you could create a different edition of the book that you price specifically for that market, e.g., a hardback, a larger size, or an illustrated edition–something that can support a higher list price.

Reminder to everyone: Before finalizing prices, be sure to run the KDP and IS calculators so you know what books will cost you to order author copies and what your royalties will be–the arithmetic needs to work!

Question from email: I’m helping my brother release a new series he’s writing. He’s releasing the first 3 books at once and I’ve been looking into the publishing / formatting end of things. Your articles are extremely helpful, thank you!!!

I’m planning on using Ingram for the hardcover release, and have been considering offering a box set as well. I haven’t seen anything about box sets anywhere on Ingram, and am considering using a different offset printer that does them. Do you know if I would need a different ISBN for the box set / each book in the box set, or – assuming it’s the same dimensions, formatting etc. and the only difference is the printer – I can use the same ISBNs as the POD?

My response: Hi. Thanks for the message.

To the best of my knowledge KDP and IS do not offer POD for boxed sets, so yes if you want a physical box for the 3 books, you’ll need to use a different printer–at least for the box, though I suppose you could use KDP- or IS-printed individual volumes and just package them into the box.

If you own the ISBNs on the 3 volumes, you can have a printer print the exact same format of the book (e.g., trim size, paperback) using those same ISBNs. If you have the free KDP or IS ISBNs, you can use the ISBNs only on those platforms and would need new ones.

For the boxed set, my understanding is that you should leave the individual ISBN on the individual books (again, same format, etc.) and also assign an ISBN to the set collectively.

Here is what the ISBN organization says: Assigning ISBNs to multi-format/multi-volume works An ISBN must be allocated to the whole set of volumes of a multi-volume work; also, if the individual volumes of the set are sold separately, each volume must have its own ISBN. Even when each volume is not sold separately, the allocation of an ISBN to each volume is advisable. It facilitates the handling of returns (damaged volumes) and eliminates the possibility of confusion over specific publications. Each volume should list all ISBNs.

Similar rules apply to kits (e.g. a CD-ROM with accompanying booklet). If any of the parts are available separately, then each part that qualifies for ISBN assignment should be given a separate ISBN, in addition to the ISBN for the kit as a whole.

Good luck! –Karin

Thanks so much for this great article. I have been struggling with ISBNs and my first book release. I have a question about how Barnes and Noble fits into all of this. For my second book, can I use the same ISBN at Barnes and Noble? Should I publish there first, then to KDP, then to Ingram? Or should I let Ingram distribute to Barnes and Noble for me? I’m asking because I published my first book to KDP first and accidentally chose expanded distribution. BN would not let me use the same ISBN even when I took the book out of expanded distribution.

In a related question, now I want to get my first book into the Ingram catalog. Should I publish to Ingram with the same ISBN as my KDP book or my BN book?

Thanks in advance.

Hi, Leslie. I have not used B&N as a POD platform personally. When I researched them, the pricing was not competitive (but that may have changed). For print, I usually just stick with KDP for Amazon and IS for everything else. But to answer your question, if you own the ISBN, you can use it on all platforms (as long as you don’t enable KDP’s expanded distribution). However, I suspect you will run into the same issue with BN.com and IS as you do with KDP and IS. That is, the IS data feed goes everywhere, including Amazon and BN.com. So if you want to set Amazon and BN up directly, do that first. Then set up IS for everything else.

For your catalog question, as long as you own your ISBN, don’t use KDP’s expanded distribution, and do everything in the right order, you should be able to use the same ISBN on all platforms and that should work for the IS catalog. I think once you enable KDP’s expanded distribution, it is almost impossible to undo it–the data likes to hang out wherever it has already gone.

I hope that helps! –Karin

Great information, very useful stuff!

I have a slightly different question related to ISBNs. On the official ISBN International site it says that an author can purchase an ISBN from the country he resides in, and not necessarily the country in which he wants to publish his book.

For instance I’m based in Romania and I want to self-publish my children’s book via Amazon and Ingram Spark. Do I still have to go through Bowker to get my ISBN?

Hi, Denisa. You get the ISBN in your own country (or sometimes through the international agency). Check this page for the list of agencies . Also, I can’t read this very well, but I think this is the Romanian ISBN page .

However, do make sure you get onto the KDP and IngramSpark sites and see that you can create accounts. I had one client who, due to his country, could use KDP but not IngramSpark.

Hi Karin. Thank you again for your very informative response. I’ve gone ahead and priced the print book at 12.99 on both KDP and IS (but won’t “Enable” on IS until well after everything is settled on Amazon). I chose IS’s %35 wholesale discount to get about a buck in royalties, and am totally OK with that. Interesting about how IS so strongly advises that %55 discount, especially now that I know IS gets a nice cut of that. Also, I concur with your suggestion for everyone at this pont in the game to do the math for print cost and royalty compensation on both IS and KDP calculators, before deciding on pricing and generating a barcode for it. I made the miskake of not doing that before printing a barcode price for my first book, and because of the calculations from IS, I had to back-track and readjust the wholesale discount figure. It caused an unexpected delay. I would add to your suggestion to do the calculations for IS first, before doing it for KDP. If you’re going with both platforms for the printbook and using the same price, the IS calculation will give you an idea of how low you can set that price. IS will not publish your book with a negative value in the compensation column. KDP’s compensation formulas are way more generous, so as long as you’re getting a positive compensation from IS, even if it’s $0.03, you’re assured a a much more “positive” rate from KDP for the same book pricing. Thanks again for your help. This is an awesome forum! ~David

Hey, David. Thanks for coming back to fill us in on your resolution. Really appreciate it.

Just to clarify, IS and Ingram are sister companies, but not the same company. When you set the discount to 35%, Ingram the distributor still gets their 15%; the bookstore gets only 20%, which is not enough to make it worthwhile for them to carry your book (but they might special order it for a customer if asked).

