EXAMPLE: ISBN 0-937383-18-X or International Standard Book Number 0-8352-2051-6 (NOTE: HYPHENATION VARIES WITH SIZE OF PREFIX)

PRINTING ON HARDCOVER BOOKS: The ISBN should be printed on the verso of the title page (copyright page) and on the lower portion of the outside back cover or back jacket if the book has one.

PRINTING ON PAPERBACK: In addition to the verso of the title page and the outside back cover, the ISBN should be printed on the spine of the book. When a price is printed with the ISBN use the following format:

EXAMPLE: ISBN 0-425-05382-2 2.75 (Allow 2 spaces between ISBN and price) When the price changes, the original ISBN must be maintained.

BOOKLAND EAN BAR CODE: The International ISBN Agency, the Uniform Code Council (UCC) and the International Article Numbering System (EAN) have collaborated to establish the BOOKLAND EAN bar code. The code provides for the ISBN to be printed in a worldwide compatible bar code format. A Bookland EAN Bar Code Film Master Suppliers list is available from the ISBN Agency.

PRINTING OF THE ISBN IN PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS: The complete "10 digit" ISBN should appear in the book and all catalogs and promotional materials. An ISBN is only valid and can only be validated when all "10 digits" are displayed.

ISBN CAN NEVER BE REUSED: Once an ISBN is assigned to a title, it CANNOT BE REASSIGNED even if the title goes out of print. In addition to being an order fulfillment tool, the ISBN is a bibliographic element in cataloging. It is printed on catalog cards, in catalogs and entered in national and international databases.

WHEN A TITLE IS REPRINTED, REGARDLESS OF PRICE CHANGE, THE ORIGINAL ISBN MUST BE MAINTAINED.

EDITIONS/BINDINGS/FORMATS: A separate ISBN must be assigned to the different formats in which a particular title is published, i.e. paper, cloth, microfilm, braille, multimedia sets, microcomputer software programs on various disk size, tape, cassette, etc. ALL have a separate ISBN. REVISED editions require a new ISBN.

MULTI-VOLUME WORKS: If a multi-volume work is sold only as a set, one ISBN must be assigned to the whole set of volumes. If individual volumes of the set are also being sold separately, each volume must be assigned an individual ISBN. The ISBN for the individual volume and the ISBN for the set should be printed in each volume.

EXAMPLE: ISBN 0-463-13579-2 (Volume 1) ISBN 0-463-13585-7 (6 Volume Set)

BACKLIST: Publishers are required to number their backlist titles and publish the ISBN in their catalogs. The ISBN must also be printed in the first available reprint of a backlist title.

CO-PUBLICATIONS: A publication issued as a co-edition or joint imprint with another publisher can be assigned an ISBN by each publisher. However, if only one publisher is the distributor, only that publisher should assign an ISBN.

PUBLISHERS ACQUIRING ANOTHER COMPANY WITH "ISBN PREFIX": The originally assigned ISBN must be used until the book is reprinted under the new company imprint. Promptly report any name and address changes, mergers, acquisitions, ceased publishing, etc., to the ISBN Agency.

PUBLISHERS ACQUIRING COMPLETE STOCK OF ANOTHER COMPANY: Publishers must use the ISBN of the ORIGINAL PUBLISHER (if assigned) until the new company reprints under their OWN IMPRINT.

ISBN LINKAGE: If a book that has been acquired from another publisher has been reprinted and carries the imprint of the NEW PUBLISHER and the new publisher's ISBN, then the new publisher must give the ISBN of the previous edition as well as their own on the verso of the title page.

EXAMPLE: ISBN 0-666-00123-5 (previously published by XY, ISBN 0-8420-0091-X) or ISBN 0-666-00123-5 (previously ISBN 0-8420-0091-X)

DISTRIBUTORS: A distributor, even an exclusive distributor, must use the ISBN of the PUBLISHER in all promotional materials. If a U.S. Publisher does not have an ISBN Publisher Prefix, have the publisher contact the ISBN Agency.

When a foreign publisher is from a country that has not implemented the ISBN, the distributor must contact the International ISBN Agency headquarters in Berlin for approval to assign their own number until the country involved utilizes the ISBN system.

PRINTING FOR CLIENT: Publishers acting only as a PRINTER and returning all stock to the client, MUST USE THE ISBN OF THE PUBLISHER (client) ON THE COPYRIGHT PAGE AND BACK COVER. If the publisher does not have an ISBN Publisher Prefix, have them contact the ISBN Agency.

We wish to stress the importance of implementing the ISBN system and observing its standards exactly. Any deviation, i.e., not using all ten digits or assigning a new ISBN due to a price change, would make communication difficult between order fulfillment units.