ATTENTION
Attached you will find your "ISBN LOG BOOK". You may assign one of these numbers to each binding and/or edition of your title(s). The remaining numbers are for future publications.
We recommend you assign your numbers in sequence; beginning at the top of the log book and working down. In order to keep track of your publications record the title, binding or format and publication date next to the ISBN you are assigning.
Please note an "X" is used as a check digit on some ISBNs; this is a valid number (X=10) and must not be changed or omitted.
You may visit our website at to view our Bookland EAN Bar Code Film Master Suppliers list. Contact one of these suppliers in order to have an EAN bar code made from the ISBN you are assigning. You may give to your printer for placement on your product.
Once you have assigned an ISBN to your book, you can register your title electronically at
You may register your title(s) electronically, or you may complete a printed copy of the form and return it to:R.R. Bowker Data Collection Center, P.O. Box 6000, Oldsmar, FL 34677-6800. All video, words on cassette and software titles must be submitted on hard copy forms to the Oldsmar address.
Manufacturers of greeting cards or non-book related items for placement in bookstores are urged to contact the ISBN Agency for instructions on proper usage and assignment of ISBNs to such products.
All information contained in this package is VERY IMPORTANT. Please read carefully as it further explains the usage, assignment and printing of your ISBNs.
For further clarification of any information please call 877-310-7333, fax 908-665-2895 or e-mail the ISBN Agency at
Dear Publisher:
The ISBN system is a voluntary one. However, when you are assigned an ISBN Publisher Prefix, you are committed to following the rules of the Standard. One of the rules is that titles and products to which an ISBN is assigned must be reported on the enclosed form(s).
As the ISBN Agency, it is our responsibility to keep evidence in our database on all ISBNs assigned. Also, we must publish the information and inform the publisher when errors occur.
To expedite accurate numbering of your publications, we have generated the enclosed ISBN Log Book. You, or an appointed person in your company, should assign an ISBN to each of your titles in print, including your active backlist and your forthcoming titles, as follows:
*One ISBN for each separate binding (i.e. Hardcover, Paperbound, Library Binding, etc.)
*A MULTI-VOLUME WORK requires an ISBN for the whole set; if individual volumes are sold separately, each volume requires a separate ISBN.
*A NEW ISBN is required for a revised edition.
*Once assigned, an ISBN CANNOT be reassigned.
*Distributors must use the ISBN of the ORIGINAL publishers.
Enter all titles in the ISBN Log Book next to the corresponding number for your permanent reference to avoid duplicating an ISBN.
NOTE: KEEP THE ISBN LOG BOOK IN A SAFE PLACE AS IT CONTAINS THE ONLY COMPLETE LIST OF YOUR ISBNs, WHICH YOU WILL NEED FOR FUTURE PUBLICATIONS. THERE IS A CHARGE FOR GENERATING A DUPLICATE LOG BOOK.
Thank you for your cooperation.
Sincerely,
Doreen Gravesande
Director
The following types of publications are ineligible for listing in BOOKS IN PRINT:
^Bibles (Standard Christian versions, the Bhagavad Gita, Korans, Torahs, etc.).
^^Periodicals and serials.
^^^Microfilms, audio-visual material or audio/video cassettes not accompanying a book.
Also:Free material not included with a title to be sold;
Unbound material, pamphlets and booklets;
Puzzles, cartoons, cutouts, etc. not in a children's book with text; Calendars and appointment books;
Maps (books of maps are eligible);
Books available only to members of an organization;
Subscription-only titles;
Music manuscripts and sheet music.
Please Note:Large type books and books sold only to schools are eligible for inclusion in Bowker publications. Please send data on these books to the attention of Large Print Books or EL-HI Books.
^LARGE TYPE bibles permissible.
^^These titles should be submitted to ULRICH'S editors.
^^^Audio and video cassettes should be submitted to our AUDIO/VIDEO editor.
PLEASE NOTE:EVEN IF YOUR TITLE OR PRODUCT IS INELIGIBLE FOR BIP, YOU SHOULD STILL ASSIGN AN ISBN FOR ORDERING PURPOSES.
MAJOR ISSUES IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ISBN
PRINTING THE ISBN: When the number is either written or printed, it must be preceded by the letters "ISBN" and each part must be separated by a hyphen.
Example:ISBN 0-937383-18-X or
International Standard Book Number 0-8352-2051-6
(NOTE: HYPHENATION VARIES WITH SIZE OF PREFIX)
PRINTING ON HARDCOVER BOOKS: The ISBN should be printed on the verso of the title page (copyright page) and on the lower portion of the outside back cover or back jacket if the book has one.