Isn’t it astonishing how this topic goes on and on–it’s no wonder people get so confused about ISBNs!

Thanks again, and good luck with your book! –Karin

I’m using my own ISBN for my books for the first time, but it’s asking for a *book price* in before assigning the ISBN to a book. I have no idea what I should price it at since this will be my first time owning it and I know it will be going to different retailers and libraries. Should I just price it at what I priced it on Amazon? Can I change the price in my ISBN? Is there a cost to change the price if I decide to change it later?

Hi, K.F. When you fill in the Bowker info to assign an ISBN, it does help to have things like price already defined; however, price is one of the fields you can change after the fact, so take your best guess for now, then make sure to put an action item on your project plan to go back and double check Bowker for any changes needed post-publication.

Re pricing itself, in my opinion the same book should have the same retail price regardless of platform. If you price it at 9.99 on Amazon, price it at 9.99 on IngramSpark. That doesn’t mean you can’t do price promotions occasionally or price it differently for in-person sales (e.g., at a conference or book signing). And it doesn’t mean Amazon won’t play pricing games with your book’s price (out of your control). But as a general rule, the price should be the price. (That said, make sure you understand the royalty calculations on all the platforms you are using so that you choose a price that will make you enough $$.)

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• About the ISBN standard
• Industry Standards
• Helpful Links
• FAQs: General Questions
• FAQs: ISBN eligibility
• FAQs: International Issues
• FAQs: How Changes Affect the ISBN
• FAQs: Ownership and Re-Usage Rights
• FAQs: Formats Reprints Editions
• FAQs: ebooks and ISBNs
• FAQs: Spanish
• ISBN Converter

ISBN History

In 1965, W. H. Smith (the largest single book retailer in Great Britain) announced its plans to move to a computerized warehouse in 1967 and wanted a standard numbering system for books it carried. They hired consultants to work on behalf of their interest, the British Publishers Association's Distribution and Methods Committee and other experts in the U.K. book trade. They devised the Standard Book Numbering (SBN) system in 1966 and it was implemented in 1967.

At the same time, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Technical Committee on Documentation (TC 46) set up a working party to investigate the possibility of adapting the British SBN for international use. A meeting was held in London in 1968 with representatives from Denmark, France, Germany, Eire, the Netherlands, Norway, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and an observer from UNESCO. Other countries contributed written suggestions and expressions of interest. A report of the meeting was circulated to all ISO member countries. Comments on this report and subsequent proposals were considered at meetings of the working party held in Berlin and Stockholm in 1969. As a result of the thinking at all of these meetings, the International Standard Book Number (ISBN) was approved as an ISO standard in 1970, and became ISO 2108.

That original standard has been revised as book and book-like content appeared in new forms of media, but the basic structure of the ISBN as defined in that standard has not changed and is in use today in more than 150 countries. Today the ISBN Agencies around the world are administered by the International ISBN Agency , located in London, UK.

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What’s an ISBN?

In the publishing industry, each book is given a unique identifier called the ISBN (International Standard Book Number) . This code acts as a digital fingerprint, simplifying cataloging, distribution, and sales tracking. The ISBN system assigns meaning to the numbers, providing a range of information about the book. As the publishing industry progresses, so does the ISBN system. It has transitioned from a 10-digit to a 13-digit format and now includes a 979 prefix to accommodate the diverse range of published materials. This blog post will explore what an ISBN is, how it came about, and its role in simplifying the complex world of books and publications.

What does ISBN Number Stand for?

An ISBN is an International Standard Book Number, a series of numerals unique to each published book. The numbers within an ISBN carry important information about the book, such as its title, author, edition, and publisher.

As we’ve already said, this identifier is assigned to books and other publications to facilitate cataloging, distribution, and sales. And the overall ISBN system helps streamline the process of managing books within the global publishing industry. If the original book were a hardcover, a paperback would have a different ISBN, as would a following edition and an ebook. But a reprinted book has the same ISBN.

Where is the ISBN on a Book?

The ISBN is typically found on a book’s back cover, paired with a bar code.

What does ISBN Mean?

An ISBN is not a collection of random numerals . You can separate the numerals into different parts to understand the labeling process.

What is the Format of the ISBN?

An ISBN is typically composed of either 10 or 13 digits , separated into groups by hyphens or spaces. The digits are divided into different segments that hold specific meanings. Since 2007, the ISBN in the U.S. features 13 numerals.

What is the ISBN-13 Format?

The ISBN-13 format is divided into five parts:

• The prefix element recognizes that it’s an ISBN (the current prefix is 978 or 979).
• Registration group signifies the registration group, representing a geographic region, language, or a specific country. ( “0” designates that the book was published within the United States, while “1” signifies that the book originated from another English-speaking country.)
• The registrant element identifies the specific publisher or imprint.
• The publication element identifies the specific title, edition, or format of the publication.

A check digit is calculated using a mathematical formula to ensure the validity of the ISBN.

What’s the Difference Between 10-digit and 13-digit ISBNs?

ISBN-10 and ISBN-13 indicate how many digits are in the ISBN and are two separate systems for identifying books. Before 2007 there were only 10 digits; thereafter, 13-digit ISBNs were used and created to increase the availability of ISBN numbers worldwide.

The ISBN transitioned from a 10-digit format to a 13-digit format to accommodate the increasing number of books and other published materials. The change was made to align with the Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) system , which is used for various products, not just books.

The 13-digit ISBN provides more unique combinations, allowing for more efficient cataloging and tracking. Bowker provides a conversion tool that allows publishers to transition their existing 10-digit ISBNs to the 13-digit format.

What is the 979 Prefix?

