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Register Your Book: The Essential Guide to ISBNs, Barcodes, Copyright, and LCCNs

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LEARN THE RIGHT WAY

...to set your book up for long-term success, improve sales opportunities, and protect your investment, including:

Everything you need to know about ISBNs, Barcodes, Copyright, & LCCNs. Make sure your book can be distributed by any distributor. Never have to abandon your hard-earned reader reviews. Ensure your book can be printed by any printer. Add your book to the major book industry databases. Prevent your advance reader copies from being re-sold. Avoid legal headaches and missed filing deadlines.

“...proceed with confidence in spending your time and dollars to get it done right, the first time.” —Carla King, Self-Pub Boot Camp

“…a thorough and deceptively simple guide for independent authors and publishers…” —Kim Anderson, Founder and CEO, The Reading Room

“Straightforward and easy to digest, this is one how-to that every new author or publisher should have in their arsenal!" —Brooke Warner, Publisher of She Writes Press and author of Green-Light Your Book: How Writers Can Succeed in the New Era of Publishing

“David Wogahn's book offers newly published authors and independent publishers a concise and clear guide to the prepublication process. Anyone looking for information on ISBNs, copyright, and a host of other details for independent publishing needs this book.” —Rachelle Yousuf, President, Women's National Book Association-Los Angeles Chapter; Membership Assistant, PEN Center USA; Event Coordinator, National Reading Group Month

LIMITED TIME OFFER: Order the paperback and get the Kindle edition free.

160 pages, ebook

Published March 17, 2016

47 people are currently reading
231 people want to read

About the author

David Wogahn

11 books20 followers
David Wogahn is the founder and president of AuthorImprints, and has taught self-publishing classes for Writer's Digest University, Jane Friedman, the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi), the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), and the Santa Barbara Writers Conference, among other publishing professional organizations.

David is the author of six books about self-publishing, including the Countdown to Book Launch® series. In 2012, he became the author of the first LinkedIn Learning course on the topic of self-publishing (Lynda at the time).

He has worked for the Los Angeles Times, the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee, and was co-founder and COO of the first online publisher of sports team branded websites known today as the CBS College Sports Network.

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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
Profile Image for Christina Hannan.
200 reviews
September 5, 2020
Very Informative

While this book focuses on American processes, I still found it useful to read through and see what their processes are, just in case I have to do something similar in Australia. Overall, this is a really good guide to getting ISBNs set up, barcodes in place and getting your book into libraries.
Profile Image for Lee Van Ham.
Author 6 books8 followers
April 30, 2016
The title of the book is an imperative: register your book! Wogahn makes the imperative doable for even the novice. This book will guide me in my final stages of publishing my second book. Wogahn’s little book does exactly what its subtitle says, it gives me my “essential guide to ISBNs, barcodes, copyrights, and LCCNs.” Wogahn conveys a sense of genuinely wanting to help authors and indie publishers get the broadest exposure for their book.
Wogahn gives short, clear answers to the questions few authors want to spend much time learning about even though we know they matter: why register, which registrations matter for my book, when do I apply so I don’t delay publishing, and how do I complete the necessary forms?
This “essential guide” is a reference tool for many kinds of authors, books, and indie publishers. It’s not a book we read once and absorb. It’s a book to keep handy for new publishing questions as they arise. The format of the book makes it possibly to quickly locate information on any topic. The style is easy to follow, the language clear.
Reading this guide makes clear that registering the books we work so hard to write makes a big difference in getting them before the eyes of the people we want to reach.
Profile Image for Michele Cacano.
405 reviews34 followers
January 1, 2017
Sets out to do as promised: help authors understand the process of self-publishing legalities.
Do I need an ISBN?
What is an ISBN?
When does a book need a copyright?
How do I get my book into the Library of Congress?
What are the different types of publishing rights?

These and other questions are addressed in this handbook. I thought the information was very well-organized and clearly presented. Useful information for anyone publishing or considering publishing independently, be it private press, amazon/createspace, smashwords, POD, or others.
Profile Image for Floyd Larck.
Author 24 books5 followers
August 27, 2018
I found this book mentioned at the end of David Woghan's eBook: The Book Reviewer Yellow Pages, be sure you get the correct one as there are some other eBooks using a similar title. The Amazon link is here: https://amzn.to/2NmgWhM (no affiliate link in URL).

I you are an author of eBooks and/or print books then "Register Your Book" should be on the same shelf as your other important reference books. He gives you the facts about ISBN's, barcodes, copyright (this alone is worth the price of the book), and the Library of Congress. A couple of areas that pleased me were the comparison of CreateSpace and Ingram Spark and why you should buy your ISBN's instead of using the free ones.

The book is only 144 pages including several appendix sections and the index. I skimmed through it and then I sat down with pad and pencil to write down the important ideas I needed to address.

Appendix A "Timing and Timelines" which details how you should be obtaining and implementing the various registration number for your project.

Appendix B "Maximizing SEO Benefits" tells you how to get your project into the various book industry databases. Search engines and the like can't help promote your book unless you work out your SEO plan.

Appendix C "The Seven Habits of Smart Metadata Managers "Metadata is the wrapper of information that surrounds and describes our books, our company, and even us as publishers or authors."

This is a must have book even if you're an author who doesn't self-publish their projects.

Resources is a section where he tells you about purchasing ISBN's, barcodes and other items for the publishing process.
Profile Image for Wanda Luthman.
Author 17 books183 followers
June 23, 2018
The complicated world of ISBN's and etc.

