Homepage
Login
New Post
Profile
(I'm not sure this question fits here but this site seems the most appropriate within stackexchange network...)
I'm trying to buy a some book from NHBS (a field guide). The problem is that the same field guide is often printed in 2 versions:
smaller one for usage in the field,
bigger one for comfortable reading at home.
The question is: will both versions of the book have different ISBN, or it might happen that they have the same ISBN? Note that the dimension is often the only difference between the two versions, the publisher, year etc. will be the same. Does ISBN uniquely identify a book dimension?
(Background: I must order the book from NHBS (my company rules), but NHBS doesn't publish dimensions of the book. So I look up the book dimensions on Amazon and then look at the ISBN, if it's the same. But then I must know that ISBN will surely differ for both formats!)
(4)More posts by @Pope4766717
4 Comments
Sorted by latest first Latest Oldest Best
Officially, you should have a new ISBN number for every version of your book, including dimension sizes. the only exception is for minor grammatical, spelling, punctuation and minor editing purposes. If there is a change in a character's name or more than 5 paragraphs in the whole story are altered, it is considered a new Edition and needs a new number.
I am pretty sure that the ISBN number would be different if the dimensions of the book were not the same. I know that ISBN numbers are not the same when the paper stock is changed to be "acid free", so even with the same dimension a book could have different ISBN numbers.
Publishers use ISBN numbers to keep track of their inventory and costs/profits, etc... So they certainly would want to know which dimension of the book was ordered more often, and of course the buyers would want think that if they ordered a book with the same ISBN number as someone else they would get the same identical book.
However I would think it is up to the publisher to decide. For instance, if there was a minor adjustment to the paper size and they were no longer going to be offering the older size, the publisher may just decide to keep the same ISBN number.
To summarize:
Different versions of the book may have different ISBN, or may have the same ISBN
ISBN does not uniquely identify a book dimension.
I'm working with a writer who's self-publishing, and she had to get a different ISBN for the hardcover, softcover, and eBook versions of her novel. I remember reading somewhere that if you issue a new version of the book (change the content in any significant way), you need a new ISBN as well. So yes, it should be different, but I agree with Kate's suggestion to call the company and find out.
It absolutely SHOULD be different for both formats. That said...
If it were published by a big publisher, I'd be totally confident that it would be. But I don't know anything about the NHBS, so it's not impossible that they've gotten a little sloppy and not bothered. And Amazon is a bit worrisome because they have their own book numbering system, and tend to include the ISBN as a detail, rather than their primary identifier. So they might be a bit sloppy as well.
I looked at the books, and given the price involved, I think I'd give the company a call and make sure you're getting the right thing. Personal contact can be fun.
Terms of Use Privacy policy Contact About Cancellation policy © selfpublishingguru.com2024 All Rights reserved.