To ISBN or not ISBN? That is the Question.

If you want to be in all the online catalogs and bookstores you must get an ISBN. It’s a relatively simple process of filling out a form, paying the fee, and then assigning the title of the book to the ISBN. Sure, I can do that. But here’s the thing. The price in acquiring an ISBN vary widely, as I’ve discovered, just like most things associated with creating the e-book. So far I’ve done only research and spent nothing on this project. Once I’ve gotten everything in order I will give a breakdown of what I’ve spent.

Now, I’ve seen single ISBN’s going for as little as $25 from third party sources, but according to what I read the absolute best route to go is buying through Bowker. They sell for $125 for a single and $235 for ten. I think I’ll do the ten because I plan to publish lots of books. Do not be swayed by cheaper offers.

Here is a paragraph from the website Go-publish-yourself.com to prove this point.


Beware: Do not buy a single ISBN through any third party. Buy only through Bowker. If you see an offer for a single ISBN that is less than $125 and is sold from a third party, don’t buy it. The problem with those “single” ISBNs purchased from third parties is that they come from a “clearing house.” Frequently those ISBN prefixes start with a 615, and when an author puts one of these third-party-purchased ISBNs in his or her book, the ISBN is not associated with the author (or the author’s publishing company name), but rather is associated with the third-party company that sold them the ISBN initially. This can get messy.

Next up: To bar code or not to bar code?