What is an ISBN or EAN?
An ISBN (International Standard Book Number), also known as EAN (European Article Number), is a unique thirteen-digit item code provided by your country’s ISBN agency and assigned by publishers to identify the format and edition of a title.
Different formats of the same book (paperback, hardcover, ebook, etc) should each have their own unique ISBN. Retailers and distributors require published titles to have an ISBN assigned to them for sales and inventory purposes.
An ISBN number is used to identify the book. EAN barcode for a book is then generated from the ISBN of the book. An ISBN and EAN are essentially the same.
Where to Purchase an ISBN
Each country has its own ISBN agency where ISBNs can be purchased. Based on the location of the publisher, please see the table below for links to the different ISBN agencies. Publishers located in countries outside the ones listed should research where to obtain an ISBN specific to your country.
| Country | ISBN Agency |
| US | Bowker |
| UK | Nielsen |
| AU | Thorpe-Bowker |
| Rest of World | https://www.isbn-international.org/ |
IMPORTANT NOTICE: There are websites where you can obtain a free-generated ISBN. DO NOT USE these ISBNs as they are not valid. ISBNs are created using a complex mathematical solution to create a unique identifier & must also be registered with the International Standard Book Number’s governing bodies such as listed above.
What is a SKU?
SKU (stock keeping unit) is an identification code, usually alphanumeric, of a product that allows it to be tracked for inventory purposes. If you don't want your book available for sale through Ingram's global distribution network, Lightning Source can assign a free inventory code (SKU) to your book for printing and manufacturing purposes. When setting up your title you can select “Click here if you would like a non-distributable SKU to be assigned to this title”.
If you need to change the SKU for your book to an ISBN, you will need to set up the book as a new title.
You will also need to upload the cover and interior files. You can then have Lightning Source Support cancel the title with the SKU if you wish.
Proper ISBN Use and Title Transfers
Each country has a single approved and designated agency that issues ISBNs for publishers and self-publishers located in that country. Bowker is the official ISBN agency for the US; Nielsen is the official ISBN agency for the UK and Ireland; Thorpe-Bowker is the official ISBN agency for Australia (https://www.bowker.com/en/products-services/isbn-au/). Lightning Source does business in many other countries, so we encourage each customer to ensure they are acquiring their ISBN from their country’s approved ISBN Agency. To find the approved ISBN agency for your country click HERE.
In certain instances, Lightning Source will allow customers to request a transfer of an ISBN (and book files) from a previous publisher into a Lightning Source account. However, in these instances, you must own the ISBN outright - it can't be an ISBN that belongs to and was assigned by your previous publisher. In some instances, Lightning Source customers can request the transfer of ISBNs they own from some other self-publishing platforms.
For ISBN transfers from non-self-publishing entities, you must reach out to your previous publisher to request a transfer of the ISBN (and files) into your Lightning Source account. Click HERE to learn more about the Title Transfer process.
Once a transfer has been granted, our client service representatives will contact you to let you know that the transfer has been completed. The timeline of this process can vary greatly (2-6 weeks), as it is largely dependent upon the response of the current holder of the ISBN granting permission for the ISBN transfer. To expedite this process, we recommend reaching out directly to your previous self-publishing platform instead of processing the request via the Lightning Source Client Service Representatives.
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