Register Nielsen Account & Buy ISBNs

⏱ Start 12–9 months before release

What You'll Do

Visit the Nielsen ISBN Store (UK). Create a publisher account using your imprint name. Purchase at least 10 ISBNs so you can assign unique ones to ebook, paperback, and hardback editions.

Why ISBNs Matter

An ISBN (International Standard Book Number) is a unique identifier for your book. Each format of your book needs its own ISBN:

Ebook (EPUB) - requires one ISBN
Paperback - requires a separate ISBN
Hardcover - requires yet another ISBN

ISBNs are how bookstores, libraries, and distributors track your book in their systems. Without your own ISBNs, you'll be listed as published by Amazon (if using their free ISBN), which looks less professional.

Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Visit Nielsen ISBN Store UK

Go to the Nielsen ISBN Store website. This is the official UK agency for ISBNs.

Step 2: Create Your Publisher Account

You'll need to register as a publisher. Use your imprint name (the publishing brand name you chose in the previous step), not your personal author name.

Information you'll need:

Imprint/publisher name
Contact address (can be a PO Box)
Email and phone number
Payment method (credit/debit card)

Step 3: Purchase ISBNs

How many should you buy?

ISBNs are sold in bundles. The more you buy, the cheaper per ISBN:

1 ISBN - Around £89
10 ISBNs - Around £159 (£15.90 each)
100 ISBNs - Around £369 (£3.69 each)

💡 Pro Tip

Buy at least 10 ISBNs. Even if you're only publishing one book now, you'll need 2-3 ISBNs per title (ebook, paperback, hardcover). If you plan a series or multiple books, buying 10 makes sense financially. They never expire, so you can use them whenever you're ready.

Step 4: Receive Your ISBNs

Once purchased, Nielsen will email you your ISBN block. Each ISBN is a 13-digit number that looks like this:

978-1-234567-89-0

Step 5: Assign ISBNs to Your Book Formats

Create a spreadsheet to track which ISBN goes with which format:

Format	ISBN	Title
Ebook (EPUB)	978-1-234567-89-0	Born from the Broken
Paperback	978-1-234567-90-6	Born from the Broken
Hardcover	978-1-234567-91-3	Born from the Broken

Step 6: Register Your ISBNs in Nielsen Title Editor

After purchase, you'll get access to the Nielsen Title Editor. This is where you register the metadata for each ISBN:

Book title and subtitle
Author name
Publication date
Price
Categories (BISAC codes)
Book description

This information feeds into book databases used by retailers and libraries worldwide.

⚠️ Important Note

Don't register your metadata in Nielsen Title Editor until your book details are completely finalized. Changes later can be made but take time to propagate through the system. Wait until you're in Phase 2 (Metadata Lock).

What About Free ISBNs?

Amazon KDP and some other platforms offer free ISBNs. However:

❌ The ISBN will list Amazon/KDP as the publisher, not your imprint
❌ You can't use that ISBN on other platforms
❌ It looks less professional
✅ Your own ISBN shows your imprint as publisher
✅ You can use it across all platforms (KDP, IngramSpark, etc.)
✅ You own the ISBN forever

Generating Your Barcode

Once you have your ISBN, you'll need to generate a barcode for your print book cover. Use a free online generator:

Download the barcode as a high-resolution PNG and send it to your cover designer.

🔗 Essential Resources

→ Nielsen ISBN Store (UK) → Nielsen Title Editor → ISBN Barcode Generator → BISAC Subject Codes (for metadata)

✅ Once you've purchased your ISBNs and created your tracking spreadsheet, mark this task complete!

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