Happy Easter to all my friends who celebrate! My your day be filled with joy and chocolate.

I’m ironing out the last few wrinkles with getting Lightning Scarred set up as a paperback book. It’s surprising how much easier ebooks are than real printed books. I’m glad I waited to do this until I had the ebook out. I’m working through IngramSpark because I know that they have a good reputation but there are a lot of things to do and a lot of extra metadata to create.

One of the things you need to do before setting up a print book is to acquire an ISBN number. The ISBN number identifies that book and that publisher to all the databases scattered throughout the world. It allows your book to be bought by libraries and book stores.

The main source for ISBN numbers in the US is Bowker. They charge $125 per ISBN number. Or you can get 10 ISBN numbers for $295. Once bought, you own the numbers and they will carry the name of your publishing company on them as they go into the wide world of databases.

There are ways to get an ISBN for free. You can go through Draft2Digital and they will let you use one of theirs, but it means that the the ISBN recording agency will consider Draft2Digital to be the publisher of record. Or you can use one of Ingram Spark’s free ISBNs. The ISBN recording agency will record your book as being owned by Indy Pub (IngramSpark’s press) rather than your own publishing house.

One of the reasons I want to self-publish is to have control over my books and that includes control over the small things like this. So, I just bought ten ISBN numbers. Expect to see nine more books coming from me. All I need to do now is write them. I feel a sense of new beginnings, which is appropriate for spring.

I hope you are doing well and if you are celebrating the Easter holiday that you are filled with joy and hope.