ISBN vs ASIN
A Quick Primer
When you publish a book, one requirement is to assign an identifier. This identifier documents the identity of a title or edition to one publisher. It allows for marketing of the book by booksellers, libraries, and distributors. It also allows you to search for a book by the identifier.
There’s a certain amount of confusion about what an ISBN is, and when you need to get one. Further complicating things is a number called an ASIN. This is an Amazon-specific number and works like an ISBN, but an ASIN remains within the Amazon framework.
There are many sites that talk about these numbers, so my aim here is to keep it short and to the point. I’ll try to explain the differences in layman’s terms and give you an abbreviated explanation for the two.
What is an ISBN? The term stands for International Standard Book Number. When used, it accurately identifies commercial books.
What is an ASIN? The term ASIN stands for Amazon Standard Identification Number. It is the unique identifier Amazon assigns to all its products. It is not specific to books.
What is the difference between the ISBN and the ASIN? The ISBN is used to identify books across international borders and used by libraries and brick and mortar stores to identify their inventory. The ASIN is a unique Amazon internal identifier used to track their specific product inventory.
NOTE: each publishing platform (Amazon, Apple, Kobo, B&N, and Google) has their versions of the ASIN.
It’s just a product code. Since Amazon is the predominant online reseller, the ASIN gets all the attention.
Now that we’ve discussed the basics, let’s assume you want to publish a paperback or hardback book and have it end up in physical bookstores or libraries. Here’s where the actual conversation begins and the ISBN is the only identifier you should be concerned with.
Where do you purchase an ISBN? Bowker Publishing Services.
I strongly recommend you purchase your ISBN direct from the BOWKER Website. It is not a complicated process, and Bowker is the official ISBN Agency for publishers physically located in the United States and its territories.
Each country has a single approved and designated agency that issues ISBNs for publishers and self-publishers located in that country. NIELSEN is the official ISBN agency for the UK and Ireland; THORPE-BOWKER is the official ISBN agency for Australia. There are roughly 160 ISBN agencies worldwide. You’ll need to lookup your country’s official agency when it’s time to order your ISBN.
NOTE: while there are other companies you can use to get an ISBN, if you choose to go with one of those,
it may not identify the publisher of your book properly. For example, they may list themselves as the publisher.
Once the ISBN is officially assigned, it cannot be changed for that book’s title. If you want your book published
under your or your company’s name, you’ll want to order it yourself or make sure the company you’re ordering
from will assign it the way you want.
Besides an ISBN, you will also want to have your ISBN translated into a barcode for your print books. Bar code scanning is required by many retailers. While you can purchase a barcode directly from the Bowker website at the same time you get your ISBN, it is not required and I suggest you don’t. Once you have your ISBN, there are many other places to get a barcode. Once you have it, you can then hand it to your cover designer to insert on the back cover.
I’ve used the Kindlepreneur website to generate barcodes for all my print books and it’s absolutely free. All you have to do is enter your ISBN and the price of the book (if you want it on the barcode) and then download it in PNG or JPG format. It’s a straightforward process that takes about a minute to complete. Follow the link below to generate yours.
Kindlepreneur Barcode Generator
I hope I’ve answered some of your questions concerning book identifiers vs product codes. It can get confusing. Just remember, if you hope to have your book on store or library shelves, most times, you’ll need an official ISBN.
Some popular questions:
What if I’m selling my books on my own, and don’t intend for them to be in stores? Do I need an ISBN?
No, you don’t. Likewise, you don’t need one for ebooks. Each ebook distributor uses their unique internal product code.
How many ISBNs will I need?
Try to estimate how many books you may write in five years. Use that as a base number. Keep in mind that if you write a series, each book will need a different ISBN. Also,
If you change the title of the original book, it will need a new ISBN.
If you change the content significantly, you may need a new ISBN.
If you’re just making updates to account for typos or other “gotchas” then you won’t need a new ISBN.
How long does it take to get an ISBN?
The official answer on the Bowker site is 5 days. However, if you already have a block and just assign one of those to a new book, I’ve found it only takes a few minutes. I’ve never waited more than a day or two when purchasing a new block of ISBNs.
Get Notified When New Articles are Released
