ISBNs: CreateSpace freebie or own ISBN? Pros and cons

I’ve had this question from Daniel Vertrees, who is making his first print edition, and it turned into a pros and cons discussion so I thought it would make a useful post.

Did you use one of the Createspace ISBN? I want to be able to sell directly (like book signings) and wonder if it is better to buy the ISBN?

A what?

The ISBN is a unique digital identifier for a book (oh here’s the Wiki entry). Traditionally, publishers buy them in batches of between 10 and several thousand, and allocate them to each edition of any book – even ebooks. If you’re UK based you can get them from Nielsen, in the US from Bowker. CreateSpace offers you the option of a free ISBN or you can input one you’ve bought yourself. If you use the other main indie publishing print-on-demand company, Ingram Spark, you need to supply your own ISBN.

Your own ISBN or CreateSpace’s? The pros and cons

There’s a lot of emotional talk about whether you should buy an ISBN or use CS’s. Here are a few myths dispelled.

Doesn’t the book ‘belong’ to CreateSpace if you use their ISBN?

No it doesn’t. It belongs to you. You have the copyright. However, you are restricted about where you can have the book with that ISBN printed. See below.

CreateSpace will be seen as the publisher of record.

Yes it will. I’m not sure this makes any difference to individual buyers who are browsing for your book. If they’re trawling down the book details, liking what they see, they’re unlikely to screech to a horrified halt if they see it’s published by CreateSpace. They probably won’t notice.

However, the CreateSpace name may deter booksellers from ordering. But that’s not because the name is associated with Beelzebub Bezos, self-publishing or any other giant imaginary stigma. It’s because CreateSpace’s distribution terms (through Expanded Distribution) are not as favourable as Ingram Spark (Lightning Source for indies). CreateSpace discounts are not as competitive and delivery times are not as swift.

However 2

In the past, indie authors who published via Lightning Source (now Ingram Spark, remember) found their books sometimes showed ‘out of stock’ notices on Amazon. This has caused much hair-tearing, and mumblings that the big corporations were having some kind of squabble with publishers caught in the middle.

So now, many indies are now buying their own ISBN, printing through CreateSpace to sell on Amazon, then printing the same book (with the same ISBN, remember) to distribute everywhere else. Best of both worlds.

It all sounds good – except for the cost of ISBNs. In some countries they’re free, in which case you’re laughing. In countries where they are not, you’re not laughing. From Nielsen, you’re looking at £144 for 10. The unit cost is lower if you buy 100 (£342) but that’s rather too painful for me. Allocating ISBNs used to be a big administrative faff (I used to fill in the publisher’s forms when I was in charge of an editorial department) but now it could surely be automated and free. Don’t get me started, but I’d rather use that money for something that would benefit the reader, such as better cover art. Also, publishing on Ingram has a cost too, they charge for changes and the set-up is more challenging.

More on expanded distribution

1 So far, all my print titles have used CreateSpace ISBNs. Despite the distribution factors, this doesn’t stop me getting bulk orders every month for the Nail Your Novels. I can’t tell where they’re going, but they are being bought in bulk, somewhere. Maybe I’d get more bulk orders if I had my own ISBN and an Ingram version. Who knows?

2 According to Bowker:

Without an ISBN, you will not be found in most bookstores, whether online, or down the street from your house. Buying an ISBN is your first step to insure that your book is not lost in the wilderness.

This is true, of course. But even if books are on databases, and available at competitive rates, they sell zip without publicity. Bookstores get some of their stock because customers ask for it. But much of their speculative stock is books they order because they are featured in the wholesalers’ magazines, which is arranged by publishers’ marketing departments, or because a publisher’s rep called. So even with a shiny Bowker-or-Nielsen ISBN, the world is not your oyster. How much of a publicity campaign can you mount? Put another way, without a shiny Bowker-or-Nielsen ISBN you may not be missing very many sales because getting noticed is the most difficult thing of all. (Sorry.)

Short version, please

Sorry, Daniel. If you’re getting your paperback made for Amazon sales and direct hand sales, a CreateSpace ISBN will be fine. Certainly if you’re new to making books, use CreateSpace as your training wheels. Also, there’s nothing to stop you making a new version with your own ISBN, and uploading to CreateSpace and Ingram later on. You can change the CreateSpace settings to take your book off expanded distribution, so that the copy that reaches catalogues is on bookseller-friendly Ingram. You can also, if you have a really neat mind, disable the old CreateSpace listing by making the book unprintable, which takes new copies off sale although the old listing will remain.

As for me, I usually use the Createspace ISBNs. But I’m trying a new tack for the plot book. I’ve made a deal with a small publisher to put the book out with their ISBN. They get the book for their catalogue, I do everything else. I’m initially printing through CreateSpace, then seeing if a non-CS ISBN printed with Ingram Spark will give me any advantage. It would be nice if I could eat my pessimistic words about ISBNs. I shall report. 🙂

Thanks for the printing press pic Tadson 

The ebook of Writing Plots With Drama, Depth and Heart: Nail Your Novel is now available on pre-order. It will go on live sale on Twelfth Night, 5th January, and if you order beforehand you can get a special pre-order price.
‘On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love sent to me… Twelve drummers drumming, eleven pipers piping, ten lords….’ Is that too complicated for an opening scene?

Anything further to add? The Createspace/Ingram universe is changing all the time, the ISBN issue is one of the most divisive in the indie world – so comments and further discussions will be welcome!