Skip to content
Publishing Map

Self-publishing · ISBN

Do you need an ISBN to self-publish?

You do not need an ISBN to publish a Kindle ebook on KDP. A print book that you distribute does need an ISBN for each format. In the United States, KDP will assign a free ISBN that works only on KDP and shows the imprint Independently published, or you can buy your own from Bowker and use it on other services. Other countries use their own ISBN agencies, and those agencies set their own prices. Checked against the official pages on 6 October 2026.

Open the rights stage Read the reference

Free · cited · no signup required

Saveable summary

The short answer

  1. KDP says you do not need an ISBN for an ebook. The International ISBN Agency says a proprietary Kindle file need not have one, because Amazon is the only supplier.[50][51]
  2. IngramSpark requires an ISBN for each format you distribute. If you are not distributing, it can assign a SKU for printing only.[220]
  3. A free KDP ISBN is only for paperback and hardcover, only on KDP, and the imprint is Independently published. Low-content books are not eligible.[51]
  4. On 6 October 2026 Bowker listed $125 for one ISBN, $295 for ten, $575 for 100, and $1,500 for 1,000. Those are US prices.[223]
  5. An ISBN identifies a product from a publisher. It does not register copyright, and it does not transfer your rights.[50][52]

01

Is an ISBN required for a KDP ebook?

No. KDP's ISBN article says you do not need an ISBN for ebooks on KDP. The International ISBN Agency uses Kindle as the example of a proprietary format sold by one retailer: the retailer does not require an ISBN, so assigning one is optional. If you do assign ISBNs to proprietary versions, each version needs its own number, because those files are not interchangeable. You can publish the Kindle ebook with no ISBN and still assign ISBNs to the paperback, hardcover, or EPUB.[26][50][51]

  • KDP Select does not change this. Select is a distribution term for the ebook. It is not an ISBN rule.
  • A free ISBN from another company, such as Draft2Digital, cannot be typed into KDP as the Kindle ISBN.

02

Is an ISBN required for print?

For distribution, yes, one ISBN per format. IngramSpark says that if you intend to distribute, you need an ISBN for each format, and that a book you only want printed for yourself can use a non-distributable SKU instead. KDP will publish a paperback or hardcover with either a free KDP ISBN or an ISBN you supply. Hardcover publishing is not supported on kdp.amazon.co.jp, and low-content books cannot get a free KDP ISBN. Draft2Digital assigns a free ISBN to a book published through its system, including print, and that number stays inside Draft2Digital.[26][51][52][220]

  • Paperback and hardcover are separate products. The same interior file does not let them share an ISBN.
  • KDP's free ISBN is not available for the ebook, only for paperback and hardcover.

03

How does a free KDP ISBN differ from a Bowker ISBN?

KDP's comparison table, checked on 6 October 2026, says the free ISBN costs nothing, can be used only with KDP, is registered as Independently published with Bowker, and shows that imprint on the detail page. Your own ISBN is one you pay for, can be used outside KDP, carries the imprint you register, and shows the imprint name you enter. KDP says Bowker offers discounted rates for KDP authors and does not state the discount on that page. Bowker's own self-publisher page, the same day, listed $125 for one ISBN, $295 for ten, $575 for 100, and $1,500 for 1,000. IngramSpark's FAQ gives US publishers a third paid option: buy an ISBN you own inside the IngramSpark account at $85, or take a free ISBN that IngramSpark owns. Confirm the cart before you pay. The older buy-ISBN URL returned 403, so these prices are from the self-publisher page that loaded.[51][220][223]

  • The imprint field on your own ISBN is limited to 100 characters, and the title, author, format, and imprint must match the ISBN record or KDP will not publish.
  • The publishing cost calculator does not add a Bowker receipt. The rights and ISBN cost answer is the place for how this fee sits next to other setup costs.

04

Can a free ISBN be used elsewhere?

No. A free KDP ISBN works only with KDP. A free IngramSpark ISBN is non-transferable and owned by IngramSpark. A free Draft2Digital ISBN can be used only when distributing through Draft2Digital. The FAQ says you may share that number for advertising, including a Goodreads page, and you may not use it at KDP for a Kindle edition. An ISBN you bought from the agency for the country where you publish can be used on more than one service for that same product. It still cannot be reused for a different format.[26][51][220]

  • If a previous company was the vendor of record, Draft2Digital says that company has to release the ISBN before Draft2Digital can use it. Leaving IngramSpark does not do that by itself.
  • Owning the ISBN is what lets the same paperback sit on KDP and on IngramSpark.

05

What is an imprint on KDP?

The imprint is the publisher name stored with the ISBN. With a free KDP ISBN, KDP registers Independently published and the detail page shows that name. You do not type your own publisher name onto a free KDP ISBN. With an ISBN you own, you register the imprint with Bowker or with your local ISBN agency, then enter that same name on KDP. The detail page shows the name you enter. The International ISBN Agency defines the publisher as the person or organisation that initiates production and bears the cost, which can be the author if the author is self-publishing. An imprint name on an ISBN is not the same thing as forming a company, and these pages do not say an imprint requires one.[26][49][51]

  • KDP will not publish if the imprint, title, author, or format disagrees with the ISBN record.
  • Draft2Digital says that on a free ISBN it is the vendor of record at the agency, while the stores still show the publisher name you chose, or your author name if you left that blank.

06

How many ISBNs do you need per format?

One ISBN identifies one product from one publisher, not the abstract work and not the copyright. A new edition or a different product form needs its own ISBN. Paperback, hardcover, and audiobook are separate products. For ebooks, the International ISBN Agency says each distinct combination of format and usage constraints needs its own ISBN if you assign numbers at all. The same EPUB with the same DRM and the same usage rules can share one ISBN across devices. A Kindle file, an EPUB, and a paperback of one novel are three products. Bowker's page says the same thing in plainer language: each version, print or digital, requires its own ISBN. Assigning an ISBN has no implications for who owns the rights.[26][50][52][223]

  • Do not put an ISBN on a master file that is not the public product. Put the ISBN on each version that people can actually get.
  • A barcode is not an extra ISBN. Draft2Digital says it will place a barcode on a print cover, and that you do not have to buy one.

07

Do other countries pay Bowker's prices?

No. Bowker is the ISBN agency for the United States and its territories. The International ISBN Agency says you apply to the agency for the country where you operate as the publisher, not the country where the book is printed, sold, or written, and not a different country's agency because its price is lower. The International ISBN Agency does not set the price. Some agencies are funded and assign ISBNs free. Others charge, and the price is local. In many countries you can buy a single ISBN. Some agencies sell only blocks. ISBN Canada is the sourced example of a free agency with rules: free ISBNs only for eligible Canadian publishers and publications, and you must prove Canadian residence. IngramSpark tells publishers outside the United States to buy their own ISBN and points to Thorpe-Bowker in Australia, the agency its FAQ spells Neilsen in the United Kingdom, and Raja Rammohan Roy in India. Use the International ISBN Agency directory before you budget a US price for a publisher based somewhere else.[45][46][49][220][223]

  • A US price from Bowker is not a quote for a publisher based in another country.
  • An ISBN still does not register copyright in any of these countries.

Use the guided answer

Apply this to your book

The guide preserves your exact choice in the URL, so you can return to it or send it to someone else.

Open the rights stage