What an ISBN is and how to apply for one
The ISBN is the number that identifies your book to shops, libraries and databases. Here is what it does and how the application works in India.
The QuillBees team
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·3 min read
ISBN stands for International Standard Book Number. It is a number that identifies one edition of one book. Shops, libraries, distributors and online databases use it to know exactly which book they are talking about.
What it does
Imagine two books with the same title. A bookseller needs a way to tell them apart. The ISBN does that. It also lets a bookshop's software look up your title, and it is the number encoded in the barcode on the back cover.
What it does not do
It does not give you copyright. It does not make your book sell. It does not prove quality. It is an identification number and nothing else.
One number per edition
A paperback and a hardback of the same book need different ISBNs. So does an ebook. A new edition with real changes needs its own number. A reprint with no changes keeps the old one.
People often miss this and use one number for everything. It causes confusion later when an order comes in and nobody knows which format is meant.
How to apply in India
ISBNs for Indian publishers are issued by the Raja Rammohun Roy National Agency for ISBN, which works under the Ministry of Education. You apply through their online portal. First you register as a publisher, and then you request ISBNs for your titles.
You will need to give details about the publisher or author and about the book. Keep your title, subtitle, author name, language, format and expected publication month ready. The agency will tell you what supporting documents it wants, and the requirements can change, so read the current instructions on the portal before you start.
Who is the publisher?
If you publish under your own name, you are the publisher. If you work through a publishing company, the company usually holds the ISBN, and that affects who controls the listing later. Ask about this before you agree to anything.
Before the book is printed
The number must be on the copyright page and in the barcode on the back cover. Because the cover design depends on it, get the ISBN before the cover is finished, not after.
A small checklist
- One ISBN for each format you plan to release.
- The title and author name exactly as they will appear on the cover.
- The number printed on the copyright page.
- The barcode on the back cover, checked by scanning it with a phone before you print.
That last step takes thirty seconds and has saved plenty of people from a full print run with a barcode that does not scan.
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