The U.S. ISBN Agency has been assigning the 978 prefix to 13-digit ISBNs since 2007. However, blocks of ISBN-13s built on existing ISBN-10s are exhausted. So, as of 2020, the U.S. ISBN Agency has begun assigning ISBNs starting with the prefix element 979. According to the International ISBN Agency , “ The introduction of ISBNs from the 979 ranges is necessary to increase the available inventory of some ISBN block sizes. ”

When did ISBN Start?

The ISBN system used today in the U.S. features 13 digits, but that wasn’t always the case. In 1965, Gordon Foster, a statistics professor at Trinity College in Dublin, created the Standard Book Number system using nine numerals. In addition, Englishman David Whitaker and Romanian Emery Koltay tacked on another numeral.

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Technical Committee on Documentation (TC 46) convened a meeting of member countries in 1968. The meeting explored the idea of making the Standard Book Number international. They held subsequent meetings with member representatives from the ISO, and in 1970, the ISO approved the International Standard Book Number.

How to Get an ISBN Number?

In every country, a designated agency issues ISBNs. However, all of them are administered by the London-based International ISBN Agency . These agencies are responsible for managing and distributing ISBNs to publishers, authors, and other entities involved in the production and distribution of books.

In the United States, R.R. Bowker (ISBN.org by Bowker) issues the ISBNs for works published here. Emery Koltay worked to make Bowker the U.S. issuing agency and continued with the company until his death in 2012. In the U.S., registering a single ISBN may cost $125, and all registered titles are listed in Bowker Books in Print.

Does Every Book Have an ISBN Number?

Every book published in the United States since 1970 carries an ISBN. Books published before that decade may have Standard Book Numbers , or, unfortunately, they may have no identifying numerals at all.

Are Different ISBNs Used if a Book Appears in Different Languages?

Yes, different ISBNs are typically used if a book appears in different languages or if there are regional variations of the same book. This helps distinguish between various editions, translations, and versions of the publication. For instance, an English book and its translated version in Spanish would have different ISBNs, even if the content remains the same.

As you can see, ISBNs play a crucial role in the publishing industry by providing a standardized way to identify and track books. With the transition from 10-digit to 13-digit ISBNs and the addition of the 979 prefix, the efficiency of cataloging and distribution processes has improved even more. Establishing the ISBN system took years; however, nowadays, it’s impossible to imagine a book that doesn’t have an ISBN.

Natalie Meyers

Natalie Meyers is a freelance writer and editor with more than 15 years of experience. As an English major and a psychology graduate, she worked as a teacher and a counselor. As a writer, she's covered a diverse range of topics from technology to publishing. She is an avid reader who believes that books help us become more authentic versions of ourselves. At BookScouter, she's a smart writer and an expert in all things books.

Last Updated on February 23, 2024 by Abigail White

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Home / Book Publishing / What Is An ISBN? 11 Facts For Self-Publishing Authors

What Is An ISBN? 11 Facts For Self-Publishing Authors

When you get ready to produce your self-published book, you’ll need something called an ISBN. This 13-digit number can be an enigma if you’re not well-versed in the technical side of self-publishing .

The good news is that the ISBN system is easy to figure out.

If you just want to know how to get an ISBN, check out our article on How To Get an ISBN . And check out our ISBN barcode generator for a free tool to get a custom barcode that you can use in the design of your book.

• What an ISBN is
• Why identification numbers are important
• Which books need an ISBN
• What self-publishers must know about ISBNs to look legit

Table of contents

• 1. The Meaning Of ISBN
• 2. Who Needs An ISBN?
• 3. Do Different Publishing Methods Require Separate ISBNs?
• 4. Can You Recycle An ISBN?

5. How Are ISBNs Issued & Assigned?

• 6. To Whom Are ISBNs Issued
• 7. Disadvantages Of Publishing Without An ISBN
• 8. How Do I Get An ISBN?
• 9. Does My Ebook Need An ISBN?
• 10. ISBNs vs. Barcodes
• 11. The Meaning Of An ISBN Number
• The Final Word

Links in this article may earn me a small commission if you use them to purchase a service or product. This has not affected my opinion, and it’s at no extra cost to you. However, it helps me continue to write these awesome articles that anyone can read for free!

ISBN stands for International Standard Book Number. It’s a numbering system that provides each published book with a unique identifier to make it easier for booksellers, libraries, and readers to find the exact version they need.

Every single digit has meaning, but we’ll get into that below. ( Jump to section 11. )

Why is ISBN important? An ISBN is important because ISBNs help distinguish multiple books with the same title , multiple versions, or various editions of the same book. For example, if you’re looking for a particular version of Jane Eyre , it’s much easier to find if you have the correct ISBN.

How many digits are in the ISBN number? There are 13 digits in current ISBN numbers. Prior to 2007, ISBNs had 10 digits, but the ISBN agency was running out of available numbers, so they added a 3-digit EAN prefix to the beginning of each 10-digit ISBN to create a 13-digit ISBN.

It’s important to note that ISBNs do not assign rights to a book. Copyright is entirely separate from ISBNs and book identification.

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All publishers creating books in print need an ISBN, including self-publishers. It’s essential to have that unique number if you want booksellers and readers to find your book.

Does every book have an ISBN number? Every printed book has an ISBN number, but not every digital book does.

If you’re publishing your book digitally, either as an eBook or a digital audiobook, you’ll only need an ISBN if your book distributor requires it. You don’t need an ISBN to publish an eBook on the following major digital distribution services:

• Amazon Kindle
• Barnes & Noble
• Apple iBooks
• Google Play Books

Do Self-published Authors Need to Buy ISBNs?

While every book must have an ISBN, the big question is whether you should get it for free from Amazon or a distributor like Draft2Digital, or if you should buy your own.

