Monday, July 7, 2014
By Carla King (
@MissAdventuring)
I see more questions in Facebook and LinkedIn forums, as well as elsewhere on the Internet, about ISBN numbers. That’s why I’m pleased to introduce guest post author Carla King. Today she provides some basics on what self-published authors need to know about ISBNs.
Recently I was interviewed by a journalist for a story in a big magazine who is writing an article about self-publishing. A former Self-Pub Boot Camp student told her about me?thank you Susan!?and we had a very long talk. The journalist didn’t know very much about self-publishing but she sure does now! I wonder how she’s going to distill the information I gave her into a one-page article.
“What do self-publishers need to know most?” she asked.
“BUY YOUR OWN ISBN NUMBERS!” I replied, without hesitation. Oh no, did I shout? Maybe.
In the USA you can buy a set of 10 for $250. You may not need 10, but one costs $150 and you need at least three: one for PDF (print), one for MOBI (Kindle) and one for EPUB (all other ebooks). You might also need one for your audio book and another for your multimedia edition.
Why You Need Your Own ISBNs
The point is that with your own ISBN you can change services as you wish. That means your book will never be trapped with a single service.
In other words, when you buy your own ISBNs you will not be sucked into purchasing a publishing package from one of the many services run by companies like the notoriously unscrupulous Author Solutions. Why? Because they do not allow you to apply you own ISBN number to a book they produce for you. Lesson: If you cannot apply your own ISBN, your book is essentially trapped with the company that owns it.
So that’s my reminder to you today. Please buy your own ISBNs. It’s the single most important action item for you to do in order to remain an independent author.
Where to buy ISBNs
USA, $250 for 10:
Bowker Identifier ServicesUK and Ireland, £132 for 10:
Nielsen UK ISBN AgencyAustralia, $84 for 10:
Thorpe-BowkerResidents of these countries get free ISBNs:Canada:
Canadian ISBN Service System (CISS)New Zealand:
National Library of New ZealandSouth Africa:
National Library of South AfricaYour country not listed? Just Google it!Want even more information on ISBNs? Here are two more posts you might find useful:
Should You Buy Your Own ISBN When You Self-Publish?Do You Need an ISBN for Your Ebook?By the way, I also pointed the journalist to experts in my tribe… people who have founded companies based on their desire to help authors and who have participated in my Self-Pub Boot Camps, which are now online as a virtual program. (I want to thank Nina for participating in both the physical and virtual programs.
Find the new virtual program here. ) And if you want more information on how to become a self-published author,
click here. About the Author
Carla King is an adventure travel journalist and book author whose
solo journeys around the world are published widely online and in print. She also runs the
Self-Publishing Boot Camp educational program of books and workshops, an outcome of her many years in technology and her enthusiastic experimentation with emerging tools and services. Her self-publishing books are the
Self-Publishing Boot Camp Guide for Authors, which is a step-by-step manual to publishing, promoting, and selling your book in print and every popular ebook format, and an easy-reading companion to the guide titled
How to Self-Publish Your Book, an updated compilation of her PBS Mediashift columns since 2010.
Photo courtesy of Kookkai_nak |
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ISBNs: The single most important action item for self-publishers appeared first on
Write Nonfiction NOW!.
Nina Amir, author of How to Blog a Book and The Author Training Manual, is known as the Inspiration to Creation Coach. She moves clients from ideas to finished books to careers as authors. She teaches methods to combine passion and purpose to create products that positively and meaningfully impact the world.
A sought-after speaker as well as an author, book, blog-to-book, and results coach, some of Nina’s clients have sold 300,000+ copies of their books, landed deals with major publishing houses and created thriving businesses around their books. She writes four blogs, self-published 12 books and founded National Nonfiction Writing Month.