Considering a hybrid publisher? Read this first!

Or, why you should purchase your own ISBN.

If you are thinking of publishing with a hybrid publisher (where you share in the costs of production with the publisher), please read this first!

In my conversations with writers who are trying to find the right path to publication, I often hear some sad stories. As eager as you may be to publish your book, it’s important to educate yourself first.

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A legit publisher should offer you a contract that spells out costs and details. Do not give anyone a penny to help you publish your book until you read the contract and ask questions.

Today I want to offer you some guidance to help you avoid making critical mistakes. Specifically, I want to talk about rights and control of your book. This small but significant detail often gets overlooked by authors who are just excited about seeing their book in print. (There are lots of details to consider, today we’re focusing on just one—your ISBN).

Every book published has an ISBN—International Standard Book Number. In the United States, the only authorized seller of ISBNs is Bowker. The ISBN is a unique 13-digit number that identifies your book. Whoever holds this number (by purchasing it) has control of the rights to the book and is considered the publisher of the book.

The ISBN is usually displayed on the book’s copyright page, even though it is separate from the copyright. (Read on for more on that). It is also printed on the back cover, as part of a barcode that can be scanned in bookstores.

ISBN numbers cost $125 for one, but $295 for ten (which comes out to $29.50 each). Obviously, it’s better to buy in bulk. And because you need a separate ISBN for each edition of your work (paperback, hard cover, ebook, audiobook) and the numbers never expire, it makes sense to buy a package of ten.

Anyone can purchase ISBNs. On the Bowker website, www.myidentifiers.com, you’ll need to provide information about your publishing imprint. That’s you, if you’re self-publishing. (Visit Bowker’s site to learn more specifics.)

Hybrid publishers use a variety of models to help authors publish their books. In essence, they are helping authors self-publish. So, the author shares in the cost of essentials like editing, design, formatting. In return, they are often promised better royalties than they might receive with a traditional publisher.

Hybrid publishers also are less selective about which books they publish. They make the bulk of their profits by providing publishing services to authors. Traditional publishers, on the other hand, make their money on book sales. They do not charge you to publish your book, in fact, they pay you.

Authors who cannot get in the door at a traditional publisher often turn to hybrid publishers. But let the writer beware.

Here’s where starstruck writers often get into trouble. Hybrid publishers will sometimes offer you a “free” ISBN, or include it in your contract. That really means they are purchasing the ISBN, and putting the book in the name of their company. But if they hold the ISBN, that gives them control of your title. The book is linked to their company. They can take the book out of print. If you want to create a new edition of your book, you may not be able to. If you want or take your book elsewhere and publish it with another publisher or self-publish it, you just might be stuck.

The ISBN is not the copyright. Unless your contract states otherwise, you own the copyright and the intellectual rights to your own work.

However, whoever holds the ISBN receives the royalties and sales reports. If your hybrid publisher holds the ISBN, retailers like Amazon will send the book’s royalties to your publisher, who will then pay you. Often, hybrid publishers take a cut of those royalties. (After Amazon has taken their cut.)

Read your publishing contract. You can push back or negotiate. Or you can decide to self-publish.

If you self-publish, meaning you do it by yourself, and you are the publisher, and you hold the ISBN. You don’t have to share the royalties with your publisher.

When you truly self-publish, you still have to pay for services like editing and design (though some authors do the cover and interior design themselves). You pay for printing and distribution. In some cases, this means paying a digital printer to print copies of your book, which you then sell at the back of the room when you speak, or out of the back of your car to friends.

If you self-publish through platforms like Amazon’s KDP, or Ingram Spark, you don’t pay up front for printing and distribution. Instead, you agree to give whoever is selling your book a cut of each sale. Using print on demand production, any time someone orders your book, the retailer prints one copy and ships it out. Amazon (or whomever) pays you a royalty, minus their printing costs. (See the math here on the KDP website)

My company, A Powerful Story, provides assisted self-publishing. I’m not a publisher. My clients each become a publisher—I just coach and help them along the path. I help with editing, design, and getting their book set up on KDP.com or Ingram Spark. I’ve got a solid, dependable, talented cover designer (see some of his work and read our author success stories on A Powerful Story here). I always recommend that my authors purchase their own ISBNs, so that they will be paid royalties directly, and retain control of their book.

If you’re not sure about your path to publication, I offer a free consultation. You can request that at www.apowerfulstory.com

If you are able to get a contract with a traditional, royalty publisher, they pay you an advance and cover all the costs of production and distribution of your book. They will hold the ISBN because they are paying you for the rights to your book. Your contract should specify how you can buy the rights back later if they decide to take the book out of print.

I have had twelve books published by a royalty publisher. Several of those books eventually went out of print, which means the publisher decided they didn’t want to keep selling and distributing that book. Because my contract allowed me to buy back the rights, I did so with several titles (typically this cost a few hundred dollars per title at most). I then updated the book with a new cover and a few updates, gave it a new ISBN which I purchased myself, and released it under my own publishing company.

My books Breathe, Listen, and 99 Bible Words You Should Know are all examples of books that were first published by royalty publishers. I bought the rights back, purchased new ISBNs, then published them myself.

Got questions about ISBNs? This article has more information. Or share your questions or stories in the comments section below!

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