Tag: ISBNs

Where Should I Buy My ISBNs?

stealing from authors-3937735_640One question I see frequently is, “Where should I buy my ISBNs? There are so many companies to choose from!” Well, I’m here with the answer.

“If you are located in the United States, or a territory of the USA (Puerto Rico, Guam, US Virgin Islands, Northern Mariana Islands, America Samoa, as well as military bases and embassies), Bowker is the official registration agency of the ISBN.” You can see more here. (If you aren’t in the United States, you’ll need to find out who the official, authorized agency for your country is. This will help you get started https://www.isbn-international.org/agencies.)

“But wait a minute,” you say. “I saw a site on the internet selling really cheap ISBNs. Why can’t I buy one of those?” Continue reading “Where Should I Buy My ISBNs?”

Do I Need Different ISBNs for CreateSpace and Ingram?

ISBNIn December 2016 I wrote about transferring my books from CreateSpace Expanded Distribution to IngramSpark.

The process was easier than I’d anticipated, because IngramSpark has directions for transferring title assignment right on the site, and both CreateSpace and IngramSpark were available to help walk me through the process.

Imagine my surprise, then, when I recently read a comment on a popular author forum stating that a different ISBN had to be used for each distributor. Now, this is true if you’re using one of CreateSpace’s ISBNs, because in that case, CreateSpace would be the publisher, and they’re the ones who decide how you get to use it. You can read more about ISBNs here.

But if you bought your ISBN, you’re the publisher, and that’s actually indicated within the ISBN itself. Without getting too complicated, that Continue reading “Do I Need Different ISBNs for CreateSpace and Ingram?”

Self-Publishing Questions and Answers

self publishing question-1500086_960_720Every so often when I have free time (more likely, when I’m waiting for something to upload or download), I browse through author groups and discussion boards and answer any questions to which I know the answer. The great thing about indie authors and publishers is we like to help each other.

The not so great thing is, the answers given in author groups and discussion boards are often wrong, based on something someone read somewhere on another discussion board. A sampling from my latest foray into the world of author discussions: Continue reading “Self-Publishing Questions and Answers”

Almost Everything You Need to Know about ISBNs

ISBNOne of the most frequent questions I’ve heard lately from self-publishing authors is about ISBNs. Do you really need them? Do you really need to buy them? What are the pros and cons of buying an ISBN versus using the free or inexpensive ones offered by CreateSpace, BookBaby, Smashwords, and other online partners? Let’s see if we can clear that up some.
. Continue reading “Almost Everything You Need to Know about ISBNs”