Jessica,

ISBNs serve as a simple method to identify titles, most publishers appreciate if not insist on them when orders are placed to insure you're both talking about the same title/edition.

For you to order books for your shop you either need to establish accounts with those publishers you wish to do business (a number of publishers allow you to set up 'special market' accounts with fairly generous terms if you tell them you're a museum store) or order from a distributor such as Ingram or Baker & Taylor.  

You might consider purchasing a copy of the American Bookseller Association's Book Buyer's Handbook which is a good source for publisher listings with lots of valuable data such as contact numbers and discounts.  The ABA's number is 800 637-0037.  Your other option is to look up publisher websites for what you need.

Stephen Wood
Smithsonian Museum Stores


>>> [log in to unmask] 05/31/02 10:26AM >>>
Questions:

When an ISBN number is given, the book goes into the Books in Print.

How do bookstores order the book?  Or do thety order the book automatically?
Or does the book just sit in Books In Print?  How do you get the book on the
shelves?

Thanks
Jessica

----- Original Message -----
From: "Trevor Reynolds" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Monday, May 27, 2002 8:52 AM
Subject: Re: ISBN Numbers etc.


I realise I know far too much about ISBN numbers!

ISBN numbers are (or should be) given to each separate binding and edition
of a book (or book like product).  If you have a book which is published in
serveral volumes each volume should have a separate number (even if not sold
singly) and there should be a number for the set as  a whole.

The ISBN consists of 4 parts:
1) The country/language code (e.g. 0 and 1 for most English Language
countries). Language codes are administered by the international ISBN
organisation.
2) The publisher's (not printer's) code (e.g. 00 for HarperCollins UK) --
these are issued by national ISBN agencies (Bowker in the US; Whittaker's in
the UK; for Italy see  http://www.bibliografica.it)
3) The book number -- in the UK & US allocated by the publisher and notified
to the national agency.
4) A check digit (which may be X), calculated in order to a complex rule,
there in order to eleminate typing errors.

It is possible for a book to have multiple ISBNs, for example a co-published
book can be given an ISBN by each publisher.  Distributors may also give
their own ISBN to a book they distribute on behalf of someone else (this
usually only happens where the publisher is in another country).

When you've got a publisher prefix you can allocate numbers to items on your
back catalogue without any problem (I know of one occasion where a publisher
prefix was only issued after they had gone out of business and their back
catalogue was taken over by another publisher).

In order to get on to Amazon.com if you are outside the US you need to find
yourself a US distributor. Many smaller specialist publishers will also act
as distributors for overseas titles in their subject area.  They will want
to make a profit, but should include your books in their catalogues and
marketing.
As there is no Italian branch of Amazon, try BOL (www.it.bol.com).

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