Up until the pandemic, our clients relied on our quick turnaround for book printing. Unfortunately, due to global supply chain shortages, our production facilities were forced to dramatically extend our book printing estimates. With the holidays rapidly approaching, we wanted to alert our clients of delays so they can manage their expectations.

The current turnaround times are as indicated below;
‍(Subject to Change)

– 50# paperback book formats are estimated to print in 10 business days.
– 50# hardcover book formats are estimated to print in 15 business days.
– 70# paperback books are estimated to print in 20 business days.
– 70# hardcover books are estimated to print in 25 business days.

Rush and Express service levels are temporarily unavailable.

Right now we are encouraging our clients to think about their holiday orders NOW and contact their Publisher Services consultant for assistance. Supply chain disruptions are impacting almost every industry and the printing industry’s challenge is obtaining paper stock. It is very important to us that we exceed our client’s expectations so please factor in this delay when considering printing your books.

ISBN identification is the link connecting book-sellers and readers access to essential book information. Quite simply, if an author desires to make their book available to commercial markets, they must assign an ISBN to each of their titles.

Key Points:

1. The ISBN system is a global standard. ISBN identification is used world-wide as a unique identifier for books and is utilized to simplify distribution and purchase of books throughout the global supply chain.
2. ISBNs are the key to book stores inventory system. Without an ISBN, a book will not be found in most book stores or online marketplaces.
3. Identifying a book with an ISBN improves the chance it will be discovered. A critical component to purchasing an ISBN is uploading title data through our portal. All book information is dynamically sent to Bowker’s Books in Print database. Inclusion in this database opens up a world of discovery because your book will be listed with many retailers, libraries, as well as online services like Google Books, Apple’s iBooks, and the New York Times.

Over 100 million people access this data when searching for books; and it all starts with assigning an ISBN to your book.

What happens if an author doesn’t assign an ISBN to a book?

There are no legal requirements mandating every book MUST have an ISBN.  Booksellers, libraries, wholesalers and distributors are the organizations which require books to carry an ISBN because their sales and back office systems are based on the ISBN system. One common misunderstanding is that ISBN conveys ownership and copyright protection.  The copyright laws are not tied to the ISBN system.  The idea that an ISBN conveys ownership is entirely based on how a bookseller or wholesaler has set up their internal system.  If a self-published author is solely selling their book in-person or on their own website, ISBN identification is not mandatory. Many self-publishers still opt to include an ISBN just in case they expand their selling strategy.

Some booksellers, such as Amazon KDP , allow their publishers to use a “KDP ISBN”, which can ONLY be used on their site.  If the publisher desires to sell on other marketplaces, they should get an ISBN through our Publisher Package. This offering provides an ISBN assignment tied to the self-publisher and can be used in all marketplaces worldwide.

Obtaining ISBNs

ISBNs can be purchased directly from the ISBN Agency or authorized agents, such as Publisher Services. .  Self-publishers who offer books in multiple formats (hardback, paperback, ebook, audiobook) need to assign unique ISBNs to each format. The ISBN is simply a 13-digit identifier representing a title in a particular format.  The real data behind the ISBN is the metadata.  The US ISBN Agency and Publisher Services have title management portals which allow self-publisher to add/edit their book information.  The metadata can include all the details about a book and is used for both book discovery and backend traceability.

Publisher Services is an authorized agent of the US ISBN Agency and provides immediate and genuine ISBN assignments. Since 2004, Publisher Services has assisted over 85,000 self-publishers with ISBNs and barcodes.

Howard Stern is a polarizing radio personality who recently announced the upcoming release of third book. Whether you like him, hate him, or don’t even know him, his approach to book promotion and publicity is spot on.

Stern has built a fan base of millions over the years and certainly has an advantage over a newly budding self-publisher. However, Stern has masterfully intertwined his book promotion with discussions of his everyday life. After his original announcement a few weeks ago, he has organically brought up his book during daily discussions but it does not come across as a non-stop infomercial. This simple concept of threading the news of your book within your everyday life and correspondence should be a cornerstone of your book promotion.

Despite Stern’s innate ability for subtle and ongoing promotion, Simon and Shuster, his publisher, orchestrates the grand marketing plan. Twenty-plus years ago when he released his first book, his publisher had established relationships with the major bookstores. Consequently, the shelve space allocated for his book was extraordinary and his book skyrocketed to the top of the bestseller lists immediately. Today, reaching the number one spot on Amazon is the coveted prize and route to ongoing book sales. In order to catapult to the top, major book publishers came up with pre-sale marketing plans. The minute the book is actually released the surge of initial orders pushes the book to number one.

Even though Stern’s book is not available until May 14, he will be popping up on all of the news and late night shows over the next few weeks. Regardless of your size and audience, it is imperative to have some promotional marketing plan established if you want to reach your book sales goals. Since we began assisting small self-publishers in 2004, our publisher consultants are consistently asked if we can assist them with marketing and promotion. We are very excited to announce we have forged partnership with one of the most accomplished book promotion/publicity companies in the US, Smith Publicity.

In order to address the needs of self-publishers, we have worked with them to provide simple and basic consulting services enabling new authors and publishers a starting point for their book marketing.

Please visit www.isbn-us.com/book-publicity/ .

CreateSpace will no longer provide Publishing Support Services

Amazon’s CreateSpace, the largest POD (print on demand) provider in the US, has thrown in the towel providing personalized services to authors.  For commodity items like socks and books, the gargantuan size of Amazon yields low prices and quick delivery. However, for customized services, such as book publishing, sometimes being the largest is not beneficial for their clients.  CreateSpace recently announced that they are downsizing their publishing support services office, so self-publishers will need to rely on companies, such as Publisher Services, for necessary services including; book formatting, cover design, upload assistance and book reviews.

An Amazon spokesperson told the Post and Courier: “After a thorough review of our service offerings, we’ve made the decision to discontinue Createspace’s paid professional editing, design and marketing services.”

Personal one-on-one publishing support assistance is differentiating element which separate Publishers Services from other self-publishing companies. Unlike other publishing companies who offer packages for over $1200, we provide self-publishers an a la carte array of book service so they only need to purchase the services they actually need.

Our initial relationship with CreateSpace began in 2007.  As the emerging giant in the growing print-on-demand book manufacturing, CreateSpace’s internal proprietary system had rigid ISBN numbering requirements.  Publisher Services and CreateSpace came to an agreement provide their prospective clients the Publisher Package to satisfy their identification needs.

Just because an author is self-publishing doesn’t mean they have to do it all alone.  Publisher Services provides personalized assistance and book services to enable self-publishers the ability to create professional high quality books. Please call Publisher Services at 800-662-0703 to speak with a self-publishing consultant.