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Obtaining an ISBN for a Self-publisher

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There is no doubt that self-publishing has become the latest phenomenon within the publishing arena. Once the barriers to publishing your own book seemed insurmountable, this is no longer the case. Self-publishing has literally opened the door to millions of potential authors, who, for the most part, have enriched the available myriad of literature at our fingertips with their own thoughts, perspectives and musings, which are now immortalised in print or digital form.

However, there are still some hurdles to overcome. Although not a legal requisite, for those wishing to convey a more professional image and fulfill the relevant requirements of book repositories, such as Amazon, one of the most important tasks involves obtaining that all important ISBN (International Standard Book Number).

An ISBN is a unique 13-digit reference number, which is an internationally accepted identifier, commonly expressed as a bar code on the back of a book. This enables the book to be scanned and quickly recognised and categorised.

As a self-publisher, if your aim is to sell your book online or offline, you will need an ISBN. The reason for this is that it lets retailers order your book and control their stock levels.

Within the UK the ISBN agency is run by Nielsen Book Services, who are wholly responsible for assigning all UK based ISBNs. ISBNs are supplied in batches of one, 10, 100 or 1,000.

To apply for an ISBN you will need to complete a simple purchase process via the online Nielsen ISBN store. The relevant purchase information can be downloaded from the company’s website nielsenisbnstore.com.

Important items for ISBN request are:

  1. Publisher name – as a self-publisher very likely your own
  2. Publishing address
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Inking Bitterns: Poems and Pictures for Wild Places

Minuteman Press Bristol are thrilled to have been chosen by illustrator and poet Dru Marland to produce ‘Inking Bitterns: Poems and Pictures for Wild Places’ published by Gert Macky Books.

Inking Bitterns is a wonderful gem of a book containing a collection of delightful poems written by a collective of authors, each beautifully illustrated by Dru Marland with creative original images. The illustrations contained in the book are also available as limited edition prints.

The poetry is concerned with wildness, that part of nature humans do not control.

The book is produced in full colour throughout, soft back, A5, 44pp, and with an initial print production run of 1,000 copies.

Inking Bitterns can be purchased in all good bookshops or direct from the publisher via Gert Macky pictures and books.

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10Thology is Launched

“Written and illustrated by some of Wales’ brightest and best creative talents.”

Minuteman Press Bristol has enjoyed working on this exciting project and reading the finished item.

10Thology features 10 stories, brilliantly illustrated throughout and printed in full colour. 172 x 260 114pp, perfect bound.

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Motivation Cookbook

Minuteman Press Bristol has proudly collaborated with Motivation Charitable Trust in design and production of their very first Motivation Cookbook.

The collection of more than 25 global recipes has been amassed by volunteers and dedicated Motivation staff, and is thoughtfully arranged in a logical order from starters to cocktails and subdivided by the region of origin. All recipes are accompanied by carefully selected images.

From initial tentative meeting, studying the brief, and considering the design process, to creating the first prototype and further editing to the birth of the final product, Minuteman Press Bristol has helped to create a stunning publication.

Motivation’s Communications Officer and Editor said: “I just wanted to say thanks again for the cookbooks – they look fantastic! They went down really well at the launch, which was a good opportunity to gauge people’s reactions!”

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The Bristol Masonic Society

Minuteman Press Bristol has been chosen as the new printer of Corona Gladiorum for the Bristol Masonic Society. The book is now in its fifth year of publication.

The 230-page text is an intriguing collection of 12 papers presented at Bristol Masonic Society meetings by members of the society at other locations and past Bristol Masonic Society papers. The latest volume adds to this highly sought after reference source.

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Astronomy Book

We are pleased to announce the completion of the first production run of .astronomy Networked Astronomy and the New Media. The new publication has been edited by Cardiff University Department of Physics and Astronomy’s Dr Robert Simpson and Professor Derek Ward-Thompson and is published by Canopus Publishing.

The 200-page paperback features high definition imagery and contains the printed version of lectures delivered at the .astronomy conference by the global leaders in the field of online astronomy and astrophysical research.