For the vast majority of self-published authors, I don't actually recommend that you get an ISBN. It will not affect the money you make online, your ability to build a loyal audience, or to make a living as an author. All it will do is drain your wallets.

That said, there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all solution for anyone. There are instances where you might want to consider buying ISBNs for your book. See this table for a breakdown:

The big sticking point for a lot of authors is this: not having your name or your publishing company's name listed as the publisher. But honestly, this means little. It doesn't mean Amazon has a legal right to your content. You still own the copyright. It does not mean you'll earn more or less royalties. All it means is that their name will be there instead of yours.

It's absolutely okay if you want to have your name there, but understand that it gives you no benefit. It's almost entirely a point of pride, nothing more.

With ONE exception.

There is some evidence to make us believe that libraries and bookstores are less likely to order your book if it carries Amazon's name on it. So in that case, it could be beneficial to buy your own ISBN so you can have your own name there instead. However, since most bookstores and libraries rarely stock physical versions of your books anyway, this is less of an issue than it might seem.

You need a separate ISBN for each format you publish in.

For example, if you print your book as a paperback and hardcover, you’ll need a different ISBN for each.

If you choose to publish a second edition of a book, you will need a new ISBN for each version of that book you create as well.

Digital books (eBooks and digital audiobooks) don’t require an ISBN, but you may want to get one anyway. An ISBN for your eBook version can make it easier for readers to find your book, but it’s not necessary.

You can’t recycle or reuse an old ISBN. The bibliographic information for an ISBN can’t be updated and switched over to a new book.

If you need an ISBN for a new edition or new book, you’ll need to get a brand new ISBN.

ISBNs are assigned by each country’s ISBN agency.

R.R. Bowker is the U.S. ISBN agency — and in Australia, too. In the U.K. and Ireland, Nielsen distributes ISBNs. These local agencies collect information about their country’s books and submit it to the International ISBN Agency.

ISBNs are issued to publishers. But if you’re self-publishing, ISBNs you purchase can be issued to you . If you’re registering a new ISBN, you can list your name as the publisher if you don’t have your own publishing company .

The free ISBN you can get from print-on-demand services like Amazon’s KDP or BookBaby will list that service or “independently published” as the publisher, not you directly. This screams, “I’m self-published!” so it’s best to purchase your own ISBN directly if you have the budget.

Is there an ISBN for magazines? There is an ISBN for magazines, called an ISSN, or International Standard Serial Number. ISBNs should not be used with magazines or any other serialized content.

There are a few disadvantages of publishing a digital book without an ISBN, including:

• It can be more difficult to track eBook sales across platforms without an ISBN.
• Your book won’t be available to readers who prefer print books.
• Your book won’t be included in the Books in Print database .

For most self-publishers, it’s not a big deal to publish an eBook without an ISBN. However, some with very particular needs might want to purchase an ISBN.

To get a unique ISBN for your book, head to your country’s ISBN agency. Some countries provide ISBNs to publishers for free, and other agencies charge a fee for ISBNs. You can purchase a single ISBN or buy a bundle of ISBNs at a discounted price.

Unfortunately, if you live in the U.S., you’ll have to pay for your ISBNs, unless you get a free ISBN through a print-on-demand service. (Reminder: You won’t be officially listed as the book’s publisher if you go this route.) Print-on-demand services sometimes offer discounted ISBNs.

Video: How to Get an ISBN

I've also got a video on this subject that will walk you through the process to get ISBNs for yourself.

Want more videos like this? Be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel for weekly videos!

Depending on where you publish or distribute your eBook, it may or may not need its own ISBN.

Most of the major eBook distributors do not require ISBNs for eBooks. These distributors will usually have a place to add an ISBN if you want one, but it’s not needed to publish.

If you’re concerned that your eBook might need an ISBN, check with the service(s) you’ll be using to distribute your book. Most likely, they won’t require one, but it never hurts to check.

Book barcodes typically contain the same information as an ISBN, but they are not actually ISBNs.

Barcodes are what retailers use to scan books into their computer systems to sell them. ISBNs don’t require a barcode.

Barcodes are found on the book’s back cover, whereas ISBNs are typically located on the copyright page. If you’re formatting your own book, be sure to follow best practices for creating a copyright page and include your book’s 13-digit ISBN.

What does the ISBN number tell you? The ISBN number tells you where a book was published, who published it, its title, format, and other basic information about the book.

A full ISBN contains 5 sections, all separated by hyphens. Those sections are:

• The EAN, currently either 978 or 979
• The registration group, which tells you where the book was published (country or region)
• The registrant element, which tells you who published the book
• The publication element, which correlates to the book titles , format, edition, author (with author biography ), category , and synopsis of the book
• The check digit, the mathematically-calculated last digit that ensures the ISBN was typed out properly

ISBNs can seem confusing at first, but they’re pretty straightforward. Get one ISBN for each print version you offer, and only if you buy one for your eBook if you really want it.

It’s a good idea to buy your own, if you can, and skip the free ISBNs handed out by print-on-demand services.

If you’re ready to self-publish your book, along with an ISBN, you’re also going to need to format your book. I love and recommend Ebook Launch for formatting, but Vellum and Atticus are great options if you’d prefer DIY formatting.

You’ll also need a killer book cover to help your book sell well. Sci-fi and fantasy authors can’t beat Jeff Brown Graphics . Authors in other genres should check out Damonza . If you’re on a budget, try finding a cover designer on Fiverr , or learn how to DIY your book cover.

Once you have a formatted interior, a great cover, and your ISBN, it’s time to publish and get your book into your readers’ hands. In that case, check out these 70+ Book Marketing Tips .

Dave Chesson

When I’m not sipping tea with princesses or lightsaber dueling with little Jedi, I’m a book marketing nut. Having consulted multiple publishing companies and NYT best-selling authors, I created Kindlepreneur to help authors sell more books. I’ve even been called “The Kindlepreneur” by Amazon publicly, and I’m here to help you with your author journey.

