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What is an ISBN and Why is it important to have one for your books or published works?

The International Standard Book Number is a numeric commercial book identifier which is intended to be unique. In other words, it is simply a product number that helps during the marketing/distribution of your book and DOES NOT provide any form of legal or copyright protection (this will be discussed in a separate post). It is important to have an ISBN because it provides a standard way for publishers to number their products so that it cannot be duplicated by other publishers.

An ISBN is intended to be assigned to each separate edition and variation of a publication. For example, an e-book, a paperback, and a hardcover edition of the same book should have a different ISBN.

If you plan on publishing your works then you will need an ISBN in order to sell and/or market in bookstores and with online retailers such as Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, Books a Million etc.

Bowker is a great resource for indie and self-published authors. An author may purchase a single ISBN or a bundle at very affordable prices. I would suggest conducting additional research on whether you should obtain your own ISBN or utilize the online retailer’s assigned ISBN. For me personally, I decided to purchase my own that way the same ISBN could be used everywhere and not limited to one retailer.

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An Author’s page will provide your readers with additional knowledge about your background while discovering additional works by said author. It is essential to create an author’s page for your published books – both Amazon and Goodreads allows an author to create an Author’s page free of charge.

Regardless what platform you choose (I have both), they are both driven to promote your published works and directed to engage with your readers.

The Goodreads Author Program – is ideal for all authors, regardless of where your book or works has been published.

Amazon Author Central – is only ideal if an author has a published book or works through Amazon whether it is in print, ebook or audio format.

**Tip** Create an Author’s page for both Amazon & Goodreads as soon as your books are available.

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Book formatting is a nightmare (I dare say)!! Especially if you are self-publishing and not sure what the specifications are. The format of your book or novel will depend on a number of things, starting with the trim size. If you plan on doing this yourself then research the genre of your book along with the number of pages, the binding type and confirm the recommended trim size for said genre.

For example, my book genre is fiction, 434 pages in length, and I wanted paperback binding. The recommended trim size for such specifications is 5.25 x 8 inches. I then researched the format recommendations for this trim size and watched a few YouTube videos on how to format my final draft which took a lot of patience (about 1 week worth of mistakes).

Word of advice: If you don’t have the patience or are not up for figuring out if the format is accurate then hire a professional (someone who is highly recommended).

**Tip** Microsoft Word has lots of formatting templates to choose from. The genre of your book along with the number of pages, binding type and trim size will assist with the recommended format.

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Writers use pseudonyms for a variety of reasons, and many successful, classic writers are more widely known by their pen names rather than their real ones. I personally chose to use a pseudonym because I wanted something catchy given that my real name is pretty lengthy as well as to disguise my identity for privacy reasons of course. Most authors choose a pen name because they want to try something new or need a fresh start.

Then there are those authors who write different genre’s thus the various pen names. While some authors are unable to publish under their real name because it might already be in use, it is particularly important to weigh your options when making the decision to either use your birth name or a pseudonym.

With that being said, be sure to choose the option that works best for your writings and stick to it. Remember that your author name is a brand on its own, so choose wisely because once your work is published, there is no undoing it.

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