This question seems to come up an awful lot: do you need to have an ISBN – International Standard Book Number – for an ebook (on the Amazon Kindle or otherwise)?
The answer, bottom line, is no.
Currently, ISBNs are only required for printed matter books. The purpose of the ISBN, according to ISBN.org, is “to establish and identify one title or edition of a title from one specific publisher and is unique to that edition, allowing for more efficient marketing of products by booksellers, libraries, universities, wholesalers and distributors.”
At this point, the main use of the ISBN in Kindle publication using Amazon’s Digital Text Platform (DTP) is to help Amazon link up the catalog entries for the Kindle and print editions of your book so that the reader reviews posted to one version will also appear in the other, and so on. The same is also true for books you publish through Mobipocket.com that are then distributed to the Kindle store: if you have a print edition of your book on Amazon, make sure to put the print edition ISBN in the ISBN field of the ebook metadata.
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#1 by Erika Ginnis on March 9th, 2009 - 4:29 pm
I am just at the point of finally getting my book out. I have a question regarding ISBN’s.
I am looking at Mobi pocket, kindle and Create Space. I know those are three different formats (which is fine). What I would like is to have my book available for POD, ebook and Kindle. I would like to be able to have a link to post to my web site and various places for marketing. This is most likely a pretty common desire.
My preference is to have the ISBN be through the POD publisher (i.e. Create Space) since they will put my book on Amazon since they are affiliated. I also believe (correct me if I am wrong) that if I publish through them they will handle the sales tax of the book when it is ordered.
I have read some posts on their member site that makes it sound like you can’t use the Create Space ISBN anywhere else. So I am looking for some guidance on the way to go. Would it be better to put it on one format first, or do them all at nearly the same time? Which first? POD and have an ISBN? Use it or not on the ebook and Kindle site?
I could get my own ISBN, but it isn’t my preference.
Thank you so much in advance, I appreciate your blog!!
#2 by Michael R. Hicks on March 9th, 2009 - 5:10 pm
Hi, Erika!
Okay, apples and oranges here: ISBNs are only required for print books, not ebooks. The only reason you worry about ISBNs for Mobipocket or Amazon DTP ebooks is so Amazon’s database can match them with the print version. That’s it.
It’s true that an ISBN assigned by CreateSpace can only be used by books printed by them. If you went with Lightning Source, say, you’d need a new ISBN ($125 a pop from Bowker).
But if this is your first time down this road, here’s what I’d do:
- Put the print copy out on Amazon via CreateSpace (they also distribute to other channels, but not to Ingram; but most self-published books don’t make it far beyond on-line retailers anyway).
- Prepare your Kindle and/or Mobipocket versions. Put the CreateSpace ISBN in whichever one you’re publishing to the Kindle store (I think I made another post or two on that somewhere).
Voila! Your book is now published! Then you can concentrate on promoting it. And you can change things any time down the line if you need to, so you’re not irrevocably committed to anything.
Hope that helps!
Mike
#3 by Erika Ginnis on March 9th, 2009 - 9:54 pm
Thank you for responding so quickly I really appreciate it!!
It’s funny in some ways because I have had this book finished and edited for a couple of years now, gathered ways to promote it…but then kept hemming and hawing about which direction to take for publishing it (meaning no actual direction at all of course) and so the whole thing has been on hold.
I have even had people asking me for it for a while now ( I have a spiritual counseling practice, and teach a fair amount) and it felt very weird not to be able to give them a copy.
This month (after turning 50) I realized I had to just make some decision and go with it LOL.
I really want to thank you so much for saying “And you can change things any time down the line if you need to, so you’re not irrevocably committed to anything.”
I think that is really what I needed to hear.
You post totally helped.
blessings,
Erika
#4 by Erika Ginnis on March 9th, 2009 - 9:58 pm
I am however, going to look at the Lighting Source and see what they have on their site as well. I have seen their name on various blogs but haven’t looked into them at all.
thanks again
#5 by Erika Ginnis on March 9th, 2009 - 10:18 pm
Hahaha, OK one last thing I promise
I just bought your book from Amazon (it’s the rainy season here on the east side of Hawaii and I have been reading a lot).
I hadn’t originally intended to, but it sounded good, and I thought I would give it a try.
Looking forward to it.
-E.
#6 by River Siren on May 5th, 2009 - 3:05 pm
Okay, I understand that you don’t need an ISBN number to publish on the Kindle, but what if the book was formerly published by another publisher (with an ISBN number for Hardcover and one for paperback), and the rights have now been reverted back to me. The book is out of print and I have changed the cover art and all things that were not part of my copyright and I have the go ahead from my lawyer to put it on the Kindle (with me as the independent publisher). Should I apply for a new ISBN number for the ebook version, or should I still use my old ISBN number (from the previous publisher) in order to have the reviews follow me? I have roughly 150 amazon reviews on the book from when it was published in print 7 years ago. What do you think Michael?
#7 by Michael R. Hicks on May 5th, 2009 - 8:25 pm
River -
The only reason you “need” the ISBN for a Kindle version is so Amazon’s catalog can link it up with the print version(s). Think of it as a key that links the two catalog pages together. So choose whichever print version you want to link the Kindle version to, and enter that ISBN into the DTP ISBN field for the Kindle. In a few weeks the Kindle and print version should be associated (so a link will appear on the print version’s page for the “kindle version”, and vice versa).