• 5. How Are ISBNs Issued & Assigned?

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DOI® System and the ISBN System

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ISBN and ISBN-A

The ISBN (International Standard Book Number) is a 13-digit identification number and system, widely used in the international book trade for over 35 years and assigned through a network of international ISBN Registration Agencies. ISBNs are used to identify each unique publication whether in the form of a physical book or related materials such as eBooks, software, mixed media etc.

The DOI® System offers a persistent actionable identifier for use on digital networks. A “DOI name” refers to the syntax string within the “DOI System”. The ISBN-A (“the actionable ISBN”) is a service powered by DOI®, in which an existing ISBN is expressed in the DOI System.

Why express an ISBN through the DOI System?

ISBN is adequate for trading physical products, but cannot easily take advantage of new possibilities digital networks offer, e.g.:

• Combining a publication’s identity with a preferred quality-controlled Internet destination where fuller descriptive information, additional or related content or e-commerce options can be provided;
• Variable licensing dependent on the user;
• Locating the optimal fastest URL for downloading large files;
• Dynamic tracking of digital-product sales.

As the Internet develops, new technologies are likely to offer further opportunities to publishers (e.g. peer to peer, resource sharing, additions to VoIP applications).

Publishers’ internal systems and bibliographic agency databases use ISBN as the key identifier. Introducing additional identifiers adds complexity, cost and potentially confusion; it therefore makes sense to continue using the ISBN as a principal identifier for digital publications, rather than add a new number. By including the ISBN in the DOI syntax in a standard way, a DOI is obtained which is derived from an ISBN. The ISBN International agency and the International DOI Foundation have agreed a way of doing this.

About ISBN-A

ISBN-A (“the actionable ISBN”) is a DOI name derived from an existing ISBN, by including the ISBN in the syntax string of the DOI. An ISBN-A can only be registered for a 13-digit ISBN. Previous editions of the ISBN Standard allowed a 10-digit version. To register an ISBN-A from a legacy 10-digit ISBN it is first necessary to convert it to the 13-digit format, which will usually involve adding the appropriate GS1 prefix at the beginning (978) and recalculating the check digit. Note that the calculation method for the check digit for a 13-digit ISBN is different to that for a 10-digit ISBN. National ISBN Agencies can provide advice about converting ISBNs.

• By definition, an ISBN-A identifies the same referent as that ISBN. It incorporates, but does not replace, the corresponding ISBN. The referent is determined by the ISBN agency.
• ISBN-As do not automatically exist for every ISBN; they exist only once the agency has registered them in the DOI System.
• In particular, current supply chain ordering procedures do not use ISBN-A but only ISBN, ISBN-derived bar code etc.
• An ISBN on its own cannot be resolved in the DOI System. It must be expressed and registered as an ISBN-A.
• Publishers may obtain DOI names from other DOI-RAs if they so wish.
• The purpose of creating a ISBN-A is to make an existing ISBN useful in a DOI application.
• Publishers, registration agencies, bibliographic databases and web-based systems only need one number-string (the ISBN) to manage and utilise a corresponding DOI name, so development of new applications for the book supply-chain can be made efficiently.
• The DOI metadata model enables provision of compatible and mutually supportive information to that provided from the ISBN system (such as bibliographic information in ONIX for Books standard format.)

Syntax of ISBN-A

The ISBN-A is constructed by incorporating an ISBN into the allowed DOI syntax:

Example: 10.978.12345/99990

The syntax specification, reading from left to right, is:

• Handle System DOI name prefix = “10.”
• ISBN (GS1) Bookland prefix = “978.” or “979.”
• ISBN registration group element and publisher prefix = variable length numeric string of 2 to 8 digits
• Prefix/suffix divider = “/”
• ISBN Title enumerator and checkdigit = maximum 6 digit title enumerator and 1 digit check digit.
• the total length of the “Bookland prefix”, the “ISBN registration group/publisher prefix” plus the “ISBN Title enumerator and checkdigit” will always equal 13 digits.
• the check digit from the ISBN remains unchanged; the DOI System prefix addition does not affect the check digit, nor is this used by the DOI System.

Examples of applications

• IISBN-A resolving to a managed web page service providing descriptive detail about the book e.g. publisher, title, author, subject and product description, cover image, cataloguing data. Publishers could further customize their pages with hyperlinks they control.
• to convey in a single access point reading samples, press releases, interviews, reviews;
• to provide direct purchase from selected on line retailers;
• to provide the reader with a choice of alternative formats of the same title;
• to build a reader-community by linking to the ISBN-A widgets, blogs, social networks add on tools, podcasting;
• to redirect to print on demand, rights clearance services and better exploit the long tail effect.
• ISBN-A services are directly controlled by the publisher even when titles are hosted by third party platforms, e.g. on Google Book Search once users discover a title within Book Search, they get access to ad hoc information and services related to that title, selected and updated by the publisher himself, simply by clicking on the ISBN-A.
• Generically: DOI names may be grouped into Application profiles; any single DOI name can be a member of one or Application Profiles; RAs might therefore agree to offer ISBN-A registration which would enable the DOI name to participate in several application profiles and services offered by different RAs.
• By individual publishers: e.g. a publication using a DOI name in a citation linking service may also use an ISBN-A enabled service by resolving the citation to a ISBN-A
• Structured relationships may be expressed through appropriate use of the DOI System, e.g. a ISBN-A might resolve to related ISTC data about the work and provide some automated data expressing the link.

