Getting Started with ISBNs

Last night I applied for international standard book numbers through the Japanese ISBN agency. Truth be told, I didn't even realize these were a thing you apply for. I don't believe there is a rejection system in place, barring errors in the information you give them; still, I had expected it to be more like a toll gate where you fork over the money and they let you through. There were a lot of surprises as I made my way through this process and I thought I'd share some of what I learned.

Before I'd started I had no idea what an ISBN is. I had seen the letters on the back covers of books, but never thought about it. An ISBN, as it turns out, is a unique serial number that identifies the book. That's it. Since more than one book might have the same name, or perhaps very similar names, ISBNs are used to identify books precisely.

If publishing, do you really need an ISBN? That depends on how and what you're publishing. Here you can find a PDF which lists the media that ISBNs can be attached to. In my case, I want to put one on my eBook. I don't actually have to, but there are some eBook retailers that do require them (namely Apple and Sony). In order to distribute my work through them I need the numbers.

Getting the codes has proved somewhat complicated. Like I said, I thought I'd just hand over some money and be done with it, but the first sign that it wouldn't be so easy was not finding a field for "country" in the address form on Bowker's website. That had me searching on Google to find out that ISBNs may be international, but they are administered locally. The participating countries each have their own agency that processes inquiries for publishers whose business are stationed in their locality. There is only one agency for each country and ISBNs can only be issued by official agencies. I didn't happen to turn up any scam sites, but I can't imagine they don't exist.

I had a lot of questions when I first started. Can Japanese ISBNs be used for works distributed world-wide? Do you need to attach seperate codes to foreign language editions? Can ISBNs be transferred or sold? There are answers to almost every conceivable question in various FAQs that can be found around the net, including here, here, and here.

There are a few last details worth mention. The information required by the ISBN agency includes an address and land line phone number in the country over which they preside. I also needed to enter the name of the publisher and its legal business status. This cannot be changed once registered with them. I haven't established an official business, as I have yet to look into my options regarding registering here in Japan or in the US. In any case, this means deciding on a name that will appear in the official records before doing business. I have chosen Stern Publishing. It sounds official and the tag-line is just too good to pass up. Stern Publishing: we're serious about books. I crack myself up...

I have a file to mail back to the agency and then it's back to waiting. Fifteen business days according to their email, so unless there are any other snags, it looks like I can publish Bear with Me around the middle of September.

First Post: Cover Page and Moving Forward with a Beta Test

Well the first post on this blog comes along just before the final push on finishing up the book. I just sent off a pdf to some beta testers to read with their kids. Depending on the feedback I receive I may be ready to publish on time. It should be around next weekend if things go all right. I wish there were a pay-what-you-want option with Smashwords, but they don't offer one anymore. Instead I'll schedule some months when it will be free and will charge in the beginning only as a way to let people show support if they want to.

The picture heading this post is the cover image I'm going with. I tried another with fuzzy bear fur letters for the word "Bear," but my brother and I didn't like the way it looked. I also added a border which I hadn't originally wanted. Many websites (like Amazon and Smashwords) have white backgrounds and I think the thumbnail will look better this way.

Making the book was a lot of fun. Since I've been caught up in reading about publishing and taxes, I'm excited to start drawing the next one. I have a Japanese title for it, but I have to figure out the English one. I've got some rewriting to do as well, as I lost my original Japanese manuscript, but I think that's really a blessing as I already like the new direction I plan on going with it. I'll be posting about it as I make progress.