ISBN 

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The acronym ISBN stands for "International Standard Book  Number."  It is a unique, ten digit numbering system used to identify books.  The numbering system came about in 1970, following a series of discussions hosted by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Technical Committee.  Their goal was to simplify and standardize a system for book cataloging, world-wide.  The ISBN numbering system is the product of those discussions, and is used in almost 150 countries.

ISBN numbers are made up of four groupings of numbers, which identify the country of publishing, the specific publisher, the title or edition of the book, and a "check digit" which validates the ISBN.

ISBN numbers are assigned internationally by independent agents located within each country that participates.  All agents are coordinated by the International ISBN Agency in Berlin.  You can see the list at http://www.UnconventionalWisdom.com/ISBN.html.

Anyone can get an ISBN number for their book by simply filling out a form and paying the fee.  Fees may vary depending on which country or agent you will be using, but here in the United States, the cost is $190.00 US Dollars for a block of ten numbers.  Quintin Publications can provide this number for you for free.  Once the form is submitted, you will receive your numbers within 10 working days.  If for some reason you need the number sooner, expedited service is available for an additional fee.

For books published in hard-cover, paperback and trade-paperback versions, each version should have its own unique ISBN number assigned.  That's because traditional book distributors, book sellers and others that you may be dealing with in the "traditional" publishing world will order your books by the ISBN number, and a 
unique number for each "type" of book eliminates confusion.

Do you need an ISBN number to publish your book?  Nope.  The only time you will really need to have an ISBN number, is if and when you plan to sell and distribute and fulfill your book orders via traditional book stores and libraries.  Because these book handlers work with high volumes of titles, the ISBN numbering system is necessary for tracking inventory, placing and filling orders, and for other internal business purposes.

You'll also need an ISBN number when selling your book through internet-based book-sellers, such as Amazon.com, for the same reason.