Industry recommendations on digital book publications

The Book Industry Study Group (BISG) ( www.bisg.org ) released its “Policy Statement for identifying Digital Products” in December 2011. The policy statement was the result of a careful initial survey of the existing situation in North America followed by discussions in a working group of supply chain representatives that examined practical use cases with a view to developing recommended future practices. The BISG Policy Statement supports key aspects of the ISBN Standard as well as of the International ISBN Agency Guidelines:

• Digital publications should not be identified with the same ISBN as a printed edition;
• If a digital publication is available in more than one format (e.g. EPUB, .pdf), then each format should be separately identified by its own ISBN;
• If a digital publication is available in the same format but with different usage rights then each of the different usage rights should be identified by a separate ISBN;
• In cases where intermediaries or other third parties create additional formats and versions on behalf of publishers they should assign ISBNs to each unique digital publication they produce, if the publisher chooses only to assign an ISBN to the initial version they provide;
• The only valid ISBNs are those assigned to a publisher or intermediary by the respective national ISBN Agency operating in the territory where the publisher or intermediary is based;
• A proprietary number should not be labelled “ISBN” even if it is in the same format as an ISBN. Only legitimate ISBNs issued by a national ISBN agency may be labelled as ISBN;
• All ISBNs should be labelled “ISBN”. There is no identifier called “e-ISBN”.

Each of these ISBNs could be expressed as an ISBN-A if appropriate to an application. The International ISBN Agency issued a Press Release in January 2012 welcoming the BISG Policy Statement as an important contribution to the recommendations for assignment and management of appropriate identifiers to digital publications. In addition, within the Press Release the International ISBN Agency has also issued some further guidance covering in particular the more complex use cases related to the distinction between “products” and “transactions” in order to help supply chain partners make the right decisions on a day to day basis. If you have specific questions about how to use ISBNs, please contact the International ISBN Agency at [email protected] or your national ISBN Agency.

DOI collaborations with other identifier systems

There are other similar examples of identifier system collaboration: notably the ISBN may be expressed as a bar-code to be processed by store electronic systems. The value of each system is enhanced if they work together.

The guiding principles for referencing other identifier schemes within the DOI System are to maximise utility to potential users, and to maximise efficiency among registration agencies. The ISO Standard for the DOI System states that “if an object or class of objects identified by DOI name(s) is already within the scope of another ISO standard identifier, the DOI registration authority shall consult with the registration authority of the other ISO identifier to agree a mechanism for the inclusion of the character string of the identifier within the DOI syntax. The character string of the other ISO identifier shall be integrated into the DOI syntax, unless the relevant Registration Authority of that standard identifier indicates otherwise, or another integration mechanism (such as referencing as part of DOI metadata) cannot be agreed”.

The ISBN-A is the first example of such an agreement in action.

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• Archway Publishing FAQ
• 10 Things You Should Know About ISBN

10 Things You Should Know About the ISBN

ISBN stands for International Standard Book Number and is a 13-digit number that identifies published books. Once assigned to a book, an ISBN can never be reused.

There are five parts to an ISBN number – the current prefix of 978 or 979, the registration group (country), the registrant element (publisher), the publication element (title and format) and the check digit.

WHSmith, the largest book retailer in Great Britain, launched the Standard Book Numbering (SBN) system in 1967 as a way to organize books in its new computerized warehouse.

The International ISBN Agency, located in London, is the registration authority for the ISBN system worldwide.

An ISBN identifies the registrant, title, edition and format of products used by publishers, bookstores, libraries, etc. and is important for ordering, sales reporting and inventory control. An ISBN increases the chances that your book will be found.

Most bookstores will not feature or sell any book that is not first listed within their warehouse database. To get there, your book must have a unique ISBN.

ISBNs were 10 digits in length until 2007, when they expanded to 13 digits.

The single digit last number is the check digit, which now ranges from 0 to 9. The former 10-digit ISBN check digit ranged from 1 to 10. In cases where a 10 was needed, the Roman numeral X was used.

ISBNs are calculated using a numerical equation in which the check digit confirms the number. The most recent system involves a modulo 10 system where the first digit is to be multiplied by 1, the second by 3, the third by 1, the fourth by 3, etc. All solutions are then added together, and the check digit is added last to make the total a multiple of 10.

The ISBN does not provide any form of legal or copyright protection. However, some countries legally require the use of an ISBN to identify publications.

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How to Get an ISBN Number for Your Book

A common question that self-publishing authors ask us at Reedsy is, "How do I get an ISBN number for my book?" The truth is that purchasing an ISBN is really simple. In some circumstances, you can get one for free — and sometimes, you won't even need one at all.

In this guide, we'll show you how to get an ISBN number for your book — either at a rock-bottom cost or for free.

What is an ISBN number?

An International Standard Book Number, or ISBN, is a 13-digit code used as a unique identifier for books. An ISBN is assigned to each edition of a book, helping  publishers , bookstores, and libraries keep track of their stock and sales. Readers can also use them to look up specific editions online.

ISBNs usually appear on the back of a book alongside the barcode.

So, with that in mind, let's see how you go about securing a code of your own. 

How to Get an ISBN in 3 Steps

As a self-publishing author, you can get an ISBN barcode for your book by purchasing it from an ISBN agency like Bowker for $125, or for free from other publishers and distributors, like Draft2Digital. Keep in mind you’ll need an ISBN number for each version of your title (e.g. print or ebook). 

Here's a simple way to get an ISBN:

• Choose between free and paid ISBNs
• Identify providers in your region 
• Buy ISBNs in bulk for the best value

1. Choose between free and paid ISBNs

There are a handful of big ISBN vendors, like Bowker and Nielsen, who are the go-to sources for most authors. However, depending on your publishing aims, it’s also possible to use cheaper or free ISBNs. 

