ISBN barcodes for books: how to make one, with the price add-on
Every printed book sold through shops carries its ISBN as a barcode on the back cover. The barcode isn't a special book format: it's an ordinary EAN-13, and the 13-digit ISBN starting with 978 or 979 is the number inside it.
Step 1: get an ISBN
ISBNs come from the national ISBN agency where the publisher is based: Bowker in the US, Nielsen in the UK and Ireland, and a government or library agency in many other countries, some of which issue them free. Each format needs its own ISBN, so a hardback, a paperback, an ebook and an audiobook are four ISBNs. A new edition with real changes needs a new one too; a reprint doesn't.
If you publish through a print-on-demand service, check what they offer. Amazon KDP gives a free ISBN for paperbacks and adds the barcode to your cover if you leave space for it, but that ISBN lists the book as independently published and can only be used on KDP.
Step 2: understand the ISBN
A 13-digit ISBN has five parts, separated by hyphens: the prefix (978 or 979), the registration group (a language or country area), the publisher, the title and the check digit. The hyphens move depending on how big the publisher's block is, so copy them from your agency's record rather than guessing.
Have an older 10-digit ISBN? It converts to ISBN-13 by adding 978 at the front and calculating a new check digit. Our ISBN generator does this for you.
Step 3: decide on the price add-on
US bookshops expect a small second barcode to the right of the main one: a 5-digit add-on that carries the suggested price. Outside North America it's usually left off.
| Add-on | Means |
|---|---|
| 51299 | US $12.99 (5 = US dollars, then the price) |
| 52495 | US $24.95 |
| 61999 | Canadian $19.99 (6 = Canadian dollars) |
| 90000 | No suggested price |
If you're not sure what to use, 90000 is accepted everywhere and never goes out of date when the price changes. Magazines use a 2-digit add-on for the issue number instead, on an ISSN barcode starting with 977.
Step 4: place and size it
- Put it on the lower right of the back cover, close to the spine and clear of the trim edge.
- Print it black on a white box if the cover is dark, coloured or a photo.
- Keep it between 80% and 100% of the standard EAN-13 size: about 30 to 37 mm wide, plus about 16 to 20 mm for a 5-digit add-on.
- Print the ISBN with its hyphens above the bars, for example ISBN 978-1-56581-231-4. Our generator does this automatically.
- Keep the quiet zones clear of the cover design.
Making it step by step
- Get an ISBN for each format. From your national ISBN agency. Hardback, paperback, ebook and audiobook each need their own.
- Decide on the price add-on. For the US market, add 5 and the price in dollars, or 90000 for no price. Elsewhere you can usually leave it out.
- Make the barcode. Type the ISBN with its hyphens into the ISBN generator and add the add-on if you need one.
- Place it on the back cover. Lower right is the usual spot, on a white box, at 80% to 100% of the standard size.
- Check the printer's proof. Scan the proof before you approve the print run.
Read more: EAN vs UPC and barcode print size and quiet zone.