ISBNs & Legal deposit

ISBNs

An International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is a unique number allocated to a book. Although they are not a legal requirement, they are essential to commercial distribution. If you are going to give away your book, you won’t need one, but you will if you are planning to sell it in bookshops or online retailers.

The ISBN traditionally appears on the imprint page and on the back cover, so you’ll need it before printing. ISBNs are also the basis of barcodes, without which a book can’t be sold in traditional outlets. Most printers are able to generate barcodes for a small fee, if not for free.

To obtain ISBNs, you must register as a publisher with Nielsen UK ISBN Agency for a fee of just under £120; for that you get 10 ISBNs. Subsequent ISBNs can be bought in batches of 10.

Nielsen UK ISBN Agency
Tel: +44 (0)1483 712 215
Fax: +44 (0)1483 712 214
Email: isbn.agency@nielsen.com
Website: www.isbn.nielsenbook.co.uk

Bibliographic data

Bibliographic data is the information the book industry needs in order to catalogue your book. It is used by wholesalers, bookshops and libraries. Basic bibliographic data is mandatory and must be supplied to Nielsen Book Data at least 6 months before publication date. Their basic listing service is free.

Legal deposit

There are six Legal Deposit Libraries in the UK and Ireland, each entitled to a free copy of every commercial publication: the British Library, the Bodleian Library, Cambridge University Library, the National Libraries of Scotland and of Wales, and Trinity College Library, Dublin. It is a legal obligation to supply a copy of your book to the British Library within a month of its publication, and to the other libraries within a year.

Fortunately, you can send your copies for all the above libraries, except the British Library, to the Agency for the Legal Deposit Libraries (ALDL).

Agency for the Legal Deposit Libraries (books and ebooks)
161 Causewayside Edinburgh EH9 1PH
Tel: +44 (0)131 623 4680
Fax: +44 (0)131 623 4681
Email: publisher.enquiries@legaldeposit.org.uk
www.legaldeposit.org.uk

For the British Library, printed books should be sent to:

Legal Deposit Office
The British Library
Boston Spa Wetherby
West Yorkshire LS23 7BY
Tel: +44 (0)1937 546268
Fax: +44 (0)1937-546176
Email: legal-deposit-books@bl.uk
www.bl.uk/aboutus/stratpolprog/legaldep/

Electronic publications should be sent to:

E-media Processing Team
The British Library
Boston Spa Wetherby
West Yorkshire LS23 7BY
Tel: +44 (0)1937 546018
Email: LDO-Electronic@bl.uk
www.bl.uk/aboutus/stratpolprog/legaldep/

There is no charge from the Legal Deposit Libraries for this service.