Where to get free ISBN numbers

In the US and UK, many aggregators (companies that distribute your book to multiple retailers) will assign indie authors an ISBN for free, or at a discount. These aggregators include:

Some government territories, such as Canada, provide free ISBN numbers (lucky you)! The second step of this how-to will give you more information about your regional providers.

A note on ASINs

While we’re talking about free ISBNs, it’s worth mentioning an alternative: the ASIN. The ASIN functions similarly to the ISBN, but is only used within Amazon — and you’re given one for free whenever you publish a book on Amazon . 

So why would you need both? Basically, while you cannot rely on a book’s ASIN to find it outside of Amazon, you can always count on an ISBN.  For that reason, if you plan to “go wide” on other sites — or have distribution in brick-and-mortar stores — you’ll need an ISBN in addition to an ASIN. If you plan to self-publish on Amazon exclusively, you can, by all means, forego the ISBN costs and stick to the free ASIN. 

Do you need an ISBN number?

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Why you might want to buy an ISBN anyway

So you can get an ISBN for free or at a discounted price, or if you’re only publishing digitally on Amazon, you don’t need an ISBN at all. So why would anyone ever pay for an ISBN? 

Aha! Here’s the catch: when you register for an ISBN number through an aggregator like the ones we listed above, industry regulations mean that you are limited to the retail channels of that company alone, whereas simply buying an ISBN from the start means you can expand wherever you see fit. 

To show you what we mean: maybe you’re selling your book on Amazon (an individual platform), and then decide to go wider through Draft2Digital (an aggregator). The former provides you with a free ASIN and the latter with a free ISBN. 

But let’s say your sales aren't too strong, and you want to make your book available on other distribution channels, like BookBaby and eBookPartnership. If you didn't buy your ISBN independently, you’ll need to register for separate numbers from each of those publishing companies as well. This can snowball into you having several ISBNs and different publishers all listed for the same book, which looks seriously unprofessional and may harm your book’s chances of getting stocked in brick-and-mortar bookstores and libraries.

Ultimately, it’s up to you whether you want to keep your ISBN consistent between aggregators or if you’re happy with a mix. If you aren’t sure which decision is in your best interests, perhaps consider working with a professional book marketer to ensure you maximize your chances of success.

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2. Identify providers in your region 

Each country or territory has its own regional provider of ISBNs. Perhaps the best-known ISBN provider is Bowker , the official administrator for the United States. In the United Kingdom, authors can buy a number through Nielsen. 

To find out whether ISBNs are free in your country (and for instructions on requesting a number), you can look up your local agency here .

Once you’ve identified your local provider, you’re ready to buy!

3. Buy ISBNs in bulk for the best value

One book, one ISBN needed, right? Not so fast.

Not only do ISBNs have a heavy discount on bulk purchases, but a single ISBN is rarely enough. Say you’re publishing a paperback. If you ever want to revise or release that paperback in a new edition, you’ll need a new ISBN. You’ll also need another ISBN for a future hardcover edition, and the same applies to releasing an audiobook. If you make all those single purchases via Bowker, you’re looking at $500 for 4 ISBNs, while a bulk purchase of 10 ISBNs will only set you back $295. 

We’ve broken down these  Bowker costs  for US authors and publishers, as well as the  Nielsen costs for those in the UK, in the table below:

Even if you’re only working on one book at the moment, 10 ISBNs are a sensible investment when you’re starting out. 

Bonus tip: Register your ISBN with Bowkerlink

Regardless of where you live or who provided your ISBN, once you have received your number, you should register it at Bowkerlink . This will automatically add your title to Bowker’s Books In Print : a bibliographic database consulted by libraries around the world. Books In Print currently hosts about 7.5 million US book, audiobook , and movie titles, as well as 12 million international titles — and yours is about to be one of them!

Now you’ve sorted out all the practicalities and your book is ready for sale, why not check out more of our resources on what to do next. If you haven’t yet got a plan in place for promoting your book, our guide on that is a good place to start!

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What is an ISBN and Imprint Name?

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Your Guide to 33 Useful Book Terms and Acronyms

E very subculture has its own fun lingo, and the book community is no exception. If you've ever scrolled through BookTok or reviews for books on Goodreads , you've probably come across all kinds of literary slang, puns and acronyms that had you scratching your head and feeling out of the loop. Readers often use specific terms as a shorthand—after all, less typing means getting to read more books —to talk about the books they're reading, want to read or don't plan on finishing. If you Google "TBR meaning" or "What does TBR mean," for example, you might be surprised to find it's used to describe books "to be read" and not, in fact, the first hit on Google: Tennessee Board of Regents!

That's why we've created a handy guide that will help you understand the most useful book slang, as well as some made-up terms that may not be real—but really should be. So the next time you're writing a review about the  best books  you've just read or your favorite romance novels , or talking with fellow bookworms in your online book club , make sure to add the following to your vocab list.

Reading terms

Have you ever struggled to come up with a term that captured the exact feeling of something you want to say? That's what this list is here for. These commonly used reading terms help define the universal reading experience, as well as explain some literary tropes that avid readers like you may recognize.

Binge-read: Arguably the healthiest of binges, binge-reading is the act of blasting through a good chunk of a single book or even multiple books in a short period of time. It's especially fun and easy to binge-read short books .

Reading slump: When you lose interest in reading for a while and either avoid reading books altogether or can't get into any new books you pick up. This is perfectly normal, especially after reading an especially riveting book—and then all other books seem to pale in comparison.

Book hangover: When your emotional and mental state is so greatly affected by a book, whether in a positive or negative way, that you need time to process it before moving on to another one. You'll find this is very common after reading more serious reads like books about race relations in America or dystopian books . Here's how to recover from a book hangover if you have one.

Book haul: The act of showing off books you just bought or borrowed at the library.

Auto-buy author: A beloved author whose books you will always instantaneously pre-order or pick up as soon as possible.

