FREE Vs. Owned ISBNs | Should I buy an ISBN? | How to get a FREE ISBN for my book | Amazon KDP ISBN
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- Опубліковано 30 вер 2024
- So, I’ve talked A LOTabout ISBNs on this channel. And the ISBN is effectively the social security number for your book. Each format gets one ISBN. So if you have an eBook, paperback, and hardcover format for your book, you need three ISBNs. The ISBN is assigned to the BOOK.
NOT THE PUBLISHING SERVICE
So you aren’t supposed to have a separate ISBN for your paperback on Amazon KDP and IngramSpark.
(If you’re having issues with this, I have videos linked below about this and you can always reach out to me directly or book time to chat to go over this.)
So ISBNs are important for your book.
The major self-publishing platforms offer “FREE” ISBNs.
Oh my gosh, that’s so nice
Yeah. It is nice. Except, that they usually state that you can’t use that ISBN on any other platform. It doesn’t travel. And since your book is supposed to only have one ISBN per format, you’re locked in.
This is why I advocate for owning your own ISBN. Especially if you are one of the lucky ones whose country provides them for free. We have to pay for them in the U.S.
When I started self-publishing I had no royalties to invest. I had to scrape together money to publish. And I still spent money on my ISBNs. So if you plan to make a career out of being an author, buy your ISBNs.
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For more information on ISBNs, start here: ua-cam.com/video/fcS7nm55tps/v-deo.html
Hi MKWilliams! Thank you so very much for your sharing this information on free versus buying ISBN. I greatly appreciate it!!
Glad it was helpful!
FYI you should probably mention that format includes ANYTHING that makes one edition different from another. So it is not just an issue of having an ISBN each for your paperback, hardcover and ebook editions. If you sell one version of your paperback with a different cover THAT requires a different ISBN. According to the International ISBN Agency the whole point of the ISBN is to identify each edition to ensure that the person requesting a book gets the edition they want.
This includes - different covers. Sometimes you have a special edition with a new cover to tie in with some promotions or as can happen you may want to create different covers to target different readers or in some cases subdued neutral covers for certain jurisdictions where reading certain types of books could land you in jail or in trouble (think erotica or LGBT content in certain countries where a plain boring cover would be safer)
Also different spelling conventions (you see this in English editions where some books use American, English or Australian spelling). Differences in the content - I once took a Latin course where they told me to make sure I bought the United Kingdom edition and NOT the American edition because the exercises were different and they told me to check the ISBN because the covers were exactly the same.
Other things that would require a different ISBN would be
Different sized font (especially when you have people who NEED larger font editions)
Different trim size because you might have a 6x9 inch edition and a 5 x 8 inch or whatever other variation
Also and I know some people with insist this is not so you would need a different ISBN for different e-book formats.
Because if you have a format that can only be read by a specific type of reader then you do not want people buying it only to find that their reader cannot eg Kindle and Kobo etc ... they are not conpatible so you MUST get an ISBN for EACH of them
There are some rules about if you need a new isbn for a revised edition - it depends on how much has changed eg, if it is just typos and minor corrections but any major changes to the text requires a new isbn as this in essence becomes a separate edition altogether
It comes down to understanding WHY ISBNs were created and are used. = to enable customers, booksellers and librarians to ensure that they get the edition they want and not something else.
This is something that far too few people do not get. Best bet is contact your ISBN agency and ask if you are not sure and they will set you straight
How much do isbn cost and should you do it yearly or permanent
An ISBN is permanently assigned, there is never a renewal fee. I have. A whole video on costs, it does vary by country ua-cam.com/video/fcS7nm55tps/v-deo.html
Thanks for your support ❤
Yes
Great explanation, but there is a new dirty trick Amazon is pulling. I bought my own isbn and barcode. I uploaded because I was mislead regarding formatting. I told them I want to delete my uploads and remove my book in all formats. They are claiming I can't because I assigned my isbn. They told me I can have my isbn back if I replace it with their free one. Basically trying to trick me into giving them my publishing rights. It's apparently stuck in draft but I know they lied. I don't need them to release my isbn because I already own it. So cold to try to trick people.
Oops, trying to save a nickel when creating my book on KDP, I opted for the "freebie" ISBN. For shame, I should have viewed your video first as it clearly makes more sense to spend that nickel and a few more on my own ISBN. Now, potential escape hatch: My book is currently only SCHEDULED for release, thus providing time to make edits, So, can I switch to my own ISBN prior to release and ignore the free Amazon issued ISBN? Thank you kindly for your earliest response.
So at this point if you have any pre-orders, cancelling will mean you lose all those sales. If you have no sales then yes, you can delete the listing a reupload with your own ISBN
Thank you!
Thanks, you explained this really well.x
Thank you! Glad I can help
Thank you.
Maybe a silly question- but is it good enough to put an ISBN sticker on the book (the book is obviously already printed and we've spent a lot of money on it)?
Are you referring to the barcode? If you are handling all the orders yourself then no. If you want to send them to Amazon for FBA or sell to bookstores directly then yes it needs a barcode
@@1MKWilliams Thanks for replying so quickly. Yes, I meant the barcode. Is a sticker ok? or does it have to be printed on the book?
@@maayan55 it can be a sticker
Thank you!
