What Is an ISBN and Why Do My Book and Audiobook Need One?
Each and every book (and audiobook) needs to have some form of identification. That is where a 13-digit International Standard Book Number (ISBN) comes in handy. Every edition of every book has a unique ISBN to identify each individual version. That means that every paperback, hardcover, eBook, and audiobook of one book needs a separate ISBN. When someone searches an ISBN, they can see the title, author, edition, publisher, binding, and publishing date of that book.
An ISBN is different from a barcode number, but it is its own thing. Barcode numbers are directly related to barcodes, which are used by retailers for sales, inventory, and pricing. ISBNs are often found near the barcode, usually not far above it. However, ISBNs are not related to individual sales of books. Instead, ISBNs are for cataloging and identification for customers and retailers and libraries.
ISBNs consist of 13 digits constructed according to a specific format that is consistent for publishers across the world.
Crafting an ISBN
While modern-day ISBNs have 13 digits, that is a relatively new total. Before 2007, ISBNs only had 10 digits. The new digits were added to increase the totals ISBNs available for new books and new editions of old books.
Five specific elements make up the 13 digits of an ISBN, often separated by hyphens. These are set in stone and make up every book on the market. Books from all countries and in all languages are subject to this format. Below, this article will review each element that makes up a standard ISBN.
Prefix
The first three digits of every post-2007 ISBN are the prefix. This was the section that was added to accommodate the growing publishing industry. 978 is the prefix typically used for older ISBNs, including adding on to the 10-digit ones. 979 is the prefix used for newer books, including new editions of older books. These are the only two prefixes used currently, and all your new books and audiobooks will have it.
Registration Group
Next up is the registration group, which is the next one to five digits. The registration group is based on the book’s country of origin and language. Each country and/or language has at least one code; many have multiples. Most countries are still on the original 978 prefix, so only have registration groups associated with that prefix. Four countries (the United States, South Korea, Italy, and France) have a different registration group for the 979 prefix. The registration groups for the United States are 1 and 2 for 978 prefixes and group 8 for 979 prefixes.
Some countries with one code include Norway (82), Poland (83), Cuba (959), Libya (9959), and Luxembourg (99959). Many others have multiple codes available for their ISBN registration group. For example, Indonesia (602, 623, and 979), Ecuador (9978 and 9942), and Kuwait (9921, 99906, 99966).
Registrant Element
The registrant element of the ISBN can be the next one to seven digits of the ISBN. These digits identify the publisher or imprint that is publishing the book. This helps to organize the ISBNs according to the publisher. When ISBNs are distributed, this keeps the ISBNs close together for multiple editions of the same book. For all our books and audiobooks, Cloverly Publishing’s registrant code is 89743.
Publication Element
The next one to six digits is the part of the ISBN that identifies the specific book or edition. Before this, the numbers were largely about general business-side things. This is where your book gets its own special treatment; it sets you apart from our other authors.
Check Digit
Finally comes the check digit. This one digit at the end of each ISBN is calculated based on all the other numbers. Authors do not need to know the calculation of this element. The only relevant part of this is that it is the control aspect that makes sure the ISBN is valid. As said, this comes with your ISBN and need not be calculated separately.
Getting an ISBN
Self-publishers have to get their book’s, in all its editions, ISBN(s) themselves. They can be purchased either individually or in bulk through Bowker Publishing Services. Bowker is the official provider of ISBNs in the United States, but this is different in other countries. The Library of Congress uses ISBNs in its comprehensive catalog of books, but they outsource assignment to Bowker.
However, when you publish your book or audiobook with Cloverly, we completely handle your ISBN. We contract with Bowker for bulk ISBNs that we can assign to each edition of all our books. This is just one less thing our authors have to worry about during the publishing process.
