01
Plain definition
An ISBN — International Standard Book Number — is the thirteen-digit identifier used across the book trade to distinguish one edition of one title from every other. Each format (paperback, hardcover, ebook) that carries an ISBN carries a different one.
02
Why it matters to an author
It is how bookshops, libraries and distributors order and track a title. An ebook sold only through a single marketplace can often be listed without one, because the marketplace assigns its own identifier instead; a print edition sold into the trade normally needs one.
03
Where it appears in the publishing workflow
ISBNs are issued by the national agency for your country, or provided by a distributor under its own publisher name. The decision is made before upload, because the identifier is part of the metadata.
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