Insta-love: A trope where characters instantly fall in love with each other—oftentimes without fully getting to know each other yet.

Spoiler: This is a disclaimer that will warn you if a book review will reveal something about the plot or ending that you may not want to know before you start reading it. Pro tip: You especially want to keep an eye out for spoiler alerts in reviews for mystery books !

Mary Sue: A character who is inexplicably and unrealistically perfect in every way.

Ship: A shortened version of "relationship," this is when you support a romantic pairing between two characters, even if the author may not have intended it, and it's all in your head.

Second lead syndrome: Commonly used in the Korean drama community, the second lead syndrome is when you support the secondary love interest, even though you suspect they won't end up with the main character ... or will they?

Shelfie: This is a pic of a bookshelf that shows off a book collection or a selfie with books in the background. It's a fun way to see how BookTokkers organize their bookshelves !

Mood reader: A person who changes the book genres they read depending on their mood.

Bookish acronyms

Gone are the simple days when only "LOL" and "BRB" filled our AOL chats. Every year, there are more and more fun acronyms to express certain feelings or ideas. And while the following are technically bookish initialisms—acronyms are specifically abbreviations formed from the first letters of a longer term or phrase, which  can be said as its own word (think "NASA" or "NATO")—you'll find yourself using all these in your literary circles before you know it.

TBR: To Be Read. These days, BookTokkers, Bookstagrammers and book reviewers alike use the term TBR, meaning good books to be read. When you can't wait for an upcoming publication date for your favorite author—or you get a book recommendation from a trusty source—make sure to add it to your TBR list.

CR: Currently Reading. Once you start a new book, you can move it from your TBR list to your CR list. Many bookworms proudly display their CR book on their social media accounts.

DNF: Did Not Finish. The DNF meaning is a useful one, and you'll see it come up a lot in online book reviews. Life is short, and you should dedicate your precious time to finishing books you actually enjoy. Don't like a book or aren't a fan of the subject matter? Add it to your DNF list and release yourself from the guilt.

MC: Main Character. No, your book club member isn't referring to an emcee, aka master of ceremonies, when they're talking about this kind of MC. In the book community, MC refers to the beloved protagonist of the book.

POV: Point of View. While this one may seem a bit more obvious, POV is often used in book reviews or book discussions to refer to the narrator of the story. This is especially handy if a book has chapters that switch between the perspectives of more than one character.

OTP: One True Pairing. You know that perfect fictional couple—whether it's the original romantic pairing written by the author or one that fans conjured up—that makes you squeal with delight? That's your OTP.

• M/M or F/F: Male/Male or Female/Female. This shorthand is used to describe same-sex romantic pairings. And it isn't just limited to LGBTQ+ books . The fiction world is expanding its representation of all different kinds of love.

FTB: Fade to Black. FTB is a fun acronym that's getting more traction to describe scenes where the author suggests intimacy between love interests, but skips the explicit details—or even the steamy scene altogether. It's akin to a tame PG-13 movie rather than one that's rated R.

TW/CW: Trigger Warning/Content Warning. Typically used interchangeably, TW and CW are becoming more commonplace as we become more mindful of sensitive topics that may disturb some readers. You'll see this heads-up about upsetting subject matter in the book review or a book itself, so readers can steer clear if they wish.

HEA: Happily Ever After. While the term "happy" is rather subjective, an HEA ending is when the main character achieves what they wanted, or when they're emotionally satisfied at the end of the book. For example, a HEA romance novel may mean the OTP get married and have adorable babies.

HFN: Happy For Now. HFN is slightly different from HEA: It implies an optimistic outcome, but it's more realistic than a sappy happy ending where all the conflicts are resolved and tied neatly with a bow. You'll see HFN endings more often in the best book series to keep you coming back for more.

More great books for your TBR pile

Fun words to describe the reading experience.

The following portmanteaus and book terms haven't officially been adopted by the book community—yet. However, they're words that describe universal reading experiences that all book lovers can relate to, and if readers can Google "TBR meaning," we figure they'll be open to these! After all, if Shakespeare made up words, why can't we?

Anticippointment: The warring feelings of anticipation of a book's exciting climax and disappointment that the book is going to end soon.

Book-option fatigue: The decision-fatigue you experience when facing a nearly endless option of book choices. With a long enough TBR list or a packed enough bookshelf, it can be hard to settle on what you want to read next. Check out these BookTok books that are actually worth the hype.

Bookspressions: The expressions you make while reading, sometimes mirroring the characters' feelings. (Let's be honest. You totally give a slanted grin along with the love interest and crook an eyebrow when the villain does.)

Litjock: Someone who is super enthusiastic about reading and makes it a big, wonderful part of their identity.

Coverfished: When you get tricked into reading a lower quality book by its beautiful and enticing book cover. You'll typically add these to your DNF list.

Litultery: The act of committing adultery with your CR list, i.e. reading more than one book at a time. This is an especially apt term if you're taking breaks from more challenging and highbrow classic books to indulge in an easy beach read.

Wazthawerd: Words or names that you don't have a clue how to pronounce or define.

Scintisensational: A book that wakes you up to the cultures of everyday people, whether it be their home or ethnicity. Check out these books by Black authors , books by Latinx authors , Asian American books , and feminist books .

Tears Blur-turner: A sad book that has you barely making out the blurry words through your tears, but you can't stop reading. These books can often be recognized by teardrop stains on their pages.

Serial reader: A lit lover with a big appetite for books who picks up a new story immediately after finishing a book. Forget downtime! Serial readers kill it when it comes to reading nonstop.

Now that you know the meaning of TBR and these other book terms, put these thrillers , sci-fi books and autobiographies on your TBR list.

The post Your Guide to 33 Useful Book Terms and Acronyms appeared first on Reader's Digest .

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