I didn't realize in the beginning how important it was to own my own ISBN numbers. It wasn't until my illustrator strongly encouraged it that I started reading more about it. I wish I had this book before I published my first book. I have had to go back and re-do things just because I didn't know better originally. And some things I can't go back and change like getting a Library of Congress number. I highly recommend this very informative and trustworthy book to new authors everywhere.
Profile Image for Kathy Lee.
38 reviews
May 10, 2025
Once again, David Wogahn knocks it out of the park. This book covers everything you need to know about registering your book, and why it is important. He also explains the importance of buying your own ISBNs and bar codes, as well as why it might not be right for you. I love that David is not trying to sell you on what he thinks is best. He is presenting both sides of the topic along with the pros and cons of each. Then, it is up to the author or publisher to decide what path is best for them. This is a must read for anyone who is considering the path of self-publishing for their books.
4 reviews1 follower
April 13, 2020
Worth Reading, Worth Every Penny

I knew nothing going in; I emerged with a clearer plan for what to do next. Thank you! The book is a delightful read for such a useful tool, is thorough without being overly technical, and is well-organized. A useful Glossary is included for those who need to quickly review terms explained well within the text.
Profile Image for C.J. Shane.
Author 23 books64 followers
January 29, 2021
It’s clear that there is a considerable amount of confusion and faulty information about the need to register newly published books and how to do it. In particular, many indie authors are not aware of the crucial importance of authors owning and registering their own ISBNs. Wogahn’s book is concise, clear and easy to understand. Recommended, especially for indies.
Profile Image for A.M. Bochnak.
Author 15 books25 followers
October 9, 2017
One of the best investments in my author business since I started. This is an amazing resource for anyone who has chosen to be an independently published author. This books explains the registration process clearly with step by step instructions.
Profile Image for Morgan Bishop.
79 reviews3 followers
December 1, 2020
You'll bookmark every page and return to this again and again!

Easily the most Important book for every self publishing author. Book was very well organized and easy to understand and gave me insights that I didn't even know I needed. Everything this author writes is gold.
5 reviews
December 2, 2022
Valuable information for self-publishers

As usual, David Wogahn presents valuable information for self-publishers in a clear, formal, and professional manner. This book seems to provide all the information one may need for the various registration processes.
Profile Image for A Pagan.
7 reviews
May 29, 2025
So easy to read and understand. Explains everything I was having issues learning with blogs and youtube videos. 10/10 I recommend this to every author regardless of self-publishing or traditional. These are thing that we need to know. Read it in a day.
Profile Image for Janice.
Author 6 books2 followers
May 19, 2020
The book was very informative. I like the step-by-step guide as well as the links to the pertinent websites to purchase ISNBs or to get further information.
Profile Image for Andrea.
Author 1 book1 follower
June 12, 2021
Great book

Very informative and easy to read. I enjoyed the simplicity and step by step instructions would took all questioning of what to do out of my Brian.
2 reviews
February 21, 2024
Has the information I expected it to

Very helpful book. I would recommend to anyone looking for information on how to self publish. I will be reading more in this series.
Profile Image for M.F..
Author 1 book19 followers
January 6, 2025
Thorough and clear

I rely on David Wogahn’s advice to guide me through the self-publishing process as I prepare to launch my first of four books.
Profile Image for Deb Rainey.
106 reviews
July 27, 2025
Just what I needed

This book is well written and gets right to the facts. I found myself highlighting practically everything. Very useful information presented succinctly.
1 review
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August 11, 2025
5
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Paul Van Heest.
11 reviews
September 19, 2025
A handy primer on several key registration components. Makes potentially complex information easy to absorb. Provides an excellent appendix summarizing key steps and timelines.
Profile Image for Wanjiru Warama.
Author 14 books14 followers
October 23, 2020
As an Indie author, I thought I knew all there was to know about ISBNs. Then a book marketing lady on YouTube recommended Register Your Book. Since I believed I could get the answer I wanted about barcodes, I bought the book straight away. After I read it, I just about kicked myself for the glaring blind spots I noticed. In two days I had reorganized and straightened all my registrations.
A straightforward, well-written book without all the lawyerly jargon for novices as well as experienced indie writers.

Wanjiru Warama, Author
Profile Image for Chris Norbury.
Author 4 books83 followers
September 27, 2019
A short, concise, easy-to-read book that covers the basics of the items mentioned in the title. As an owner of the eBook version, I'll have access to any updates the author may make in the future as the rules, laws, players change and evolve with the publishing business. A handy reference for indie authors or trad-published authors who are thinking about going indie and want to learn these basics.
Profile Image for Terry L..
Author 4 books4 followers
January 26, 2017
Very helpful as I'm finishing the last steps with my own book. Clearly written and up to date.
Profile Image for Nohad Nassif.
Author 1 book5 followers
September 9, 2025
I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this book. It was incredibly helpful to me and is definitely a keeper.
Profile Image for Cherie Kephart.
Author 3 books69 followers
April 20, 2017
David Wogahn's Register Your Book is packed with clear, succinct, and most importantly, applicable information about the often overwhelming and tedious process of publishing. I've read this book twice, and continue to use it as a go to reference when I have a query or simply need a reminder about the registration process. Accessible and easy to use, I would recommend it to anyone interested in independent publishing.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews

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