ISBN & Distribution
ISBN and Distribution Options for self-published authors
Self-publishing gives authors the opportunity to become published without the need to go through a literary agent or a traditional publisher, and in many cases, self-publishing might well be the right choice for writers and prove to be a very satisfying experience. Many authors realise that their chosen subject matter may not appeal to a broad market and understand that the self-publishing process is an appropriate route to guarantee that their work is published and made available to the global readership.
When publishing on Amazon, two ISBN options are available for self-published authors; the first is a free ISBN assigned by Amazon, and the second is the author’s own ISBN purchased from NIELSEN.
Option 1
Once your content is published on the KDP website, Amazon.com will assign a free 10-digit ASIN (Amazon Standard Identification Number) unique to the eBook, and a free Amazon ISBN for the printed edition, which enables your book to be sold to as many readers as possible.
When your book is self-published on Amazon, both editions (eBook and printed) will be available to customers worldwide from Amazon’s website. It’s worth noting that the printed version, with its free Amazon ISBN, will be exclusive to Amazon’s website and available only through them, but please keep in mind that they have more than 70% of the world’s book-selling trade, which has been growing for many years.
When you get your book published on Amazon, you may quickly expand the circulation of your work around the world, in contrast to traditional publishing, where your manuscript’s dissemination is initially confined to only one country.
Also, remember that Amazon provides apps so that the books can be downloaded to almost every eBook device – iPhone, iPad, Android and so on, further heightening the appeal of purchasing on Amazon. One of the biggest advantages of Amazon publication on KDP AMAZON is that books are published indefinitely.
When your paperback is published with a free KDP ISBN, the “Publisher” field on your Amazon detail page will read “Independently published.”
Option 2
An author’s own ISBN, purchased from the official ISBN Agency run by NIELSEN, can also be used when publishing on KDP AMAZON. It’s important for some authors to provide their own ISBN because it allows them to choose their book’s imprint of record.
It is not essential to have a NIELSEN ISBN. Still, if you intend to sell your book using traditional book retailers, bookshops or via a website, in addition to selling your book through Amazon bookstores, it is necessary. The British Library, other libraries, book wholesalers and bookshops use the UK & Ireland ISBNs purchased from NIELSEN as a unique reference number to record information about the book on their computer systems, and they don’t consider titles that have been allocated a free Amazon ISBN.
NIELSEN ISBNs (International Standard Book Numbers) are obtained from the NIELSEN ISBN agency. You can organise this yourself if you choose to do so, by contacting NIELSEN directly at: www.nielsenisbnstore.com/
NIELSEN sell either a single ISBN (£91.00 per ISBN) or a Prefix for 10 ISBNs (£174.00 per block of 10).
If you publish only one book in one format, a single ISBN will be enough to meet your needs. If, however, you plan to publish your book in different formats (such as paperback and eBook), publish a revised edition of your book(s), or publish more than one book, you will need a different ISBN for each version and each format, so 10 ISBNs would be more suitable. Unused ISBNs remain valid indefinitely.
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