Book Registration and Barcode Information

ISBN

The ISBN (International Standard Book Number) is a unique 10-digit number that identifies one title or edition of a title from one specific publisher and is unique to that edition. As the official ISBN Agency for the United States, Bowker is responsible for the assignment of the ISBN Publisher Prefix to those publishers with a residence or office in the U.S.

Visit the ISBN Website

SAN

The SAN (Standard Address Number) is a unique seven-digit identifier used to signify a specific address of an organization in (or served by) the publishing industry. It is an American National Standard, initiated and maintained by R.R. Bowker, and has become THE identification code for electronic communication within the industry. The use of the SAN significantly reduces the problems faced by other non-standard numbering systems such as billing errors, books shipped to the wrong points, errors in payments and returns.

Visit the SAN Website

Bar Code Service

Tip from Jeanette Fisher:

When we purchased the last bar code for the back of "Dollhouse," I paid Bowker $25 and waited ten days.

I was happy to find this alternate:
 
How to Acquire a Bar Code

Many book designers can take care of creating a bar code for you as part of the cover design process. You can also purchase software that will let you create bar codes yourself. Software is certainly a viable option, although it seems unnecessary unless you will be creating a tremendous number of codes.

One of the fastest and easiest routes is to use a bar code service such as Bar Code Graphics. Using their on-line form, you simply type in your ISBN and price information. Seconds later, you can download a fully encoded bar code file, ready for use. Best of all, it only costs $10.

Your ISBN can be translated into a worldwide compatible bar code format. Bar code scanning is used in the U.S. by major bookstore chains for book publications and book-related items. The bar code will be provided with the following standard specifications: 2400 dpi, 99.36% magnification, vanilla bar code (white background, black text), and price add-ons.

You can save money on your bar codes here:  http://www.barcode-graphics.com

HOWEVEER, my printer makes the barcodes for us without charge.