As the U.S. ISBN Agency, R R Bowker
is the exclusive US source of
publisher prefixes and accompanying
ranges of ISBN numbers for eligible
publishers. Bowker provides
information and advice on the uses
of the ISBN System to publishers and
the book trade, and promotes the use
of the Bookland EAN bar code format.
In addition to their ISBN prefixes,
publishers also register their
titles with Bowker for inclusion in
the Books In Print databases.
Please
be aware that there are unauthorized
resellers of ISBNs, and that this
activity is a violation of the ISBN
standard and of industry practice.
Only
companies you designate as your
publisher should assign ISBNs to
your publications from their block
of ISBNs. You may encounter offers
from other sources to purchase
single ISBNs at special offer
prices. Companies that provide
limited services such as
distributing, retailing, bar code
services, printing, and/or marketing
should not assign ISBNs from their
company to your publications unless
you allow them to also hold
publishing rights.
If you
use one of these reassigned ISBNs,
you will not be correctly identified
as the publisher of record in Books
In Print or any of the industry
databases, such as Barnes & Noble or
Amazon, or in the databases of
wholesalers such as Ingram.
Discovering the consequences too
late can lead to extensive costs to
apply for a new prefix and reassign
a new ISBN, and can potentially lead
to the application of stickers to
books already printed and in
circulation.
If you
are a new publisher, you should
apply for your own ISBN publisher
prefix from the US ISBN Agency.
Assigning ISBNs from your own ISBN
publisher prefix will identify you
as the publisher of your titles, and
link your contact information to the
specific publisher identifier. This
will ultimately aid in circulating
your books properly in the industry
supply chain.
If you
have any questions about resellers
of ISBNs, do not hesitate to
contact the US ISBN Agency for
further advice.
If you
are a publisher who has already
purchased an ISBN from a reseller,
and you are experiencing problems or
need advice, please contact the US
ISBN Agency at
isbn-san@bowker.com.
