Guides for authors › ISBNs in the UK, explained
An ISBN (International Standard Book Number) is the 13-digit number printed above the barcode on the back of a book. Bookshops, libraries and online stores use it to find, order and sell your book. Here is what UK authors need to know.
Where do ISBNs come from in the UK?
In the UK and Ireland, ISBNs are issued by the Nielsen ISBN Agency. You can buy them directly from Nielsen. When we checked in October 2026, a single ISBN cost about £93 and a block of ten about £174, including VAT. Larger blocks cost less per number. Prices change, so check Nielsen's own site before you buy.
Be careful with cheap ISBNs sold by other companies: some are registered to the seller rather than to you, and some are issued for other countries.
Do I need a separate ISBN for each format?
Yes. A paperback, a hardback and an ebook are different products, so each needs its own ISBN. A new edition with significant changes also needs a new one. Correcting a few typos does not.
Why the name on your ISBN matters
Whoever an ISBN is registered to is recorded as the book's publisher. If you buy your own, your name or your imprint appears as the publisher. This matters if you want to look professional to bookshops and libraries, or move your book between services later.
What about Amazon's free ISBN?
Amazon KDP offers a free ISBN for paperbacks and hardbacks. It is a genuine option and costs nothing, but it lists the publisher as "Independently published" and can only be used for that edition on Amazon. If you later want the same edition available through other channels, you will need a different ISBN. Kindle ebooks don't need an ISBN at all: Amazon gives them their own number (an ASIN).
Do I have to have an ISBN?
Not by law. But you need one to sell a print book through most shops and online stores, and to make it available for bookshops and libraries to order.
After you publish: legal deposit
Once your book is published in print in the UK, the publisher must send one free copy to the British Library within a month. Five other national libraries can ask for a copy within 12 months.
How SoulScriptz handles ISBNs
Every SoulScriptz package includes ISBN support. Where applicable, your book is set up with its own ISBN assigned to you, subject to the terms of the platforms and services used, and we tell you plainly whose name will be on it before you agree to anything.
Questions authors ask
How much is an ISBN in the UK?
When we checked in October 2026, Nielsen charged about £93 for one ISBN and £174 for ten, including VAT. Check Nielsen's site for current prices.
Does an ebook need an ISBN?
Not on Amazon, which gives Kindle ebooks their own number. Some other ebook stores ask for one.
Can I reuse an ISBN for a new edition?
No. Each edition and each format needs its own ISBN. Small corrections don't count as a new edition.
Ready to publish your book?
First-time authors get 50% off their first publication with SoulScriptz. Your manuscript stays yours, and the price is agreed in writing before any work starts.
Figures in this guide were checked in October 2026. Platform prices and rules change, so check the current figures before you rely on them. This guide is general information, not legal or financial advice.
More guides for authors
- How to publish a book in the UK
- How much it costs to publish a book
- Amazon KDP or IngramSpark?
- How to publish your memoir
- How to publish a children's book
- A book publisher in Manchester
- Legal deposit, explained
- How to write a book description
- Getting into libraries and bookshops
- Planning a book launch
- Publishing a poetry collection