ISBNs, imprints and copyright pages for independent authors
Three things independent authors get wrong on paperwork, and what each one actually costs.
What an ISBN identifies
An ISBN identifies a specific format from a specific publisher. Paperback, hardcover and ebook are three separate numbers. A second edition with substantive changes is another. The number is tied to the imprint of record, which is why it matters where you got it.
Free retailer ISBNs
A free ISBN from a retailer is a genuine ISBN, and it costs nothing. What it costs instead is the imprint line: the listing shows the retailer's publishing arm as publisher, and the number is not portable to another printer. If you want your own imprint name on the book — which is the point of having an imprint — buy your own.
| Route | Publisher of record | Portable |
|---|---|---|
| Retailer-issued, free | The retailer's imprint | No |
| Purchased in your own name | Your imprint | Yes |
What goes on a copyright page
- Copyright notice with year and rights holder
- Imprint name and city
- ISBN for this specific format
- All rights reserved statement, with any permitted-use exception you want to grant
- Scripture permission line naming the translation
- Photograph and illustration credits
- Edition and printing statement
- Disclaimer, if the book gives practical, legal, medical or financial guidance
Public-domain scripture
The American Standard Version of 1901 and the King James Version are in the public domain in the United States, which is why study guides that quote heavily tend to use one of them. Modern translations are licensed and cap how much you may quote — often around 500 verses, and never a whole book — with a required permission line. A verse-by-verse commentary will exceed those limits, so the translation has to be chosen before the book is written, not after.
Metadata is part of the book
Categories, keywords and description are how a book is found, and they are set at upload with the same care as the cover. Write them from the reader's search language, not from the back-cover blurb.
Working through this on your own book? Send us the specifics and we will tell you what applies to your situation.