By Are you a writer, an author or an accomplished personality who desires to publish your book in South Africa but would like to learn more about everything involved in getting ISBN barcodes or ISSN barcodes?
Or are you considering setting up a new book publishing firm in South Africa? If your answer is yes to any of these questions, then we are here to tell you all you need to know.
ISBN Barcodes and What You Need to Know
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Publishing a book is one of the top achievements in life. It takes a lot of hard work and determination. The process of publishing a book can be very daunting, especially for first-time authors trying to navigate the world of barcodes. SA Barcodes is here to make it as easy as possible for you to publish your masterpiece. We will take you step by step through the process of applying for your ISBN number. In addition, we are fully capable of creating your very own ISBN barcode for your book. It does not have to be an intimidating process. We aim to make publishing your book as simple as possible.
So, what does one need in order to publish your book? There are two things you will need in order to publish your masterpiece. Firstly, you will need to apply for your ISBN number. This is the International Standard Book Number. It is necessary to apply for this unique number through the National Library of your country. It is important to be aware that this process can take up to three weeks, so give yourself enough time.
If you are planning on publishing your book in several different versions, you will need to apply for separate, unique ISBN numbers. For example, if you want to publish your book in hardcover and softcover, you will need two different ISBN numbers. In addition to this ISBN number, you will also need to acquire an ISBN Barcode and link it to your ISBN number.
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The ISBN Barcode and Why You Need It Before You Publish Your Book
This ISBN number as well as its accompanying ISBN barcode is 13 digits long. The number identifies the unique publication of the book itself. In addition, it also gives the region, date, publisher, title as well as the edition of each book. The barcode (linked to the number) facilitates the sales and tracking process of the publication in the retailers inventory. It is very similar to the EAN barcode used in retail. EAN stands for European Article Number and is also 13 digits long and is used in retail stores throughout the world. The ISBN barcode, although similar to an EAN barcode at a glance, must be used specifically with books and publications.
Will it be enough to use just the ISBN number when you want to publish your book? The reason for needing a barcode and not just the number is that it makes it a lot easier for Libraries and Bookstores to sell and keep track of your book using an internationally recognised inventory management system.
In fact, the majority of retailers as well as libraries throughout the world will not stock your book without an ISBN barcode (with a linked ISBN number). Therefore, by barcoding your book, you are opening up new avenues and possibilities for your book.
You do not want to limit where you can sell your book. The more retailers that have access to your book means more possible buyers and more profit for you. One of the most important steps along the road to publishing success is publicity. The more people that know about your book, the better. The book’s appearance on Social media such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter is vitally important to your book’s success in the challenging publishing world of today.
The ISSN Barcode
Another question that is often asked by new authors is what is the difference between ISBN and ISSN? ISSN stands for International Standard Serial Number. These numbers (as well as the barcode linked to each) are used for any serial publication such as magazines, journals and newspapers. These ISSN barcodes are utilized in order to manage the publishing of all sorts of periodicals.
A periodical can be defined as any publication that comes out on a regular basis. For most periodicals, it is only necessary to get one ISSN number. The only time that it would be necessary to get more than one ISSN number and barcode is if you would like to publish your periodical in a different format, such as if you wanted to publish it in a different language. Translating your books is, of course, easy access to more readers.
The ISSN barcodes include the publisher’s details as well as the country of origin. What makes them different from ISBN barcodes is that the first 3 digits always start with 977. This indicates that the publication is in fact a periodical and not a once off-book.
So how does one go about acquiring ISBN barcodes for publications? The first step is to apply for your ISBN number from your National Library. After this, it would be best to contact a barcode reseller who will guide you through the necessary requirements outlined above.
Once we have received your payment, we will need your individual ISBN number. We will then be able to design your ISBN barcode and link it to your ISBN number. This barcode has not been used before and is owned by you and you alone. The barcode package comes with a certificate of authentication proving this fact. Our service is speedy and efficient. Before you know it, your book will have its own unique ISBN barcode and you will be ready to publish.
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The Final Step to Barcoding Your Publication
What is the next step after you receive your barcodes? You must now decide how you want to apply it to your book. Most authors decide to incorporate it into the book cover. In this way, each book will automatically have a barcode on it. However, the other option is to buy labels or stickers and have the barcode printed onto them. After this, you would need to manually attach each barcode label to the individual copies of your book. Either way is perfectly acceptable (although your retailer may have their own requirements!).
