Recap

In my last post, I talked about Copyright. Fun, right? Not so much. But if you learn to do these things yourself, you will be independent and a pro at self-publishing. Who knows? You might even find a new career path—your niche.

I’ll tell you a brief story about something that happened to me recently. Last week, while I was working on that Copyright post, I found myself locked out of my account. I reached out through the “Contact Us” page, and my issue was resolved promptly. That’s efficient copyright work for you!

Today’s Theme

As I promised last week, I’m going to tell you about the ISBN: what it means, why you need one, and how many you’ll need. Again, there are many YouTube videos out there, but you can look at this blog as your personal guide. I’ll include as many links as possible to help you out.

ISBN: To the Grain

An International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is a unique commercial identifier associated with your book. You’ll need this number to sell your book commercially.

Here is the kicker: every version of your book needs a different number. You will need to purchase a separate ISBN for your print, electronic, and translated versions of the same title.

• The Cost: One ISBN is $125, but you can buy a pack of ten for $295 ($29.50 each).
• The “Free” Trap: Publishing platforms like Amazon and IngramSpark will offer you a free ISBN, but use caution! If you accept a free ISBN from these companies, you can only sell your book through them. However, if you own your own ISBN, you can take your book wherever you want, anytime you please.

Tell Me Where, Please!

I’ve told you the what, the why, and the importance of ownership. Now, I’ll tell you the where.

Go to Bowker.com. I know the website has a lot going on, but don’t get discouraged—you’ve got this! In the top left corner, next to the logo, click on Author Solutions. You will be prompted to choose your service based on the country you live in.

• United States: Bowker ISBN US
• Australia: Bowker ISBN AU

Ordering Your ISBN

The button you are looking for is literally called Order ISBN. For US residents, you will be directed to a page called Identifiers at MyIdentifiers.com.

Take a moment to read through the page. I always recommend doing your own research rather than just taking my word for it! The next step is simply to create an account. From there, it’s easy. But if you have any trouble, feel free to leave a comment or email me at author@anechypadron.com.

Au Revoir

That’s it for today! I hope I was able to throw some light on your self-publishing journey. Perhaps you already knew these things, but thanks for reading anyway! Please share this with others who might need the info.

I’ll drop a YouTube video here if you prefer a visual aid. One day, I will have a video-podcast version of this blog, so stay tuned for that.

Hint for next week

I’ll be talking about the Library of Congress Control Number (LCCN). See you soon!

Anechy Padron

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