To buy your own ISBN or not: that is the question that many new independently published writers have. Many self-publishing experts insist you need them; others say they aren’t necessary. 

So which is it?

Bottom line, most self-published authors don’t need to purchase their own ISBNs. But in some cases, getting your own ISBN isn’t a bad idea. In this article, we’ll look at why some people say self-published authors need them and explore the validity of these reasons. 

We’ll also discuss some exceptional cases in which you might want to consider purchasing an ISBN prior to publishing your book.

Disclaimer: This analysis is my own opinion, based on the situations and research, which I link to below. You should reach your own conclusions based on these primary sources and your specific circumstances. 

What Are ISBNs?

First, ISBNs: what are they?

The International Standard Book Number system was created in the 1960s as a means of identifying and cataloging books. ISBNs assigned after 2007 are 13 digits long. Each ISBN is a unique identifier of a published book. Significant differences between the cover art, text, and edition of a book require different ISBNs. Multiple formats, such as hardcover and paperback, each require their own ISBN. Even the page color (white versus cream) can result in the need for distinct ISBNs between editions.

You may never have thought about or even heard of ISBNs. Yet one of the first questions a self-publishing platform like Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) will ask you is whether you have your own ISBN. Several harried Google searches later, you may still not know if you need one, as commentary on the subject is plentiful, if not always relevant or accurate. 

I wrote this guide to help you figure it out and show you why I decided to use free ISBNs instead of purchasing them. 

How Many ISBNs do Books Have?

Books should have as many ISBNs as they have editions. A quick Google search yields at least 47 distinct ISBNs for Stephen King’s It, for example. There are probably more. That’s because there have been multiple changes in cover art and other attributes over the years, even if the text hasn’t changed substantially, if at all. There are also different ISBNs for audiobooks, paperbacks, hardcover, and ebook editions. 

That can get very expensive very quickly if you plan on making multiple editions of your books to keep them new and relevant.

How Much Do ISBNs Cost?

The cost of ISBNs varies by country. In the United States, Bowker Publishing Services is the sole direct purveyor of ISBNs. As of 2025, Bowker charges $125 for one ISBN, $295 for 10 ISBNs, $575 for 100 ISBNs, and $1,500 for 1,000 ISBNs.

Bowker charges extra for barcodes and QR codes. You can purchase a combination of 10 ISBNs, 5 barcodes, and a QR code for $395, while one ISBN and one barcode will set you back $150.  

But once you have an ISBN number, why do you need a barcode or QR code? These codes make your ISBN number “scannable,” which most retailers will want on physical copies of your book. 

Creating Your Own Bar Code

We’ll get to ISBNs in a second, but if you decide to purchase your own ISBNs, you do not need to purchase barcodes.

Plenty of entities will gladly sell you barcodes in the form of individual numbers or software you can use to convert numbers to barcodes, but you can create them yourself for free.  

Once you have your ISBN, generating a free barcode is as simple as using a certain font in Google Sheets (which is also free) to convert your number to a barcode. Ben Collins has an excellent tutorial on how to convert numbers to bar codes, which you can watch here. 

I don’t put QR codes on my books yet, but I do use them for business cards and bookmarks. Again, services will create these for you for a fee, sometimes claiming to do it for free before demanding you pay a subscription fee a week later. 

You can check out Tech Time with Timmy’s short tutorial on generating free QR codes using Chrome here. 

Side note: I only outsource cover design for my books. I do all the rest—writing, formatting, and selling—myself. And I save a lot of money doing it this way. 

Even after watching the tutorial, does creating your barcode from an ISBN seem too daunting? You can always opt for the free ISBN/barcode combination from KDP and other publishing platforms.

As we’ll see in the next section, there are almost no drawbacks to doing it this way. 

Why Do People Say You Need an ISBN?

It’s time to dig deeper into the meat of this question. The camp that says you absolutely need an ISBN is certainly vocal.  Let’s look at the common reasons they insist you purchase your own ISBNs.

“You lose rights to your work unless you have your own ISBN”

If you use the free ISBN provided by KDP, the only right you lose is the right to publish your book elsewhere under that same ISBN. You can continue to publish the book wherever you like, using your own ISBN or an ISBN provided by the platform. To conform to the rules of the ISBN system, the versions should be slightly different. However, you can write a short forward, call it a specific edition, or alter the cover art to make a distinct work that justifies a distinct ISBN, and then just use the free ISBNs offered on multiple platforms. 

These only apply to physical editions. Amazon does not require or offer an ISBN for the digital version of your book. Instead, they will assign it an Amazon Standard Identification Number (ASIN), which Amazon uses to identify products on its platform.  

Note: If you have an exclusive contract, such as the KDP Select program, you agree not to publish the ebook version of your work elsewhere until the expiration of your agreement, which occurs in 90-day chunks. This is a separate issue and has nothing to do with ISBNs. You can read more about KDP Select here.

“You receive less royalties unless you have your own ISBN”

This actually was the first rumor I heard about ISBNs. Again, it isn’t true. At least not on Amazon or IngramSpark. And I haven’t heard free ISBNs affecting the royalty rates on other platforms, either. 

That doesn’t mean those other platforms that don’t exist, so make sure you understand the terms of service of all the platforms you intend to use, and check their reputation and reviews as well. 

“When you have your own ISBN, bookstores are more likely to stock your book”

This is presumably because they will not know that your book is self-published. This might work for a few copies, but you aren’t fooling any book retailers with your self-created literary imprint that you named after your dog. The best chance of success you have at placing your book with a brick-and-mortar retailer is by generating a great product. 

For instance, you can even place your book for sale at Barnes & Noble by applying here. And you don’t need to publish it through their service to take advantage of this opportunity. 

And most readers won’t care whether a work is traditionally or independently published. 

Possible Reasons to Purchase Your Own ISBNs

If you are creating your own publishing company or imprint, it could be worth it to buy your own ISBNs, as they will help build a publicly available list of works published by your enterprise. One disadvantage to not having your own ISBN is that Amazon automatically registers your work as “independently published” rather than published by your imprint. For an author, I don’t think this matters much; for an imprint, it might. 

But is it Really Worth It?

Even for imprints, I recommend calculating the expected value of having an ISBN versus not having one. How many more books would you sell with your own ISBN and why? How many books will you have to sell to cover the cost of your ISBN?

If you come up with a revenue-positive answer, by all means, go for it. If you’re on the fence, consider delaying it. You can always go back and buy your own ISBN at a later date to have editions that are attributable to your imprint.

Why do things like revenue and expected value matter? Even as a business school grad, I don’t think that profit and making money are everything. That said, using resources wisely allows me to grow my books in ways that would otherwise be limited. The hundreds of dollars that buying your own ISBN costs can buy a hell of a lot of advertising to increase the reach of your book. 

Conclusion

As an independent author, there are a lot of entities competing for your time and your money. You must thoughtfully decide how to allocate your resources, including your time and money. 

The obvious solution to the ISBN conundrum for most independent authors is to take advantage of the free ISBNs offered by platforms like KDP. Don’t buy what you don’t need, especially in the early stages of your enterprise.