Comments on: The ISBN is dead http://www.teleread.com/books/the-isbn-is-dead/ News & views on e-books, libraries, publishing and related topics Tue, 14 Feb 2012 09:24:03 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: J A Rogers http://www.teleread.com/books/the-isbn-is-dead/comment-page-1/#comment-1150192 J A Rogers Thu, 03 Dec 2009 02:26:52 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/2009/08/14/the-isbn-is-dead/#comment-1150192 Is the outrageous cost of isbns anti competetive? I think so. Back in the mid 90s I purchased a small block of isbn for my self publishing operation and the cost since then has gone through the roof. Why? Recently I revised one of my books and gave it a new title, but I can't afford a new isbn for it. It won't even be considered for review much less purchased by book dealers without one. It's not fair and probably illegal. Is the outrageous cost of isbns anti competetive? I think so. Back in the mid 90s I purchased a small block of isbn for my self publishing operation and the cost since then has gone through the roof. Why? Recently I revised one of my books and gave it a new title, but I can’t afford a new isbn for it. It won’t even be considered for review much less purchased by book dealers without one. It’s not fair and probably illegal.

]]> By: Daniel Udsen http://www.teleread.com/books/the-isbn-is-dead/comment-page-1/#comment-1126019 Daniel Udsen Sat, 15 Aug 2009 13:51:25 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/2009/08/14/the-isbn-is-dead/#comment-1126019 What problem was ISBN system the solution to?, and does the problem looks the same into todays world? or have the technological and economic backdrop to society changed so that the origitnal problem is either gone or have changed so other solutions might be better? Does the ISBN system even make sense for ebook, does it add something beside added burocracy? do we have any use for a central ident issuer, or would we be better up with an standard describing how to add identification metadate to "etext" containers, then having any organisation issuing numbers. This could even work for barcode numbers with the first xx digits identifying the retailer and the next block the work and the last block the version, it's being done for network equipments MAC adresses. What problem was ISBN system the solution to?, and does the problem looks the same into todays world? or have the technological and economic backdrop to society changed so that the origitnal problem is either gone or have changed so other solutions might be better?

Does the ISBN system even make sense for ebook, does it add something beside added burocracy? do we have any use for a central ident issuer, or would we be better up with an standard describing how to add identification metadate to “etext” containers, then having any organisation issuing numbers.

This could even work for barcode numbers with the first xx digits identifying the retailer and the next block the work and the last block the version, it’s being done for network equipments MAC adresses.

]]> By: asphalt http://www.teleread.com/books/the-isbn-is-dead/comment-page-1/#comment-1125173 asphalt Fri, 14 Aug 2009 15:24:11 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/2009/08/14/the-isbn-is-dead/#comment-1125173 i'm a librarian (acquisitions). at least one publisher in spain *re-uses* isbn's. so amazon's not the only entity to toss a monkey-wrench into the works. who knows what-all other mischief is being perpetrated across the globe. i've even seen self-publishers throw a made-up 'isbn-looking number' onto their book, to try to make their work look more like a real book. that is not as big a deal, because one always approaches non-professional work with a somewhat different expectation. otherwise: 'no data' is preferable to 'fake data'. especially if the 'fake data' apply to only one source for the material (e.g. amazon). the utility of the isbn lies in the fact that it rides *with the bibliographic unit* -- not the seller. but *re-use* of the isbn by a publisher (e.g. my guys in spain) is unconscionable. it demonstrates a complete lack of understanding of (or worse, a lack of regard for) the entire point of assigning such a thing to a publication. if you can't afford more numbers, skip it. there are means of identifying the work based on its physical description which are quite adequate in the absence of the isbn. these methods are routinely applied to earlier works, and are extensible to isbn-less later works. i would also expect that re-using isbn's out of unwillingness to buy more numbers would be a violation of whatever agreement the publisher would have entered into with iso. but that's speculation on my part. (okok; it's what i would include in the agreement if *i* were iso.) i’m a librarian (acquisitions). at least one publisher in spain *re-uses* isbn’s. so amazon’s not the only entity to toss a monkey-wrench into the works. who knows what-all other mischief is being perpetrated across the globe. i’ve even seen self-publishers throw a made-up ‘isbn-looking number’ onto their book, to try to make their work look more like a real book. that is not as big a deal, because one always approaches non-professional work with a somewhat different expectation.

otherwise: ‘no data’ is preferable to ‘fake data’. especially if the ‘fake data’ apply to only one source for the material (e.g. amazon). the utility of the isbn lies in the fact that it rides *with the bibliographic unit* — not the seller. but *re-use* of the isbn by a publisher (e.g. my guys in spain) is unconscionable. it demonstrates a complete lack of understanding of (or worse, a lack of regard for) the entire point of assigning such a thing to a publication. if you can’t afford more numbers, skip it. there are means of identifying the work based on its physical description which are quite adequate in the absence of the isbn. these methods are routinely applied to earlier works, and are extensible to isbn-less later works.

i would also expect that re-using isbn’s out of unwillingness to buy more numbers would be a violation of whatever agreement the publisher would have entered into with iso. but that’s speculation on my part. (okok; it’s what i would include in the agreement if *i* were iso.)

]]> By: Jon Noring http://www.teleread.com/books/the-isbn-is-dead/comment-page-1/#comment-1125076 Jon Noring Fri, 14 Aug 2009 12:38:58 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/2009/08/14/the-isbn-is-dead/#comment-1125076 One point that Mr. Cairns did not address is the high cost of ISBN (in the U.S.) for small and independent publishers. Interestingly, Mr. Cairns said that the big publishers have already obtained enough ISBN to last a lifetime. Yet the massive surge of digital titles is almost entirely from the small-, independent-, and self-publishers, each of which have to shell out substantial money to buy one or a small block of ISBN. In general, the publishing community is not happy (to put it mildly) with the extortion-like pricing of ISBN in the United States. What do small publishers get in return? Pretty much zilch. Bowker has lost respect among the thousands of small and independent publishers who will be driving the future of digital publishing. One point that Mr. Cairns did not address is the high cost of ISBN (in the U.S.) for small and independent publishers. Interestingly, Mr. Cairns said that the big publishers have already obtained enough ISBN to last a lifetime. Yet the massive surge of digital titles is almost entirely from the small-, independent-, and self-publishers, each of which have to shell out substantial money to buy one or a small block of ISBN.

In general, the publishing community is not happy (to put it mildly) with the extortion-like pricing of ISBN in the United States. What do small publishers get in return? Pretty much zilch. Bowker has lost respect among the thousands of small and independent publishers who will be driving the future of digital publishing.

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