Bowker ISBN questions

Okay, first of all, if you're using your own ISBNs (purchased from Bowker) for your books on Amazon - you won't need yet another ISBN when you go wide with Ingram. You only need additional ISBNs if you used Amazon's ISBNs.

Fill out the form on Bowker for your publications. It's for your own good (and sanity). ISBNs are used by publishers, booksellers, libraries, internet retailers and other supply chain participants for ordering, listing, sales records and stock control purposes. The ISBN identifies the registrant as well as the specific title, edition and format.

Regarding the source of the ISBN field on Amazon, they're asking who (or what entity) purchased the ISBN. So your name goes in that field. Publishers buy ISBNs by the buttload; any time their ISBN goes on a book, they are identified as the publisher. When my publisher crashed and burned last year and I had to self-publish my books to get them back on the market, I had to buy all new ISBNs so I was identified as the publisher of record.

I know it's confusing. Every time I get ready to publish I get super-anxious that I do everything just right - and I'm on my fifth book.

(And just wait until you apply for your copyright. That's fun, too.)

AW Admin said:

Register; you don't have to apply for copyright, it's yours from the moment of creation.

You register copyright if you're the publisher of your book. Registration has the potential future benefit that if you win an infringement case for your book, your potential damage awards start at a higher level.

Click to expand...

You're correct, of course. But you do have to fill out an Application for Registration, which is why I used the term "apply."

Argh - they're incorrect. My experience is that unless you're talking to a next-level customer support person at KDP, questions that range outside the usual FAQ mean the rep has to go off-script - and most of them don't have the knowledge for that.

You're the publisher of record - not Bowker.