How to get an ISBN for your book
March 11th, 2008 at 2:30 pm (The Biz)
R R Bowker is the exclusive US source of publisher prefixes and accompanying ranges of ISBN numbers for eligible publishers. So, to get an ISBN you have to go through RR Bowker. Their website is ISBN.org.
Note that this is the only place to get an ISBN in the US. If someone else offers to sell you an ISBN you should beware as it will be attached to their publishing company, not yours. This would be a problem when people wanted to contact you to buy a book but instead got to the real owner of the ISBN. More info on unauthorized resellers of ISBNs is here.
Can you buy just one ISBN?
You can’t buy just one ISBN. ISBNs are sold in blocks of 10, 100, and 1000. You should get as many as you think you will use in the next five years or so. The cost decreases as you buy more.
How long does it take to get an ISBN?
For regular processing, the turn around time is 15 days. For priority processing, turnaround time is 48 hours. For express processing, turnaround time is 24 hours.
How much does it cost to get a block of ISBNs?
The cost depends on the size of the ISBN block and the processing time. Prices below include the combined processing fees and registration fees.
Regular processing:
- 10 ISBNs: $275.00
- 100 ISBNs: $995.00
- 1000 ISBNs: $1,750.00
Priority processing:
- 10 ISBNs: $375.00
- 100 ISBNs: $1,095.00
- 1000 ISBNs: $1,850.00
Express processing:
- 10 ISBNs: $400.00
- 100 ISBNs: $1,120.00
- 1000 ISBNs: $1,875.00
They also offer a bar code service with prices starting at $25 per bar code. This is a total ripoff though as you can find other places online that offer the same service for $10.00 per bar code.
For more info on getting a bar code, see How to get your ISBN bar code
Andy Weissberg said,
March 12, 2008 at 4:24 pm
I head up the ISBN Agency at Bowker and wanted to address some of the issues you have raised in this blog…
You can purchase a single ISBN number from the ISBN Agency for $125.00. The application for a single ISBN can be obtained by emailing isbn-san@bowker.com.
Also, the ISBN Agency has established relationships with authorized designated agents who can sell ISBNs along with other services as part of service bundles. Lulu, RJ Communications and Bar Code Graphics are among these designated agents. If you have a question pertaining to a company whom you are not sure is a designated agent, please contact the ISBN Agency at isbn-san@bowker.com. We will be posting a list of authorized agents in the near future.
I hope this information clarifies single ISBN issues and I’d be happy to discuss them personally. I can be reached at andy.weissberg@bowker.com
Sincerely,
Andy Weissberg
General Manager, Identifier Services
Tattered Essence » Blog Archive » Starting your publishing company - more on getting ISBNs said,
March 13, 2008 at 3:40 am
[...] for you to check out. To see how to go about getting your ISBNs and how much they cost check out How to get an ISBN for your book. And once you have that ISBN you will also need to get a bar code for the back of that book. To see [...]
Dismantle My Bed » Blog Archive » More on how to get an ISBN for your book said,
March 14, 2008 at 7:46 am
[...] writing about how to get an ISBN for your book I got a comment from someone that actually works with Bowker ( Andy Weissberg, General Manager, [...]