: Re: If I get a free ISBN through Amazon's CreateSpace now, will that impact any decisions about getting my own ISBN later? I am preparing my book for print-on-demand through Amazon's CreateSpace

@Annie587

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You should check into the requirements to get an ISBN in your own country. In many countries you can get one for free, which will then be your own that you can use as you like.

For my first book, the publisher gave me an ISBN of theirs. For my second book, I bought a block of 10 ISBNs from Bowkers, the American distributor of ISBNs. I think it cost me 0 for 10, which, if I do the intense calculation, comes to each. I've only used one so far, but when I finally get my next book out -- so many distractions and procrastination! -- I'll have another available. I may not get through all 10 in my lifetime, but hey, maybe when I retire from my day job I can get serious about writing.

I think Dale Emery went through Create Space's options nicely so I won't repeat his material.

Note that if you were to start out self-publishing a book, and then managed to convince a mainstream publisher to pick it up, they're going to use an ISBN of their own, not one you bought and not one from Create Space. So that's pretty much a non-issue.

If you get a Create Space ISBN and then sell the book door to door or from your own web site, I don't think there's anything that would stop you from selling the book with the Create Space ISBN, as long as the copies you sell are still printed by Create Space. If you went to another printer, then there might be issues with using a Create Space ISBN.

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