5 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT ISBN
When we talk about ISBN, we refer to the international standard book number that serves as a
tag for proper identification of any book anywhere. However, there are more facts about the
ISBN you need to know, so read on as we walk you through 5 of them.
1. Every Book Has Its Unique ISBN
Just like every phone line has its unique number and every finger has its unique prints on it, so does every book you find on the shelf come with its unique ISBN. You see, ISBN cannot be recycled, and thus every version or edition of a book should have one unique to it.
It also doesn’t matter if the same title is split into paperbacks
and e-books; both versions still require different ISBNs. Ever wondered why you
can’t slap the same ISBN on multiple books? The aim is to protect the book from
copyright infringements and help libraries and bookstores keep track, identify,
and catalog the books properly.
2. The Contents Of An ISBN
Do you ever look at the 13-digit
ISBN on the back of a book and wonder what it means?
Well, the ISBN simply defines basic properties of the book, such as place of
publication, the publisher details, title, format, and so on. To put into more
detail, here are the 5 basic components of any ISBN:
- EAN
– usually 978 or 979
- Registration
group – tells you the region the book was published
- Registrant
element- tells you who published the book
- Publication
elements – these include title, format, category, author, synopsis
- Check
digit- mathematically calculated to ensure the ISBN is accurate
3. It Can Be Used With Or Without A Barcode
Most often, the ISBN is a number seen on the barcode
of books. However, you should
note that this is not always the case. You see, if a book is to be sold in a
physical store or kept in a library, there is always the need for a barcode.
This helps to track and properly catalog the book and also helps generate sales
properly. On the other hand, books to be sold online do not need a barcode.
4. The Issuing Of ISBN
Who is the ISBN issued to? How is the ISBN issued? When it comes
to ISBN, this valuable number can only be issued to the company or individual
credited with the publishing of the book. And in the aspect of who assigns it
and how it is assigned, we simply refer to the ISBN agencies of every country
that assesses and submits data about the country’s books to the international
ISBN agency. This agency, in turn, assigns the ISBNs which are distributed by the
agencies of different regions.
5. Purchasing ISBN
The ISBN must be purchased by the publisher rather than acquired
through a service for free. Why? Simply for the fact that when you, as the
publisher, purchase the ISBN, your imprint will be on the book. This isn’t the
case when ISBN is acquired through service, as it is the service’s imprint
that’ll be attributed to the book
Conclusion
It is obvious now that the ISBN is more just a 13-digit number
sitting pretty at the back of your book. Instead, you now realize just how much
of a huge tool the ISBN is for giving an identity to any book and also
preserving this identity for as long as needed.
