Lesson 5 of 9 Free account 5 min read
ISBNs, Copyright and Metadata: The Business Paperwork of Your Book
Who issues ISBNs in the US and whether you need your own, how copyright and registration work, and how to write the categories, keywords and descriptions that help readers find you.
Key takeaways
- Bowker is the official ISBN agency for the US; free platform ISBNs work only on that platform and list the platform or "Independently published" as the imprint.
- Copyright exists as soon as you write the book, and registration is optional but needed before you can sue for infringement of a US work.
- Metadata, meaning your categories, keywords and description, is how stores decide who sees your book.
- Never put other authors’ names, sales claims or misleading terms in your title or keywords.
This lesson covers the parts of publishing that feel like paperwork but have real consequences: the identifiers on your book, the legal protection on your words and the metadata that decides whether readers ever find it. This is general information, not legal advice.
What Is an ISBN and Who Issues Them in the US?
An ISBN (International Standard Book Number) is a 13-digit number that identifies one specific edition and format of a book. Booksellers, libraries and distributors use it to order and track titles. Each format needs its own ISBN: your paperback, hardcover and audiobook are separate products.
Each country has one official ISBN agency. In the United States, it’s Bowker, which sells ISBNs to US-based publishers through its MyIdentifiers site. Bowker has long priced a single ISBN at $125, with much lower per-number prices when you buy a block of 10 or more. Prices change, so check myidentifiers.com before you buy. Other websites resell ISBNs, but buying from the official agency is the only way to be listed as the publisher yourself.
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