How Do I Get an ISBN?
To get an ISBN number for your book, follow these three simple steps:
Create an account with Bowker MyIdentifiers at myidentifiers.com.
Choose a package with the number of ISBNs you’ll need. If you plan to get multiple books into print, you might choose a package with 10 or more ISBNs. You’ll need a different ISBN for each format you produce (hardcover, paperback, abridged, etc.).
Check out and pay for your ISBNs.
Once you’ve paid, your ISBNs will be under your account. Simply go to My Account > My Identifiers and fill in the information for your book, such as its title, author, publication date, and pricing.
When you’re done, simply submit the form. For peace of mind, Bowker keeps all of your book’s data.
Free or Discounted Options
Amazon’s KDP Print (formerly CreateSpace) is the most popular printing service that gives authors who use its service a free ISBN. But beware: You cannot use the free ISBNs to print your book elsewhere.
To take advantage of the free ISBN from KDP, simply choose “Get a free KDP ISBN” in the “Edit print book content” area when you’re adding your book to KDP.
Other printing services offer free ISBNs as well, including Blurb, BookBaby, Smashwords, and D2D (Draft2Digital) Print.
Why would you choose to pay for an ISBN if you can get one for free? The printing service or distributor is listed as the publishing company if you get a free ISBN, not you. For example, if you use KDP Print, your publisher will be listed as “independently published” instead of your name.
KDP Print, IngramSpark, and BookBaby offer discounted ISBNs to customers who use their printing services. If you buy ISBNs with a discount from one of these services, then you will be listed as the publisher, rather than the service being listed as the publisher.