CreateSpace relax rules about barcode placement

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While working on a new book cover for a client, I discovered that CreateSpace have finally relaxed the rules about the placement of the barcode on the back cover of their print books. Previously, a blank space had to be left in the lower right-hand corner (as evidenced on their templates) into which CreateSpace added the barcode during pre-production. Designers were not left with the option to place the barcode anywhere else. Now CreateSpace allow the placement of the ISBN/price barcode anywhere on the back cover, as long as the Read More …

How to redistribute your ePub with a different aggregator

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If you currently have your ePub listed with an aggregator and are unhappy with the service, or wish to switch to an aggregator with a larger distribution network, do you have to pay all over again for conversion to ePub? If your aggregator does not make your ePub file available to you, then yes. If your aggregator does make your file available to you, then no, but there is a little bit of work involved. When you distribute your ePub through an aggregator, most of them input their company information Read More …

ISBNs and the self-publisher Part V: the advantages (and a few disadvantages) of owning your ISBN

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(This is abbreviated text from The Global Indie Author.) The advantages to owning your ISBNs are: Increased Distribution Options Most vanity publishers and aggregators have limited distribution partners (often only one for print and maybe a half-dozen for ebooks). If you own your ISBN you can contract with as many wholesale distributors as you wish including Lightning Source, which is owned by Ingram, are U.S.-based and have two international subsidiaries, an extensive list of distribution partners, and give you access to the libraries and academic markets as well. Optics If Read More …

ISBNs and the self-publisher Part II: what’s in a number?

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(This is abbreviated text from The Global Indie Author.) What’s in a Number? There are five parts to an ISBN, separated by either a hyphen or a space. Only the first three digits and the final check digit are of a fixed length; the remainder vary according to language, publisher identifier, and the number of ISBNs assigned to the block. The five parts of an ISBN are: • the current ISBN-13 prefix of “978”; • the group or country identifier; • the publisher identifier; • the title identifier; and • Read More …

ISBNs and the self-publisher Part I: the ISBN system

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(This is modified text from The Global Indie Author.) The ISBN System ISBN stands for International Standard Book Number. The rules and regulations governing the use and distribution of ISBNs are determined by the International ISBN Agency, based in London. The international agency allots ISBNs to national agencies, who in turn allot them to their publishers; thus, a publisher cannot acquire an ISBN from a foreign national agency: a British publisher, for example, cannot buy an ISBN from the American ISBN agency and vice versa. Publishers then assign their ISBNs Read More …