During this step you can request an ISBN for your book. Whether or not you need one depends on the sales channels that you want access to. If you’d like to know more about the various sales channels available to you before deciding whether or not you want to buy an ISBN for your book, you can read our article on selling your book.

Request an ISBN

If you do decide to get an ISBN for your book, go to the ISBN step (the second one) in the book creation flow and click “Request ISBN”. After confirmation of your request and payment via our web shop, you will receive it immediately. We will automatically place your ISBN and the associated bar code on the back cover of your book.

Tips

  • Make sure to request your ISBN via step 2. We cannot use ISBNs that you’ve requested elsewhere (i.e. other retailers or publishers).
  • You can always skip the ISBN step and continue publishing your book without one. If later on you decide that you do want an ISBN, you can always return to this step to request one afterwards.

FAQ

What is an ISBN?
An ISBN is a unique code that is assigned to nearly all book publications and has the purpose of making transactions between parties involved with the production, distribution and sale of books easier and unambiguous. ISBN stands for International Standard Book Number.

Am I obliged to request a ISBN?
No, an ISBN is only necessary when you choose to sell your book via certain sales channels, such as (online) bookstores. Furthermore, adding an ISBN will give your book a formal status in the publishing world. Nevertheless, you can absolutely self-publish your book without an ISBN.

What does an ISBN cost?
We charge £10.55 for an ISBN.

How quickly can you provide me with an ISBN?
As soon as you have requested and paid for it, you will receive your ISBN.

Does the ISBN appear on the cover?
After you have received your ISBN, we automatically place it, bar code included, on the back cover of your book. The position of the ISBN on the cover is fixed to the lower right corner.

When do I have to request a new ISBN for my book?
When you change one of the following items: the price, the cover, the content or the title. A few textual corrections are allowed without having to change the ISBN, but the content of your book may not change drastically. You can change your ISBN by withdrawing your book from publication and thereafter requesting a new ISBN in step 3.