How to Get an ISBN in South Africa

Getting an ISBN in South Africa can seem like a scary task, but it really isn’t. This article is going to cut through the fluff and explain what an ISBN is and the information that you need to get your hands on one. And, to make it even better, new ISBNs cost nothing in South Africa. They are freely available to all! Time to have a look at how easy it is to get yourself an ISBN.

What Is an ISBN?

Before we get into the thick of things, what is an ISBN and why do you need one in the first place? Basically, an ISBN, or International Standard Book Number, is a 13-digit number that acts as an identification number for books throughout the world. Every country uses this system so that you can find a precise version of every book. There is a unique ISBN for every version, and that means a separate ISBN for the ebook, paperback, hardcover, and various editions of each and every book.

The primary purpose of the ISBN is identification. It allows you to find the exact book that you want. It also allows booksellers and publishers to better track which books are being sold and how they are being sold. If you want to sell a book, you need to have an ISBN. This is true if you are a major publisher or a single person self-publishing your work. Some places will offer to sell you ISBNs, but if you are a South African resident, you can get one entirely for free.

The Information You Need for Your ISBN

If you are a South African resident and you wish to get an ISBN, you just need to head over to the website of the National Library of South Africa (NLSA) and find the portal to the ISBN questionnaire. To make things easier for you, here is the link to the South African ISBN questionnaire page. However, let’s make things even easier than that! There are a number of important pieces of information you need to provide to get an ISBN in South Africa, so let’s go through them.

The Title of the Publication

This is probably an obvious thing, but to get an ISBN in South Africa, you need to have the title of your book ready. You cannot change this title later. The name that you provide to the NLSA will be the name attached to that ISBN forever. So, don’t make a mistake on the name or decide to change it. You need to have this ready to go before you can get yourself an ISBN.

Author Details

There are several pieces of important author information you need to provide, such as your name, address, contact number, and email address. These are all very basic things that you will always need to provide. The NLSA will not give this information to others and your private information is safe in their hands.

Publisher Details

If you are with a publisher of some variety or if you are self-publishing, you need to provide the information related to the publisher. That publisher might just be you, but if that is the case, then you need to act as the publisher. Here, you will provide the name of the publisher, the address, and contact information.

A quick hint for those who are self-publishing: if you want to get an ISBN in South Africa and you do not want your own name to be listed as the publisher, you can create a personal publishing label. Basically, start a company that effectively serves as your private publisher. That way, you can have a company name for the publisher rather than your personal name, and that creates some distance between the publisher and author information.

Format

The format of the book you are attempting to publish is very important when it comes to an ISBN. Every single version of a book has a different ISBN. So, if you are publishing one book in multiple formats, you need multiple ISBNs. You have the option to choose between a print or electronic format, and there is also an option for both.

If you are publishing a separate version of a book, such as a hardcover or paperback version, you need an ISBN for each of them. This will require you to do the questionnaire multiple times. It may be a hassle, but it’s best to get everything right!

Publication Date

The publication date of your book is important, but it does not have to be precise. The NLSA does not ask for an exact date, but rather an estimated one. They want to know roughly when the book will be released. You can also contact them after the fact if a major publication date change has taken place, but it’s often best to have your book ready for publication before getting an ISBN.

Open-Access Status

The next important piece of information that the NLSA needs is to know whether your book will be freely available or if you plan to charge for it. Basically, an open-access text is one that can be freely used and distributed. This is a simple yes or no on your part. Do you plan to sell your book or not?

ISBN Registered Against

When the NLSA looks over your ISBN application, they want to know whether the book needs to be registered under your name or the name of the publisher. Basically, who holds the copyright? If you create your own publisher to handle things, you can simply register it against the publisher, but if you want everything under your own name, you can have the ISBN registered against your name.

Platforms for Publication

The last important piece of information that the NLSA needs if you want an ISBN in South Africa is a list of places you plan to sell or distribute your book. Are you going to sell it on Amazon, Kobo, et cetera? These are important things that the NLSA wants to know. Once that is done, you can submit it and just wait! They will usually take a few days to get back to you, but once they have, you will have your shiny new ISBNs. However, the process is not quite done yet.

Sending Copies for Legal Deposit

Once you have your ISBN, you have your ISBN. However, the NLSA still needs one last thing from you. They need you to submit your work for legal deposit. This means that you need to send the library some physical copies of your book. The number of copies depends on how many copies of the book you decide to print.

• If you print fewer than 100 copies, you only need to send one copy, and that can be sent to either the Pretoria or Cape Town branch.

• If you print more than 100 copies, you must send one copy to each legal deposit library.

These deposits are at your own expense. The NLSA will not reimburse you for the printing or postage on those books. The reason for this is for preservation purposes. A full list of the libraries and their addresses can be found on the NLSA’s Legal Deposit webpage. If you also have an ebook version, you must email it to them, and that email address is below.

If you are ONLY publishing a digital copy, you do not need to send any physical copies to the legal deposit libraries. Instead, you simply need to send it via email to them at legaldeposit@nlsa.ac.za and that’s all! Nice and easy.

The Cost of an ISBN

The great thing about getting an ISBN in South Africa is that it costs nothing. You do need to send physical copies to the NLSA legal deposit libraries if you print physical copies, but the actual cost of the ISBN is nothing. Many countries charge you to get an ISBN, so this is a phenomenal service that the National Library of South Africa provides to its people.

When You Need More Than 4 ISBNs

If you need more than 4 ISBNs, you cannot apply through the ordinary means. You instead need to get in contact with Motubatse Kgatle. She will assist you with your ISBNs. You still need to provide them with the same information you would find in this questionnaire, but it instead needs to be sent directly to her at Motubatse.Kgatle@nlsa.ac.za and she can help you from there.

And that is how you get an ISBN in South Africa. It is not a tricky process and there are no hidden fees. You pay nothing for the ISBN itself, and once you have it, you have your ISBN! It could not be simpler. There are more tips and tricks for South African writers coming via Wolfdog Publishing, so stay tuned if you want to learn more about publishing in this country.