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What's an ISBN?
An ISBN is an International
Standard Book Number. Every book sold anywhere in the world should
have a unique ISBN, meaning that you can find any book in the world
simply with that one number, which never duplicates.
ISBNs are assigned by
R.R. Bowker in the United States and by a variety of agencies
worldwide. Publishers apply to these agencies to get a range of
numbers with a unique prefix which varies in length. Because of
mergers and acquisitions, some publishers have several, or even
dozens of prefixes.
Publishers choose what numbers to
assign to which books following their prefixes. ISBN have no
relationship with subject matter, nor do the dashes mean anything.
Every ISBN should be unique.
Occasionally, ISBNs are reused for books that have long been out of
print, but this practice is generally discouraged.
ISBNs are 10 characters long. The
first nine characters are chosen as the unique number; the tenth is
a checksum.
What's a UPC?
A UPC is a Universal Product
Code, which is used in bar code format on all manner of goods for
sale. A UPC should be unique. The first three numbers of a UPC for
books are always "978," the next 9 digits are the same as the first
nine digits of an ISBN. The last digit is a base-10 checksum.
General merchandise stores,
including groceries, like UPCs, as everything has a UPC. Bookstores
prefer ISBN often, because all books have an ISBN.
More tips on ISBN and UPC numbers:
- For books, enter the ISBN, not the UPC.
- ISBN/UPCs can usually be found on the back cover
of your product.
- Some ISBNs end with an X; make sure you enter it as part of the ISBN.
- While books may have more than one UPC-like barcode, each book has a single
ISBN.
- For all other items, enter the UPC, and not the ISBN. Many movies and video
games, as well as some CDs, have ISBNs; you should ignore them.
- When entering UPCs, make sure you include any smaller numerals that appear
to the left or right of the main barcode numerals.
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