For those who are self publishing, if you are using portals such as Draft2Digital or Amazon KDP, it is highly attractive to use the free ISBNs available through those publishing portals. For some writers, the cost of the ISBNs is something that is not in the budgets. But those free ISBNs are not registered to you. They're not something that you can take with you when using another publishing portal. And if you were to run an ISBN search, you would not be listed as the publisher.

In today's post, we are going to talk about the importance of sourcing your own ISBN numbers if you are self-publishing your books.

The ISBN Search

The ISBN database is an international record of all books ever published. It's a public database, containing full records of the full book title, the author(s), publisher, the publication date, and the ISBN for a given book format.

But it's the publisher listed that I want to focus on for the moment.

Consider the following books (all of which are books that are on my recommended books list for writers).

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Dreyer's English: An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style
Author: Benjamin Dreyer
ISBN: 9780812995701
Publisher: Random House

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The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Character Expression (Second Edition)
Author: Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi
ISBN: 9780999296349
Publisher: JADD Publishing

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The Relaxed Author: Take the Pressure Off Your Art and Enjoy the Creative Journey
Author: Joanna Penn and Mark Leslie Lefebvre
ISBN: 9781913321727
Publisher: Curl Up Press

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Voice: The Secret Power of Great Writing
Author: James Scott Bell
ISBN: 9780910355285
Publisher: Compendium Press

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Romancing the Beat: Story Structure for Romance Novels (How to Write Kissing Books)
Author: Gwen Hayes
ISBN: 9781530838615
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

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On Writing and Worldbuilding: Volume I
Author: Timothy Hickson
ISBN: 9781798967652
Publisher: Independently Published

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If you look at that list, only two titles stand out as being self-published book: the last two, both of which have been published via Amazon. (CreateSpace was what Amazon KDP was called back in the day.) However, in truth, only one book on that list is traditionally published: Dreyer's English, published by Random House. All other books on that list have been self-published (or indie-published as it's being called today), including the book by James Scott Bell. But because of the publisher listed on the ISBN records, unless you are in the know, they look like books published by small presses. That's the point!

The Self-Publishing Stigma

All of a decade ago, self-publishing was seen in a negative light. There were people who genuinely believed that self-publishing was for those who couldn't get published any other way, believing that the writing just wasn't up to snuff. But writers like Joanna Penn and James Scott Bell have worked hard to lift the standards of self-published books, even encouraging us to stop calling it self-publishing, because it's not something that a writer does by themselves. The current term is independent publishing (a.k.a. indie-publishing).

But there is still a stigma that exists with those who are using the free ISBNs sourced from Amazon.

Many readers I know will scroll down to the publisher's information on a book listing before purchasing the book from a new writer (one they have never read before). If the publisher is listed as Independently Published, there's an instant question regarding the quality of the book.

It doesn't matter if the writer of the book has the best looking cover out there. It doesn't matter if the book was professionally edited (with the writer spending thousands of dollars on editing). It doesn't matter if the interior design is gorgeous in the extreme. What matters is the fact that the writer didn't put a little faith in their own writing by sourcing their own ISBN.

The Small Press Rejected by the Writer

There is another side of this that I want to bring to your attention that is connected to this Independently Published stigma.

Recently, I was seriously considering sending a query for one of my thriller novels to a small press. I liked the covers of the books they were publishing. Their catalog was of a decent size from multiple authors, and the stories were of similar nature to what I write. The website was clear and thought out. And the books themselves seemed to be of decent quality—well edited with nice interiors. But when I dug a little deeper, I saw something that sent up the alarm bells in a big way.

The ISBN search of their recently published books (the ones published December 2023, when I was looking at submitting to them) all had Independently Published listed as the publisher on the record. It was then that I also noticed that on the book pages, all buy links were linked to Amazon. No other buy links could be found.

