Tableland Press
0

Blog

Blog by Margaret Sorensen, owner of TABLELAND PRESS, LLC.

“Know that the LORD, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.”
— Psalm 100:3

What is an ISBN?

ISBN stands for International Standard Book Number. It is the number that identifies a certain edition or format of a book. A hardback, paperback, and eBook version will each have a unique ISBN. Also, when a book is revised or updated, the book will receive a new ISBN. When an audiobook is on CDs, that format gets an ISBN. Digital audiobooks do not need an ISBN.

The 13-digit ISBN consists of five parts:

·      The first three numbers are either 978 or 979.

·      The next one to five numbers are the identification of the country, geographical region, or language where the book is published. The numbers “0” or “1” mean the book is published in an English-speaking country.

·      The next few numbers identify the publisher or imprint. The length varies and can be up to seven digits.

·      The next few numbers identify the edition or format for that title.

·      The last number is a check digit. The ISBN is calculated by a mathematical formula, and the last digit confirms the ISBN as an authorized number.

Here is the ISBN for the paperback version of Seeing the Sun behind the Clouds by Lacy Bernett Padgett and Betty Hendricks Padgett: 978-1-949323-04-7

·      It starts with “978.”

·      The “1” means it is published in an English-speaking country (the United States).

·      The next six numbers (949323) identify TABLELAND PRESS LLC as the publisher.

·      “04” identifies the title, format, and version of the book published.

·      The “7” at the end is the check digit.

In the United States and its territories, ISBNs are purchased from Bowker. A person or publisher can buy a single ISBN, or blocks of 10, 100, or 1000 ISBNs. Larger blocks of ISBNs can be purchased by major publishing companies.

As you look at different ISBNs, keep in mind that some of the sections can have varying lengths. For TABLELAND PRESS, I bought a block of 100 ISBNs. My publisher identifier is six digits long. The numbers for the titles published by my company will be “00” to “99.” 

If I had bought a block of 1000 ISBNs, my publisher identifier would only be 5 digits long, and the numbers for the titles would range from “000” to “999.”

Margaret SorensenComment