ISBN Faq's

ISBN FAQs

What is an ISBN?

It is an International Standard Book Number with is a unique identifier assigned to each edition of every published book and book-like product. The ISBN is 10 digits long until January 1, 2007, when it (ISBN-10) converts to the 13 digit format called ISBN-13.

What is an EAN?

It is a 13-digit number used to identify products available for retail sale worldwide. EAN used to stand for European Article Number, but now stands for International Article Number. Although the name of the identifier changed from “European” to “International,” its abbreviation has remained EAN.

Why don’t all ISBN-13 begin with “978”?

The ISBN Agency will exhaust its supply of available numbers to assign in the “978” range, so it will begin to issue new ISBN-13s beginning with a “979” prefix. In both cases, the prefixes denote the book industry.

Can I just add the “978” prefix to my ISBN-10 to turn it into an ISBN-13?

No. Although it is true that the ISBN-10 will be preceded by “978,” the check digit (the last digit) will be dropped and another check digit will be calculated according to a new formula. This new check digit will then replace the old one.

Will the barcode on the book be any different?

The barcode itself will not be different. What will change is the printing of the ISBN number right above the barcode. The new ISBN-13 number will match exactly with the EAN right under the barcode.

What is a check digit?

A check digit is the last digit in an ISBN. It is there to ensure the validity of the ISBN. The way it is chosen is based off an algorithm that calculates from all the other digits of the ISBN.

What do publishers do with the ISBN-10s they have not used up by January 1, 2007?

Publishers do not need to throw out the remaining ISBN-10s they have. They can change the remaining unused ISBN-10s to their proper ISBN-13 counterparts by using the conversion formula.

What happens if a book is printed with the wrong ISBN on the cover?

There are two options. The book can be reprinted, or the barcode can have a sticker placed over it. Restickering entails printing the correct barcode and ISBN on a sticker and having it placed over the incorrect barcode on the book. If the book already has left the warehouse with the incorrect barcode, then all the trading partners should be notified of the mistake so that a proper course of action can be taken.

Will books that have already been published need new ISBNs?

No. The ISBN-10 that a book possesses can be converted to its ISBN-13 counterpart using the conversion formula. The ISBN and barcode do not need to be changed until the book is ready to be reprinted because the barcode already represents the ISBN-13. (Remember that the barcode EAN is the same as the ISBN-13.)