The small press in question (which shall remain nameless) were open about their emphasis on the online stores, not leaning into brick-and-mortar bookstores. I was okay with that. But Amazon isn't the only online bookstore out there. And even if you don't want to go into each online store separately, you can still get your books listed in multiple locations by using Draft2Digital and IngramSpark. But that's not what this small press was doing.

Here was a small press that was doing the full bit of traditional publication with multiple authors of their books, paying royalties to their authors, demanding that they are given World Rights for English to electronic, print, and audiobook formats. Yet, it would appear that all of their books were published using Amazon KDP with the free ISBNs.

Why should I trust a publisher (any publisher) with my story if that publisher is not willing to show just a little faith in their own products by sourcing their own ISBNs?

Publishing to More than Amazon

Publishing a print version of your book via any portal requires an ISBN. The likes of Amazon will offer you a free one, but if you take the free one from Amazon, then you can't publish that print version via any other portal. You'll need a different ISBN.

Some portals, like Draft2Digital, have now started offering their own free ISBNs, but if you use those, you will have the same issues as if you used the ISBNs from Amazon. And if you chose to publish via IngramSpark, you will definitely need your own ISBN.

So, if you want to publish your books using more than just Amazon's printing services, then you need your own ISBN.

Between the portability of files/printers issue and the publisher listing issue, hopefully, you can see why you need your own ISBNs.

Obtaining ISBNs

Every single format of a book requires its own ISBN. If you choose to publish a soft cover and hardback, that will be two ISBNs. If you print one version of your book with cream paper but another on white paper, that's two separate ISBNs. If you print a large-print version, that's another ISBN. Audio books require their own ISBN. Technically speaking, even ebooks require their own ISBN.

Let's say that you have elected to do a single type of print and digitally publish in ebook and audio. Then you need three ISBN numbers at a minimum. As such, when acquiring ISBNs, you will want to acquire them as a block. It's also cheaper per ISBN to purchase them as a block—significantly so.

The exact portal you purchase ISBNs through will depend on the country in which you wish your publishing imprint to be associated with. Different countries have different criteria.

Australia

Within Australia, ISBNs are obtained through the Thorpe-Bowker Australia.

At the time of writing this post, you could purchase a single ISBN for AU$44, but a block of 10 ISBNs is AU$88. 100 ISBNs is AU$480.

United States of America

Within the USA, ISBNs are obtained through Bowker. Unfortunately, the price is ISBNs in the US is more expensive in the scheme of things (which makes the free ISBNs from Amazon look more attractive).

A single ISBN cost US$125, whereas a block of 10 ISBNs costs US$295. A block of 100 costs US$575.

United Kingdom

Within the UK, ISBNs are obtained via Neilsen Book Data.

A single ISBN is £91, whereas a block of 10 is £174. A block of 100 is £379.

Canada

ISBNs in Canada are obtained from Library and Archives Canada. And in Canada, ISBNs are free.

Self-publishers need to reside in Canada to qualify, but if you are a Canadian, why would you use the free ISBNs from Amazon if you are getting them free from the government?

New Zealand

Within my home country of New Zealand, ISBNs are obtained through the New Zealand National Library.

Just like in Canada, ISBN numbers within New Zealand are free, but you need proof that you are located in New Zealand to obtain the free ISBNs. (Basically, you need to be paying taxes in New Zealand to qualify.)

As a publishing imprint, you are assigned a publisher number, and all of your ISBNs are associated with that. Blocks are given out as a block of 10 or a block of 100. My most recent block was a block of 10.

Other countries will have their own agencies for ISBNs. Investigate what is best for you.

Final Thoughts on ISBNs

Look, I get it. Free is a highly attractive word, and I'll be the first to admit that I'm blessed to have free ISBNs issued within my home country. But even if I had to pay for them, I would.

I have faith in my books and my writing. By sourcing my own ISBNs, I'm showing the world that faith. I'm telling my readers that I care enough about the quality of my work to financially back my own products.

Sometimes, it really is worth the money. And in this case, the money to buy your own ISBNs is buying your reputation. Some readers won't care, but others will.