The ISBN undergoes a makeover

According to The ISBN Agency, the conversion

from 10-digit ISBNs to 13-digit ISBNs is being

done to accommodate the ever-expanding

number of books published each year. In 2005,

for example, more than 195,000 new titles and

editions were published.

For books published prior to January 2007, each

publisher needs to recalculate books’ ISBNs to

adhere to the new 13-digit numbering system.

It’s recommended that publishers print both the

10-digit and 13-digit ISBN on books published

during the potentially long transition.

Books published after January 2007 should use

the new ISBN-13 format exclusively. It looks

something like this: “ISBN-13: 978-1-873671-00-9,”

as opposed to the old format, which looks like

this: “ISBN-10: 1-873671-00-8.” The look of the

corresponding ISBN barcodes remains the same

but contains the new 13-digit numbers. (See

“Ordering a Barcode for Your Book,” later in this

chapter for more about barcodes.)

In addition, the new 13-digit numbers will be inte-

grated with the European Article Number (EAN)

system, which uniquely identifies every product

available for retail sale. This new numbering

system makes it easier to distribute books world-

wide and makes books more compatible with

inventory, sales tracking, and order systems that

currently use the 13-digit EAN system.

The new ISBN-13 system replaces the Bookland

EAN system, which has been in use since the

1980s. The Bookland EAN system was used by

retail inventory, ordering, and sales tracking sys-

tems not equipped to understand or utilize the

ISBN-10 system.