Writers and Editors

• Barcoding Guidelines for the U.S. Book Industry (Book Industry Study Group, BISG) Barcodes are the machine-readable codes found on the packaging of almost every product we buy. They consist of a series of numbers and patterns that allow for easy and quick retrieval of information about a particular item. For a book to be sold by large retailers and brick-and-mortar stores, it must have a barcode. This barcode includes the book’s unique ISBN (International Standard Book Number) and often its retail price.
      Barcodes assigned to books can be classified into two types; those that incorporate prices and those that don’t. The price, when included, is represented by a five-digit code. The initial digit of this code signifies the currency in which the book is priced. Bowker.com is the only official source for ISBNs in the US, and having one from them will make your book searchable by the big retailers.
• Barcodes for Books: What They Are and Why They’re Important (The Book Designer, 9-21-23)
• Frequently Asked Questions About Barcodes (Bowker)
• Identifier services for publishers (Bowker) Whether you're a self-publishing author or general trade publisher maintaining a backlist of thousands of titles, Bowker offers critical resources to satisfy your needs, including assignment of unique identifiers, collection and distribution of metadata, and related publishing services. MyIdentifiers.com – also available for the Australasian market (myidentifiers.com.au) – makes it easy to purchase ISBNs, barcodes, QR codes and the full range of other services Bowker offers to help connect publishers with book buyers.
• FAQs about barcodes (IDAutomation.com, Your source for quality symbology)
• 2D barcodes launch in 2027 (GS1 Digital Link, Bar Code Graphics: US Barcode Authority) More change ahead! The venerable UPC barcode will be replaced by QR codes.
• Placing an ISBN barcode block on your book cover (Yaquin Press) Never buy a barcode. You can generate them for free.
• Barcodes for Books (Wendy J Woudstra, Publishing Central). Answers basic questions: What Is a Bookland EAN Barcode? Where can I get one? Where Can I Get a Bookland EAN? Do I Also Need a UPC Code? Where Can I Get a UPC Code? Don't Barcodes Contain the Mark of the Beast?
• Barcodes for Books: Labels for Book Publishing (Electronic Imaging Materials) “The barcodes found on the back of books are called Bookland EAN or EAN-13 bar code symbols. The EAN barcode is created from the ISBN for the book. Although the EAN barcode is much like that used for general retail merchandise, the numbering system used to generate the bar code for books is different.”
• Barcoding Guidelines for the United States (Book Industry Study Group, BISC)
• Register Your Book: The Essential Guide to ISBNs, Barcodes, Copyright, and LCCNs, a book by David Wogahn. See his post on Jane Friedman's blog, Why Self-Publishing Authors Should Consider Establishing Their Own Imprint.