How to Get an ISBN for Your eBook

If you have written an ebook, you can instantly give it more credibility and marketing edge by getting an ISBN for it. ISBN stands for International Standard Book Number. It's on the barcode of every book you see in a bookstore. It's an ID number for that ebook, and that ebook only. You can get ISBNs for printed books, books on CD, and ebooks.

Is it necessary? Strictly speaking, no. If you are going to sell in only a few places, you may not absolutely need an ISBN for your ebook. However, many retailers insist upon it. Once you get your ISBN, you can get your ebook listed in Books in Print, a major tool used by libraries and bookstores.
An ISBN makes your ebook more professional, more "book-like", and less like a run-of-the-mill PDF file.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Check with your publisher, if you used an outside company to publish your e-book. An ISBN might be included in your package, or available as an add-on.

2. Decide how many you need. If you've got just one ebook, don't plan to write any more titles, and don't want to sell your ebook in another format, you can get by with a single ISBN. However, it's cheaper to get a block of them, and you will need a separate ISBN for each version--electronic, print, CD, etc.

3. Do it yourself. You can buy a block of ten ISBNs for $275 from ISBN.org. If you need expedited service, that's available for an added cost. You can do this online or, if you prefer, offline with a mail-in form.

4. Once you get your ISBN, copy the number and insert it into the page where you have your copyright statement.

5. Add barcodes to any physical versions. If you're selling a physical version of your ebook, you can add stick-on barcodes that include the ISBN and item price to your order.

[bellerose]

on 9/9/2009 Thanks, great to know how to do this yourself if you have to. 5*