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I am about to obtain some ISBNs for a few books I plan to publish as an eBook and possibly in print.

From books I have bought from major publishers, I gather that the eBook and print version have separate ISBNs. I also gather that a new edition of a book would require a new ISBN.

If I publish a correction to either the print or ebook version, would that require a new ISBN? What if this results in a change of page numbers? Or the insertion/removal of paragraphs or whole chapters?

The question is, at what point are the changes sufficient to warrant a new ISBN?

Thanks

Manngo
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2 Answers2

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Minor corrections do not need a new ISBN. But you do need a new ISBN for new editions, revised editions, and different formats. A change in cover does not require a new ISBN.

Adding chapters or paragraphs makes it a new edition, and technically it should have a new ISBN.

That said, many publishers bend the rules because in the US and UK, ISBNs are expensive.

You can find more details here. https://www.myidentifiers.com/help/isbn

Duncan McKenzie
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You need a new ISBN when there is:

  • A revised edition of an existing book
  • A new language edition of an existing book
  • A change of format
  • A change of title
  • A change of publisher
  • A change in usage constraints

From More details about how to assign ISBNs — International ISBN Agency

Laurel
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SebMa
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