PRINTING ON PAPERBACK: In addition to the verso of the title page and the outside back cover, the ISBN should be printed on the spine of the book. When price is printed with the ISBN use the following format:
ISBN 0-425-05382-2 2.75 (Allow 2 spaces between ISBN and price)
When the price changes, the original ISBN must be maintained.
BOOKLAND EAN BAR CODE: The International ISBN Agency, the Uniform Code Council (UCC) and the International Article Numbering System (EAN) have collaborated to establish the BOOKLAND EAN bar code. The code provides for the ISBN to be printed in a worldwide compatible bar code format. A Bookland EAN Bar Code Film Master Suppliers list is available from the ISBN Agency on our website at:
PRINTING OF THE ISBN IN PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS: The complete "10 digit" ISBN should appear in the book and all catalogs and promotional materials. An ISBN is only valid and can only be validated when all "10 digits" are displayed.
ISBN CAN NEVER BE REUSED: Once an ISBN is assigned to a title, it CANNOT BE REASSIGNED even if the title goes out of print. In addition to being an order fulfillment tool, the ISBN is a bibliographic element in cataloging. It is printed on catalog cards, in catalogs and entered in national and international databases.
WHEN A TITLE IS REPRINTED, REGARDLESS OF PRICE CHANGE, THE ORIGINAL ISBN MUST BE MAINTAINED.
EDITIONS/BINDINGS/FORMATS: A separate ISBN must be assigned to the different formats in which a particular title is published, i.e. paper, cloth, microfilm, braille, multimedia sets, microcomputer software programs on various disk size, tape, cassette, etc. all have a separate ISBN. REVISED editions require a new ISBN.
MULTI-VOLUME WORKS: If a multi-volume work is sold only as a set, one ISBN must be assigned to the whole set of volumes. If individual volumes of the set are also being sold separately, each volume must be assigned an individual ISBN. The ISBN for the individual volume and the ISBN for the set should be printed in each volume.
EXAMPLE:ISBN 0-463-13579-2 (Volume 1)
ISBN 0-463-13585-7 (6 Volume Set)
BACKLIST: Publishers are required to number their backlist titles and publish the ISBN in their catalogs. The ISBN must also be printed in the first available reprint of a backlist title.
CO-PUBLICATIONS: A publication issued as a co-edition or joint imprint with another publisher can be assigned an ISBN by each publisher. However, if only one publisher is the distributor, only that publisher should assign an ISBN.
PUBLISHERS ACQUIRING ANOTHER COMPANY WITH "ISBN PREFIX": The originally assigned ISBN must be used until the book is reprinted under the new company imprint. Promptly report any name and address changes, mergers, acquisitions, ceased publishing, etc., to the ISBN Agency.
PUBLISHERS ACQUIRING COMPLETE STOCK OF ANOTHER COMPANY: Publishers must use the ISBN of the ORIGINAL PUBLISHER (if assigned) until the new company reprints under their OWN IMPRINT.
ISBN LINKAGE: If a book that has been acquired from another publisher has been reprinted and carries the imprint of the NEW PUBLISHER and the new publisher's ISBN, then the new publisher must give the ISBN of the previous edition as well as their own on the verso of the title page.
EXAMPLE:ISBN 0-666-00123-5 (previously published by XY, ISBN 0-8420-0091-X)
or ISBN 0-666-00123-5 (previously ISBN 0-8420-0091-X)
DISTRIBUTORS: A distributor, even an exclusive distributor, must use the ISBN of the PUBLISHER in all promotional materials. If a U.S. Publisher does not have an ISBN Publisher Prefix, have the publisher contact the ISBN Agency.
When a foreign publisher is from a country that has not implemented the ISBN, the distributor must contact the International ISBN Agency headquarters in Berlin for approval to assign their own number until the country involved utilizes the ISBN system.
PRINTING FOR CLIENT: Publishers acting only as a PRINTER and returning all stock to the client, MUST USE THE ISBN OF THE PUBLISHER (client) ON THE COPYRIGHT PAGE AND BACK COVER. If the publisher does not have an ISBN Publisher Prefix, have them contact the ISBN Agency.
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We wish to stress the importance of implementing the ISBN system and observing its standards exactly. Any deviation, i.e., not using all ten digits or assigning a new ISBN due to a price change, would make communication difficult between order fulfillment units.