In this series of blogs, we are covering:

1) The Ins and Outs of ISBNs

2) Reasons to Get Your Own ISBN

3) Where you get your ISBN (this blog)

4) How to get an ISBN in Canada

So in this blog (part 3), we want to take a look at where you can get an ISBN as well as the general cost. Be forewarned... ISBNs aren't cheap.

The Cost of ISBNs

As we explored in Part I and Part II, there are free options for ISBNs and they are tempting. If you can afford it, I would recommend purchasing your own (see Reasons to Get Your Own ISBN).

Prices vary from country to country. The US and the UK are roughly the same price for one ISBN ($125 US) while Australia is roughly $33 US for one. Not to frustrate self-publishers around the world, but Canadians get ISBNs for free. The final blog in this series will walk Canadian authors through that process.

The way to approach the purchasing of ISBNs is to buy them in bulk.
I'll use the US as an example:
1 ISBN = $125
10 ISBNs = $295 (Australia ends up being about $66 US for 10 ISBNs)
100 ISBNs = $575
1000 ISBNs = $1500

Obviously, the price goes down significantly the more you buy. This helps explain why large companies (such as Createspace) can give away free ISBNs. They buy huge quantities and are not giving you an ISBN worth $125, but closer to $1.50.

For a self-publisher, you are likely trying to cut costs. Because of that, the figures above are likely daunting. Since a lot of authors will publish more than one book, you should consider buying the package of 10. That ends up being about $30/ISBN (in the US). If you think you'll be publishing more than 10, it is definitely worth buying the set of 100. Remember, you need a separate ISBN for each format of your book. If you publish three books and publish each of them as a paperback, ebook and audiobook, you are already at nine ISBNs and it is likely worth your while to grab the package of 100.

It's a lot of money up front, but a block of 100 will give you a lot more freedom to publish all the formats you need.

There is one more option here (I understand this is just for US Publishers). If you are using Ingram for distribution (you really should use them), you have the option of buying a single ISBN through them. The option for you to do this is on the Dashboard of your Ingram account. These ISBNs are $85, so they are definitely more affordable than buying one through Bowker. The disadvantage of this option is that there is no quantity discount (as with direct through Bowker). The good news, however, is that your imprint/publisher name will be attached to the $85 ISBN from Ingram (See Reasons to Get Your Own ISBNs for more information on ISBN Imprints).

Where do I get an ISBN

ISBNs have to be purchased through a different place, depending on the country in which you live. To track down where you can get an ISBN in your country, check out the following link:

https://www.isbn-international.org/agencies

So this is part three of this series. In part four, we will explore how to get an ISBN in Canada.

1) The Ins and Outs of ISBNs

2) Reasons to Get an ISBN

3) Where you get your ISBN

4) How to get an ISBN in Canada

Shawn