The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is a 10 digit number which is printed on the back of the book and on the copyright page. This number identifies the publisher and the book title. Booksellers use this number to order, price, and keep track of inventory. An EAN bar code is your ISBN number, transferred into an OCR scannable image. It is not required that you have an ISBN/EAN number, but if you expect your book to be handled by a bookstore, you must have one. You can apply for a number at: www.bowker.com/standards/home/, but such a process requires approximately 3 weeks and will cost $195 to $250. Instantpublisher.com buys ISBN/EAN numbers in bulk form and can supply you with a number immediately for a flat fee of just $75. You will need to purchase the number prior to sending us your material so that you can make proper placement of the number on your copyright page and on the back cover. If you wish to purchase a number, visit our ISBN/EAN order site A Library of Congress Catalog Card Number is not necessary to sell in local bookstores; however, if you expect a library to handle your book, this number is required. The application for the Library of Congress Catalog Card Number has to be submitted before publication and then printed on your title page. For information about obtaining a Library of Congress Catalog Card Number, contact the CIP Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 or visit their site at: www.loc.gov/. The Library of Congress can also issue an ISSN number (International Standard Serial Number), which is used to identify books published in a series. Like the ISBN number described above, the Library of Congress Catalog Card Number and the ISSN number must be obtained prior to submitting your material to us, as you will have to make proper placement of these numbers within your document. For placement examples, click here.

If you have already sent your material, but now want to obtain an ISBN, an ISSN, and/or a Library of Congress Catalog Card Number before publishing it, delete the document from your Instantpublisher.com library, obtain the necessary numbers, insert them into your document, and then print it to the Instantpublisher.com site again.