ISBN-13: What Publishers Need to Know

  • The ISBN will change from 10 to 13 digits on January 1st 2007. The barcode does not change. All organisations must print 13 digit ISBNs on their publications (and any reprints), appearing on or after 1st January 2007. 10 digit ISBNs should not be used after this date.
  • In advance of 1st January 2007, the title verso of publications may display both a 10 and equivalent 13 digit ISBN – but not just the 13 digit ISBN on its own.
  • Publishers must convert all ISBNs in active use as of January 2007 – including backlist titles. All existing ISBNs will be prefixed by 978 and the check digit recalculated accordingly. ISBN revision website http://www.collectionscanada.ca/iso/tc46sc9/2108.htm
  • Publishers may still use ISBNs that they have been allocated, but not assigned to titles. Publishers must convert and exhaust their current ISBN assignment before the UK ISBN agency can issue them with a new allocation.
  • The 13 digit ISBN will be identical with the EAN-13 number in the barcode.
  • Publishers must audit all their ISBN-based systems, old and new, including:
    • Contract management
    • Bibliographic systems and scheduling
    • Purchasing, production management
    • Warehouse management
    • Sales order processing
    • Royalties
    • Finance and Accounts
    • Data warehouse
    • CRM
    • Websites
    • ONIX bibliographic files
    • EDI files
    • Any custom files
    • Internal and external systems

Useful Websites

BooksfromScotland.com only uses ISBN-13

Last modified Monday 10 March 2008