ISBN numbers

It's the middle of April and here we are in the snow again. The poor tulips are up, poking through the white stuff on the ground. I guess that's one of the conditions of life at 3,500 feet above sea level. Never mind, we will just wait for one of our famous Chinook winds to breeze through and raise the temperature by 20 degrees in an hour - like magic it will be Spring again.

So anyway, some people wonder if they should buy blocks of ISBN numbers. There is no correct answer for everyone, but if you plan to publish more than one book, or more than one edition of each book, or more than one style of book (ebook, CD version, etc.) you should buy a block of at least 10 numbers. Use a different number each time you produce your book in a different format, and use a different number for each new book you publish.

Some people purchase in blocks of 100 numbers, but that can be costly. If you have room in your budget and you have plans to publish many books this is a cost saver. However, if your budget is limited as you launch your publishing business, it might be wise to wait until you have acquired some profits before you make such a large financial commitment. Canadians have the advantage in the ISBN number issue. The Canadian government supplies the numbers at no cost as a supportive measure for the publishing industry - not only health care is free. :-)

Denise