Thanks for the info. So to be clear, if I get my own ISBN, I can still publish on Amazon KDP?
Yes
So if I have a book on KDP and I want to publish on Draft2Digital...I can't because I can't assign a new ISBN because Amazon owns the free ISBN? And if I buy my own ISBN I can just publish anywhere?
Correct, owning your ISBN means you can publish it to any platform (or remove it from one platform and add it to another).
It also means you have the right to read your own book on places like UA-cam, correct? This was a major issue in elementary education during the pandemic, though once the publishers realized the need, they gave permission for teachers to read the books for their students.
@@robinschwartz6977 as long as you own the copyright and audio rights you can read your book on any platform
@@1MKWilliams
Would you please clarify, then. Does that mean that the ISBN is not connected to the copyright? Is there something specific that gives audio rights? Or, do you have a video about copyrights?
@@robinschwartz6977 yes, I have a few videos on copyright, this is one of them ua-cam.com/video/58yLLz57ewI/v-deo.html
You answered my question so quickly and easily! Thank you!!
You're welcome!
Hey there! Loving your channel :) I'm curious about booking time on your calendar however the links in the description sent me to invalid pages Are you still offering 1-to-1?
Sorry, I no longer do 1-on-1s. I do aim to answer every question on this channel if I can and I respond (slowly) to emails
Hey - you need a different ebook publisher!
"Instant download" morphs into a support request when no download link appears and an email is received that says "Estimated arrival Wed, Nov 15 - Mon, Nov 20" - which morphs into "Thanks for reaching out. You’ll hear back within the next 24 business hours." Hmmmm.
Which book are you trying to access and from which website?
I'm trying to buy the ebook you tagged at the top - "Self-publishing for...."....
Itr appears that the files were rejected by my email provider. So they never appeared in my spam folder.
Anyway - I have just received from SPRING the zip fie of the ebook.
And my Mac says it is in an "unsupoprted format".....
Hmmmm?!?!?
@@1MKWilliams
I heard this has changed recently. You can no longer use the same paid ISBN for the same format in different platforms. They worry authors may update their work on one platform and neglect the other. This would result in two different versions under one ISBN. Could you confirm?
I've not heard of that reasoning. I did speak with a representative from Draft2Digital and they said they want a separate ISBN for print because of the Ingram network and not having to mitigate any distribution issues.
Best solution if you have ISBN questions is to go direct to the source and ASK the ISBN agency for your country.
For self-published print books, will my own ISBN increase the chances that the book gets into bookstores and libraries? I hear that bookstores don't like Amazon print books and that libraries are reluctant to order them. Thank you!
Yes and no. You still need to market your book to the stores and the libraries, having the book available from a retailer other than Amazon helps with this. And to have your book on that distribution (ex IngramSpark) and Amazon KDP then you need your own isbn
@@1MKWilliams thanks!
Ahhh, yeeeesss...there's the rub--i ran into this in ... 2017, was it? when i tried to make the shift to Ingram Spark as soon as it opened up. So now I'm singing Whitesnake for a re-release, and am thinking... direct to KDP for ebook only and D2D for ebook distribution everywhere else and print. So for the 'not allowed to publish the same book with two numbers' embargo, I guess I will have to go with a Bowker ISBN for the ebook. But I'm tempted to go with D2D's for the paperback, since I really want them to be the solution for the rest of my days... tell me it'll all be ok, MK... 🤣🤣🤣 the paperback is only a new covered version of an old book anyway, so I'm hoping I don't have to do any more maneuvering for distribution. That sounds ok, right?
Im trying to map this in my head like it's one of those written out math problems (train leaving z station traveling y speed etc ) so you are getting a hew ISBN for the paperback and wondering if you should go with the Bowker or the D2D one?
@@1MKWilliamsactually i'm considering getting a bowker for the ebook, since it'll be available multiple places, but only using D2D's for the paperback. What do you think? #WordProblemTime
That could work, in my mind though I question why not have your own ISBN for all formats. But just the eBook is workable too.
@@1MKWilliams 💸
This is good advice.
Thank you!
Hey question im wondering so i do want to add an audio the other platforms im gonna offer when i publish but haven’t recorded it yet should i just do head a add isbn to my number of forms i want to publish with?
I think you can wait until you are ready to record to assign the ISBN. That way if you decide to not record or you sell audio rights you haven't wasted an ISBN
Im sorry im new to your channel. I apologize in advance for asking, but im a first time self published children book author. Ive scraped up money for the past 6 months to pay for my book, but i still dont have the money to purchase my own isbn. I know you advocate of course for your own. Is it okay though for my first book to publish through amazon kdp for paperback, and ingram spark for my hardcovers using their free isbn's purchasing my own number soon once i can make a little money from it. Or should i just keep waiting?
Hmm this is a tough one. To go with the "free" isbn locks you to that platform. To re-release the book under your own ISBN years later would mean to release a second edition on the book. It's not impossible, but it is a lot of extra work. It's your call on whether the wait or to just go for it. Best of luck!
I'm sorry, this is the second comment tonight. You said "book a chat". How and where? I've so many questions about starting out.
Hi I'm happy to help, anyone can book time with me here to go over their self-publishing strategy: calendly.com/1mkwilliamsauthor/author-coach-consultation