How many self-publishers in India opt for ISBN when their book is published? While exact data on this is not available, one can safely assume that it is not flattering by any count.
ISBN or International Standard Book Number is a 13-digit unique, numerical code that is assigned to a book to identify it. Every new version of a book gets separate ISBN codes.
For any new self-publisher who plans to sell online, there is no need to get an ISBN. Pothi.com, for example, is an online self-publication platform that doesn’t require the author to get an ISBN. However, keeping in mind the larger picture, it makes sense for you to apply for ISBN.
First and foremost you don’t need to pay for getting an ISBN for your book in India. All you need to do is send an application to the Raja Rammohan Roy National Agency for ISBN. So, where is the harm in applying for one?
As a new author you firmly believe that your book will be successful. So where is the harm in preparing for the impending fame? While you don’t need an ISBN for selling your book in a digital format, you need one to sell through traditional sources like bookstores and libraries.
In a recent post in The Economist, ISBN was labelled as an analog relic, something that inconveniences new authors and publishers. To some extent one cannot help but agree. When we see eBooks slowly taking over the publication world, applying for an ISBN may not be critical.
However, there is only one submission that I would like to make in the end – as a new author think of the big picture. Have belief in your abilities and you will find it quintessential to apply for an ISBN.
Image credit: Brett Jordan on flickr and reproduced under Creative Commons 2.0[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]https://writingtipsoasis.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Profile_Pic_Moumita.jpg[/author_image] [author_info]Moumita Goswami is a full-time homemaker and a passionate writer. She stays in Pune with her husband and daughter. After giving up working, she started writing about five years ago and can now be seen using her computer keyboard almost all the time. An MA in Psychology from Calcutta University, Moumita has spent time in Kolkata, Delhi and now Pune. For Moumita, writing started as a sudden chance but she soon discovered her likeness for it. And now she has developed a passion for writing and hardly any day passes without her scribbling a few lines. She dreams of publishing her own book one day and is working towards it.
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