I recently participated in a discussion in a writers’ group on Facebook regarding US copyright protection. I was appalled to find that so many self-published authors believe that purchasing ISBNs for their novels somehow counts as copyright registration protection. It absolutely does not. Let me explain how ISBNs and copyright protection work.

What is an ISBN?

An ISBN, or International Standard Book Number, is a unique identifier, often used with an associated barcode, which allows the commercial sale of print books. Different countries have rules around how to get an ISBN for your book, but in the United States, you must purchase them through Bowker on their My Identifiers website.

For indie/self-published authors, I find the 10-pack of ISBNs is the best deal. Buying them one at a time is far too expensive, and a 100-pack, while per book is even cheaper, it would be very optimistic for an author to expect to write that many books in a single lifetime.

If you cannot afford to purchase your own ISBN, then there is the possibility of using the free ISBN offered by most self-publishing services, such as Amazon KDP, Ingram Spark, or Draft2Digital. The one caveat is that if you use a free ISBN, you cannot reuse it on another platform. So if you opt to self-publish on all three platforms simultaneously, your book will have three different ISBNs (and be considered three separate editions).

Another caveat to consider, especially if you are purchasing your own ISBN, is that each format must have its own ISBN. It’s less necessary for ebooks, but an ISBN is required for every print format. For my novel “Artifact of the Dawn,” I really wanted a hardcover edition with a dust jacket through Ingram Spark. However, Amazon KDP only offers case laminate for hardcovers. Here, I opted to use the free ISBN for the case laminate, and used my Bowker ISBN for the Ingram Spark edition. If Amazon KDP ever adds a digital cloth cover with dust jacket option, then I can reuse the Bowker ISBN there. Whereas, I set up my paperbacks identically on both platforms (with a 6×9″ trim size), so I could use the same ISBN for both.

Now, I could have used one of my Bowker ISBNs for the case laminate, and even set up a case laminate option through Ingram Spark, but my sci-fi series is planned to have five novels, and I only purchased ten ISBNs. I didn’t want to risk running out of Bowker ISBNs before I completed my series, so I opted for this mixed option.

What is Copyright Registration?

Now that you have a better idea of what an ISBN is for, you will also notice I never once mentioned copyright or copyright registration. This is because having an ISBN does nothing to protect your copyright.

The first thing you should know is that, in the United States, from the moment you begin writing, your work is protected under US Copyright Law. This is the case in most countries, but it’s best to check with your local copyright office (if your country has one) before assuming your writing has similar protections.

In the United States, registering your copyright is entirely optional. The main reason for doing so is if you decide to take legal action against the plagiarism of your work. There are other ways to prove that your writing belongs to you, but having a copyright registration simplifies the entire process and is generally indisputable.

To register your copyright in the United States, you need to go through the US Copyright Office. Keep in mind, there are a number of types of copyright registration you can file for. If you are a single author, registering a single book, then do not choose the “standard registration” option. The “single author of a single work” option is cheaper. The standard option is meant for magazines, newspapers, anthologies, or similar publications where there are multiple contributors. If you have a co-author or use a ghost writer, then you would also need to go through a standard registration.

Why Buying an ISBN Will Not Hold Up in Court

Some people will claim that since an ISBN number is unique to a specific book and format, that it can be held up in court against plagiarism claims as well as a copyright registration. However, applying an ISBN to a book doesn’t hold the same weight because Bowker does not verify the validity of your copyright before applying the ISBN to whatever work you’re claiming. That responsibility falls to you, especially if you are attempting to sell someone else’s work.

Such a situation can arise if you’re working with a ghostwriter, paid to license someone else’s work for publication, or are republishing a work that is now available in the Public Domain. Bowker will not stop you from applying an ISBN to any such work, but that doesn’t mean the copyright of the work belongs to you.

When you register your copyright through the US Copyright office, it can take weeks to receive your certificate because they do a thorough plagiarism check to make sure you aren’t attempting to file a copyright claim on a work you do not own. This is why a copyright registration certificate will always outweigh an ISBN in court.