ISBN Numbers, Books in Print, and EAN Barcodes
ISBNs
ISBN stands for International Standard Book Number, and is assigned by the U. S. ISBN Agency. It’s a 13-digit number that uniquely identifies each book.
You MUST have an ISBN if you want to sell you book through book chains, and most independent stores now also require ISBNs.
The cost:
Regular Processing (10 business days) - $240.00
Priority Processing (48 business hours) - $340.00
Express Processing (24 business hours) - $365.00
You can apply for your ISBN online at www.isbn.org
Books in Print
After you receive your ISBN you can immediately register your book with Books In Print.
What is Books in Print? It's a listing of all books in print in the United States. If someone goes to a book store and asks for a book that's not on the bookstore shelf, the clerk can look up the title on the computer using Books in Print, and find out all of the ordering information and thereby get the book for that customer. If your book is not listed there's no way for the bookstore clerk to know it exists! You HAVE to get your book in Books in Print! It's free a listing, so money is no object.
Just go to www.bowkers.com and fill out the necessary online form.
EAN Bar Codes
EAN (European Article Number) Bar Codes are the equivalent of a UPC. It’s a 13-digit-code which allows your book to be scanned. Must you get a EAN Bar Code? You do if you want to sell your book.
The cost varies in price from place to place, and you can find a list of EAN retailers at www.isbn.org.