The following is a collection of information I have gleaned that may be of interest:
1: An International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is a unique identifier for every single published version of a book, meaning that if you choose to publish in multiple formats (paperback, hardcover, ebook, etc.) each version would need a separate ISBN. It’s kind of like your book’s fingerprint, unique and specific to that edition. It is a string of numbers that identifies pertinent information about your book, such as: title, author, type of book, physical properties, and location of publisher.
2: An ISBN is not needed if the book is to be sold directly to individuals by hand or via ones own web site. If the book is to be sold through some kind of retail channel, or if it to be available in libraries, then an ISBN is required.
3: It’s worth noting that the owner of the ISBN is classified as the publisher, some short run and on demand printing companies offer to supply an ISBN as part of their service, but that makes them the publisher of the book. To maintain complete control over a publication it’s best to buy ISBN numbers directly from your countries ISBN agencies, in the UK it’s Nielsen BookData https://www.nielsenisbnstore.com/Home/Isbn
4: Whereas ISBNs are used to identify books, including print and digital versions, International Standard Serial Numbers (ISSN) are used to identify and differentiate serial publications, such as journals, magazines, newspapers, and annual publications. https://www.issn.org/centre/united-kingdom-royaume-uni/
5: I have recently read that It is a legal requirement that every book distributed to the general public be registered with the British Library.
