Ah, ISBNs. Those little 13-digit numbers that sound like they belong on an elite spy dossier but are just glorified book barcodes. If you’re an indie author, you’ve probably heard the endless debate: Should you buy your own ISBN or just take the free one?
Well, buckle up, bookish friends, because Troy Lambert (a.k.a. The Plot Dude) and I (Stacey of Edits by Stacey) went head-to-head in a battle for ISBN supremacy in a recent episode of our Pros Talking Prose podcast.
We laughed, we debated, and we may or may not have agreed to disagree. But at the end of the day, the real question remains: What’s the right choice for YOU?
Wait… What Even IS an ISBN?
ISBN stands for International Standard Book Number, which sounds fancy but really just means, “Hey, this book exists, and here’s its ID tag.”
🔹 Each format (paperback, hardcover, eBook, audiobook) gets its own ISBN.
🔹 ISBNs are used by retailers, libraries, and distributors to track and categorize books.
🔹 Your readers? Yeah, they don’t care. They’re just here for the story.
But here’s where things get spicy: Who owns the ISBN determines how much control you have over your book.
The Case for Buying Your Own ISBN
(AKA: Why I, Stacey, Believe ISBNs Are Like Real Estate—Buy Now, Thank Yourself Later.)
💰 Full Control Over Metadata – When you buy your own ISBN, you control EVERYTHING about your book’s listing: the categories, publisher name, and all the juicy data that makes it easier to sell. Free ISBNs? Yeah… not so much.
🏛 Library & Bookstore Credibility – Want your book in libraries or indie bookstores? They tend to side-eye books with Amazon or Draft2Digital listed as the publisher. Buying your ISBN makes you the publisher of record, which sounds way cooler at dinner parties.
📜 Long-Term Ownership – If you use a free ISBN and later want to switch platforms (cough leave Amazon’s walled garden cough), guess what? You can’t transfer it. You’ll need a new ISBN, which means your book gets a whole new listing, loses sales history, and all the marketing work you did? Poof!
🔄 Multiple Formats, One Publisher – If you plan to sell your book in different places (Amazon, IngramSpark, Apple Books, etc.), having one consistent ISBN keeps things simple. Otherwise, you could end up with 15 different ISBNs across platforms, and tracking that sounds about as fun as explaining your search history to a librarian.
🎭 Branding & Professionalism – Owning your ISBN helps create your own imprint. Instead of “Published by Amazon” (cringe), your book says “Published by My Totally Legit Publishing Empire, LLC.”
🚀 Future-Proofing – If the platform that gave you a free ISBN disappears (RIP Microsoft Books), your book goes with it. If YOU own the ISBN, your book stays in YOUR control.
The Case for Free ISBNs
(AKA: Why Troy Thinks “Who Cares? Just Sell the Book!”)
💸 They’re FREE! – Look, self-publishing is expensive. Editing, covers, ads—it adds up! If dropping $125 on an ISBN means skipping a meal (or worse, a fancy coffee!), just take the free ISBN and move on.
📈 Most Readers Don’t Care – No one’s reading your book and thinking, “Gee, I hope this ISBN was purchased directly from Bowker.” If you write genre fiction, romance, or thrillers, ISBN ownership probably won’t make or break your sales.
🛍 Different ISBNs = Better Tracking – Using different free ISBNs on different platforms can actually help you track where sales are coming from. Want to know if your print books sell better on Ingram vs. Draft2Digital? Different ISBNs can tell you.
📚 Some Free ISBNs Are Totally Fine – If you use Draft2Digital or IngramSpark, their free ISBNs aren’t shady. They don’t take your rights or mess with your royalties. Just, um, avoid vanity presses that charge you thousands and still slap their name on your book.
So… Which Should You Pick?
The answer is simple: It Depends. (Yeah, yeah, we know. Lame, right?)
But seriously—your ISBN decision depends on YOUR publishing goals.
🔹 If you want full control, wide distribution, and long-term flexibility? → BUY IT.
🔹 If you just want to get your book out there as cheaply as possible? → TAKE THE FREEBIE.
🔹 If you’re publishing a legacy project (family history, personal memoir)? → FREE is totally fine.
🔹 If you want to be in bookstores & libraries? → BUY YOUR OWN.
Our Final Thoughts:
✅ If you see yourself publishing multiple books, buy ISBNs in bulk (they get cheaper).
✅ If you only plan to publish one book, and you’re sticking with Amazon, the free ISBN might be fine.
✅ If you don’t want to deal with any of this and just want to make the right choice for YOU. Perfect!
Still Not Sure? Let’s Make It Easy.
Choosing the right publishing path is overwhelming, which is why I created Paper Trail, a FREE class to help you figure out the best publishing route for your book.
🔹 Do you want to traditionally publish?
🔹 Should you try self-publishing?
🔹 What publishing path will be the right one for you?
🎉 Sign up for Paper Trail FREE today! 🎉
If you already know which type of publishing you want to pursue but the facets of publishing, have you perplexed, I can also help you there. In Print Academy is a fully comprehensive, step-by-step program that will help you navigate the many ins and outs of publishing. Whether you’re indie publishing or traditional publishing, it will teach you how to make your author business successful by providing all the many pieces of the publishing journey. Check it out HERE!
And if you’re still on the fence, Troy and I both offer consultations to help authors navigate these choices. Because at the end of the day, our job is to help YOU make the best decision for YOUR book.
Drop a comment below: Are you #TeamFreeISBN or #TeamOwnYourISBN? #SelfPublishing #IndieAuthor #ISBN #WritingTips #ProsTalkingProse #EditsByStacey #ThePlotDude #IndiePublishing #AuthorBusiness