Does that make sense?
#8 by River Siren on May 6th, 2009 - 3:11 pm
Thanks for shedding light on this. You’ve helped me out a lot!
#9 by CE on May 13th, 2009 - 8:35 am
I have just started thinking of publishing something I wrote on the Kindle. What do I need? Copyright? Sorry if this is the wrong forum
#10 by Michael R. Hicks on May 13th, 2009 - 8:43 am
CE -
Technically, as soon as you write something it’s copyrighted, unless you sell those right to someone else (like a publisher). So you don’t need to jump through any hoops there.
There are a few different ways to get your book published on the Kindle – there’s a fair bit of info on the site here to help get you started, so check that out and see if it helps. If you need more help once you’ve scoped everything out, let me know!
#11 by CE on May 13th, 2009 - 10:35 am
Thanks for th info!
#12 by Marie Corbin on October 29th, 2009 - 12:43 pm
This is very helpful information. Thank you very much. As a new author trying to promote my website and my personal development workbooks, I appreciate sites such as this one. I think that soon I will spend the money for an ISBN number for my printed work. Right now I am having to list them under a category other than books on ebay. I have the books also available as ebooks but have not yet started promoting them.
This is all quite a process.
#13 by Larry on November 1st, 2009 - 10:03 pm
Michael, if the Kindle version is out/published before the printed version, do you still suggest putting the printed version’s ISBN in for the Kindle DTP ISBN field?
Thanks,
Larry
#14 by Michael R. Hicks on November 3rd, 2009 - 8:37 pm
Larry – Yes, I’d just go ahead and put the ISBN field in the DTP metadata as soon as you have it. DTP currently doesn’t use it for anything other than to help match up the DTP and print versions, so you won’t lose anything by putting it in there before the print version is available.
#15 by L. D. Jackson on December 3rd, 2009 - 6:03 pm
I have a book that I am publishing and have my ISBN number. It is now up loaded to kindle. I charge half of what the book is in print. Is this okay? I heard that some people are charging full price as if the kindle version is in print. What do you say the pricing should be and do I get a third and amazon kindle get the rest. ? One last thing. Is there any data concerning how many readers are using kindle ? Does it look like the price will go down so ther will be more main stream users?
#16 by Michael R. Hicks on December 5th, 2009 - 7:44 am
L.D. – The price you charge is really entirely up to you. While some publishers are charging the same price for their ebooks as for their print versions, I can’t help but think that’s hurting their sales: people have an expectation that ebook prices should be lower since there’s no physical book. I’ve read arguments both pro and con, but since the profit margin on self-published ebooks is comparatively high, I’d shoot for lower rather than higher (fifty percent sounds quite reasonable to me). As far as the cut you receive, if you publish through DTP or Mobipocket to the Kindle store, your cut is 35% of the price you specify. Note that Amazon has the right to sell it at a higher/lower price, but you’ll still get the 35% of your set price. As far as how many readers are using Kindle, I haven’t seen any specifics from Amazon, but they sell a LOT, and I read a figure that 30% of Amazon’s book sales last year were for Kindle (I don’t know if that’s true, however). I suspect the price for Kindle will continue to come down, I’ll wager to somewhere around $150 in the next two years. Regardless, though, with Amazon’s release of both an iPhone Kindle app and now one for PCs, there’s huge market potential well beyond the actual Kindle device.
#17 by L. D. Jackson on December 5th, 2009 - 12:46 pm
Thank you for answering all of my questions!
#18 by R.L. Nielsen on May 1st, 2010 - 11:11 pm
I notice the last entry was on 12/5/2009, so this may not be monitored anymore, but I’ll try anyway.
I’m just ready to sell my ebook in pdf format on my website first and also sell it on CD to those who want something tangible. Later, I plan to also use a POD publisher, and then I’ll see from there on with respect to Kindle, DTP, Mobipocket, or etc. However, my immediate two questions are
1. Should I get separate ISBN numbers for the ebook and for the CD version?
2. If I get my own ISBNs from R.R. Bowker and later publish through Kindle, DTP, Mobipocket, or etc, will they use my ISBN or put their own on each version?
Thanks!
#19 by Michael R. Hicks on May 3rd, 2010 - 9:39 pm
RL -
I wouldn’t bother getting an ISBN for the CD version. The only reason I’d even consider getting an ISBN for the ebook version is because they’re starting to require them now at Smashwords.com for downline distribution to the Apple bookstore and other places. So that’s probably a worthwhile investment. I personally like to get my own ISBNs, because that way you’re not limited in terms of publisher: if a publisher (let’s just say CreateSpace for a print version) gives you an ISBN, it’s generally specific to that publisher – you can’t use the ISBN with another publisher should you later decide to switch. Bowker also recently reduced the prices quite a bit, so buying 10 ISBNs is a lot more affordable (a total of $275 for 10).
Hope that helps!
#20 by R.L. Nielsen on May 4th, 2010 - 8:52 pm
Thanks Michael! I wish I’d found this site earlier. It would have saved me some research time. Thanks!
#21 by Michael R. Hicks on May 7th, 2010 - 10:04 pm
You’re welcome!