How do I organize ISBNs across formats?
- Each format needs its own ISBN: paperback, hardcover, ebook, audiobook.
- The same title in two formats is two products with two ISBNs.
- Track ISBNs in one table mapping format to number.
- Kindle ebooks use an ASIN; a separate ISBN is optional.
- A new edition with substantive changes needs a new ISBN.
Assign a distinct ISBN to each format — paperback, hardcover, ebook, and audiobook are four separate products needing four numbers — and record them in a single table that maps each format to its ISBN, with notes on edition and publication date. Amazon Kindle assigns an ASIN automatically, so a separate ebook ISBN is optional there but useful for wide distribution. A substantively revised edition gets a new ISBN; a typo fix does not.
Chapter i·Why it matters
ISBNs identify a specific format of a specific edition, and mixing them up causes real problems — a paperback ordered against an ebook ISBN, royalty reports that do not reconcile, distribution errors. As you add formats and editions, the numbers multiply fast. One clear table mapping format to ISBN keeps ordering, distribution, and reporting straight, and a simple edition rule tells you when a change requires a fresh number.
Chapter ii·What to include
- One ISBN per format: paperback, hardcover, ebook, audiobook.
- A single tracking table mapping format to ISBN.
- Edition and publication-date notes per ISBN.
- A note on ASIN vs ISBN for Kindle.
- A new-edition rule for when a new ISBN is required.
- The imprint/publisher of record tied to each ISBN.
Chapter iii·Example
An author releasing in four formats buys ISBNs and logs them in one table: paperback, hardcover, and ebook each get a number, the audiobook gets its own, and she notes that the Kindle edition runs on its ASIN. A year later she issues a revised hardcover with new content and assigns it a fresh ISBN, logged as a second edition. Her table makes every ordering and royalty question a quick lookup.
Chapter iv·Related questions
WriteLoom keeps every format's ISBN and edition note in one place, so ordering, distribution, and royalties always reconcile.
Track your ISBNs