Private ISBN
Private ISBN for Self-Published Books
An ISBN identifies one edition of your book and records who published it. Using a platform's free number is quick, but it ties that edition to the platform and puts someone else's name in the publisher field. Owning your ISBNs keeps your own imprint on the record.
- Plain advice on whether you need your own ISBNs
- ISBNs registered in your name, not ours
- Metadata checked before release
- No lock-in on standard services
The basics
What an ISBN is, and what it is not
An ISBN (International Standard Book Number) is a 13-digit identifier for a specific edition and format of a book. Retailers, distributors and libraries use it to order and track that edition. Linked to it is a record of the title, the author, the format and the publisher.
An ISBN is not copyright. You own the copyright in your writing whether or not your book has an ISBN, and whoever supplied the ISBN does not gain any rights to your work. What the ISBN does control is who is listed as the publisher of that edition, and where that number can be used.
Free or private
Free platform ISBN versus your own
A free platform ISBN
Quick and costs nothing. On Amazon KDP, a free ISBN can only be used for publishing through KDP, and the imprint is shown as "Independently published". If you later publish the same edition elsewhere, you need a different number.
A private ISBN
Bought from the ISBN agency for your country and registered to you or your imprint name. The same number can be used across platforms and distributors, and your imprint appears as the publisher.
Not sure which option fits?
Send us the brief. You will get a scope, a timeline and a fixed price within 24 hours — no obligation.
- You want your own imprint or company name listed as the publisher
- You plan to distribute the same print edition through more than one platform
- You want bookstores and libraries to be able to order the book through a wholesale distributor
- You plan a series or several books and want a consistent publisher identity
- You are publishing a business or professional book where the imprint name matters to readers
How many you need
One ISBN per format and edition
Each format of a book needs its own ISBN: the paperback, the hardback and the ebook are separate products, and an audiobook is separate again. A new edition with substantial changes usually needs a new number too. Minor corrections, such as fixing typos, normally do not.
This is why many authors buy ISBNs in blocks. In the United States, ISBNs are sold by Bowker, and a block of ten costs much less per number than buying single ISBNs. Ebooks are a partial exception: Amazon KDP does not require an ISBN for Kindle ebooks, though other ebook stores and distributors may.
Outside the US
ISBNs depend on where you live
ISBNs are issued by a national agency in each country, and you buy from the agency where you, as the publisher, are based. Prices and processes differ widely. In Canada, for example, Library and Archives Canada issues ISBNs free of charge to eligible Canadian publishers, including self-publishers who live in Canada. Elsewhere they are sold, singly or in blocks.
We point you to the right agency for your country and help you fill in the details correctly.
How we help
What we do with your ISBNs
Advise
Whether a free platform ISBN is enough for your plans, or whether owning your numbers is worth it.
Plan
How many ISBNs you need for your formats, and which number goes with which edition.
Register
Help completing the title record with the agency, so the details match what retailers display.
Apply
The right ISBN placed on the copyright page and barcode, and entered on each platform with your imprint name.
Free proposal
Tell us the goal. We’ll send the plan.
Share your requirements and a strategist gets back to you within 24 hours with scope, timeline and a fixed price. No obligation, no sales pressure.
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Response within 24 hours
Usually much sooner during business hours.
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Talk to a strategist
Not a call centre — the person who scopes your work.
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Fixed pricing upfront
You approve the number before anything starts.
Prefer to talk?
[email protected]Questions
Questions about private ISBNs
Still unsure about something? Talk to a specialist — no script, no sales pitch.
For print books, yes, but platforms such as Amazon KDP will give you a free one that works only on their platform. For Kindle ebooks, KDP does not require an ISBN at all. Whether you should buy your own depends on how widely you plan to distribute and whose name you want listed as the publisher.
A free ISBN from a platform can usually only be used on that platform, and the platform's imprint is listed as publisher; on KDP it shows "Independently published". A private ISBN is registered to you or your imprint and can be used with any platform or distributor.
No. Copyright belongs to you as the author regardless of the ISBN. An ISBN identifies an edition for the book trade. If you want formal copyright registration, that is a separate process with your country's copyright office. Requirements and benefits differ by country.
One for each format: paperback, hardback, ebook if you use one, and audiobook. A significantly revised new edition usually needs new numbers. That is why authors with more than one format or book often buy a block rather than single ISBNs.
Not on the same listing. Changing the ISBN effectively creates a new edition, which means publishing a new product rather than updating the existing one. It is easier to decide before your first release, which is why we raise it early.
Print books sold through retailers need a barcode on the back cover that encodes the ISBN. Many print-on-demand platforms add one automatically if you leave space for it. We make sure the cover design and barcode match the correct ISBN.
Works well with
Pair it with the rest of the stack
Ready when you are
Ready to work with the pros?
Get a free proposal in 24 hours — scope, timeline and fixed price. No obligation, no lock-in contract.
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