This document provides guidance on obtaining necessary registrations and numbers for self-publishing a book, including: 1) Getting an ISBN from Bowker which uniquely identifies each version of a book. 2) Understanding the difference between the official publication date and bound book date. 3) Getting an EAN barcode to include on the back cover from various providers including Bowker. 4) Getting a book listed for free in Books In Print through BowkerLink registration.

1. IBPAU 401 – Publishing 101: Crash Course in the Basics of E- and Print Publishing Page 1
Friday March 9, 2012, 3:15 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Book Registration Basics 101
(Material adapted from “The Well-Fed Self-Publisher” by Peter Bowerman)
This handout is designed as a quick reference guide to the numbers, forms and
registrations you’ll need for your book – and the proper sequence of the process.
Your ISBN: Every book is assigned a unique 13-digit ISBN (International Standard
Book Number) by R.R. Bowker (www.bowker.com; Canadians get theirs through the
National Library of Canada). The ISBN appears most prominently at the top of the bar
code on the back cover. This from the Bowker site:
“The purpose of the ISBN is to identify one specific version of a book. If you wish to have
a hardbound copy, a softbound copy, an ePUB, a PDF, a MOBI, or even register a new
version, you will need a unique ISBN for each version.”
Buy your ISBN’s (1, 10, 100, or 1,000) here: https://www.myidentifiers.com/isbn/main.
OPD vs. BBD: “Official publication date” (OPD) is the date you officially “release” your
book. “Bound book date” (BBD) is the date you have printed books in your hands. Put at
least 3-4+ months between the two, giving you time to build awareness in the traditional
media (primarily for mainstream books) and in your grassroots Internet communities.
Your EAN Bookland Barcode: Get one (goes on your back cover) at the ISBN link
noted above ($25), or for less at http://www.createbarcodes.com (or Google “$10
barcodes”). Barcodes are sent as files you’ll be unlikely to open on your computer. Just
forward it on to your cover designer, and they’ll drop it into your cover layout.
Free Books-In-Print Listing: Once you have ISBN’s, get your title listed on
www.booksinprint.com, Bowker’s five-million title database. It’s a free listing, and you
access it through BowkerLink (www.bowkerlink.com; register first). You can also list
for free in the Ulrich’s Periodicals database, also accessible through BowkerLink .
Sans the SAN Number: At that same ISBN link, you can apply for a SAN (Standard
Address Number). Smaller publishers can skip it; applies more to bigger publishers with
multiple locations.
The Preassigned Control Number (PCN) Program: This assigns a Library of Congress
Control Number (LCCN) to titles likely to be acquired by the L.O.C. To get your LCCN,
go to the Preassigned Control Number page (http://www.loc.gov/publish/pcn, where you
can get a preassigned LCCN.
www.wellfedsp.com

2. IBPAU 401 – Publishing 101: Crash Course in the Basics of E- and Print Publishing Page 2
Friday March 9, 2012, 3:15 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Click Open an Account, scroll down to Application to Participate, fill it out, and within a
few weeks, you’ll receive your account number and password by email.Once received,
return to the site to make formal application for the LCCN. You’ll receive it by email (a
few weeks).With LCCN in hand, next step is getting your Library of Congress CIP info.
The Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication (CIP) Program: Open up any
book to the copyright page and part of that arcane collection of words and numbers is the
CIP data. If you’ll be promoting a book to the library market, including the CIP data on
the copyright page makes it easier for librarians to catalog your book. If you’re self-
publishing, you’ll be getting PCIP, as in Publishers CIP.
Official explanation for CIP Info is here: http://www.loc.gov/publish/cip/
Get PCIP data through Quality Books, Inc. (www.quality-books.com/pcip.htm for details,
and an online application. You’ll forward the data (emailed to you) to your typesetter, to
place on the copyright page. Cost: $100. Questions: 800-323-4241. OR, check with your
librarian, who might be able to help you craft it, and save you the $100. It’s worth a call.
Copyrighting Your Book: Technically, any original work, including a book, is
automatically copyrighted by virtue of its creation. Should, however, that copyright be
contested for any reason, a formal copyright will offer that extra measure of protection –
so it’s worth doing (especially given the low cost!).
Go to www.copyright.gov, then the eCo Login link. You’ll register, then log in with your
new username and password. Fees are $35 for online filing and three-month processing;
$65 for paper filing, and 10-month processing!. You’ll click Login to eCo, work your
way to the start screen, and click, at left, “Register a New Claim.”
Warning: the process is pretty convoluted, so best to click the link for “copyright
registration information, instructions, helpful tips and FAQs” on the first screen.
Your Copyright Date: FYI, if your bound-book date (BBD) falls after about July in a
given year (meaning that your OPD – “official publication date” – is three to four months
later), it’s perfectly okay to put next year as your copyright date. That way, your book
stays “new” for longer in the eyes of the book world. Never hurts.
Your Copyright Page (a.k.a. Title VersoPage): This is where all the above data –
copyright date, copyright verbiage, PCIP info, etc. – comes together. Check out any book
to how it looks.
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Hope this was helpful! And good luck on your self-publishing journey…
www.wellfedsp.com