ISBN error messages

Did you get an error message that said ISBN already in use or ISBN not valid? Can you use a different ISBN for the same book? Do you need a different ISBN for each market or country?

ISBNs and Where to Purchase Them:

An ISBN (International Standard Book Number), also known as EAN (European Article Number), is a unique thirteen-digit item code provided by your country’s ISBN agency and assigned by publishers to identify the format and edition of a title.

Different formats of the same book (paperback, hardcover, eBook, etc) should each have their own unique ISBN. Retailers and distributors require published titles to have an ISBN assigned to them for sales and inventory purposes.

Where to Purchase an ISBN

Each country has its own ISBN agency where ISBNs can be purchased. Based on the location of the publisher, please see the table below for links to the different ISBN agencies. Publishers located in countries outside the ones listed should research where to obtain an ISBN specific to your country.

During the title setup process, you are given the opportunity to assign an ISBN to each format, if you assign both formats the same ISBN you will be presented with an error message "ISBN already in use". The duplicated ISBN needs to be removed and another needs to be assigned to the format to allow you to move forward.

Are you submitting a new title with an ISBN you purchased from Bowker under a different publishing name? This can cause you to receive an error message “ISBN is not associated with the established publisher account”. You can update your publisher name with Bowker to avoid this problem with future titles:

1. update your https://www.myidentifiers.com account to the correct name.
2. Or, enter the publishing name or imprint in IngramSpark as it already appears with Bowker.

What does "ISBN is owned by" message mean?

You must own the ISBN you are using to publish your book, you can not use a free ISBN provided by another publisher.

When setting up a new title if you receive the message "ISBN already in use",this means the ISBN is already in our system in another account.  If your book is set up with another company and you would also like to have it listed with IngramSpark, please see our article about title transfers HERE. Please contact support here if you need help.

When setting up a new title, if you enter an ISBN and receive the message "ISBN Not Valid" you can enter the ISBN in this checker to determine if it is valid or invalid: https://www.isbn-check.com/

Be sure to use the same ISBN/EAN for your book in all markets. Listing the same book with different ISBNs or EANs on multiple websites or with multiple distributors can confuse retailers and consumers wanting to buy your book.

Click HERE to learn more about ISBNs, EANs, SKUs, and when they are used.

979 ISBN Information

IMPORTANT NOTICE: There are websites where you can obtain a free-generated ISBN.  DO NOT USE these ISBNs as they are not valid. ISBNs are created using a complex mathematical solution to create a unique identifier & must also be registered with the International Standard Book Number’s governing bodies, such as Bowker in the United States at https://www.myidentifiers.com/ or Neilsen in the United Kingdom at https://www.nielsenisbnstore.com/Home/Isbn. Unregistered, invalid ISBNs will result in the removal of your title & possibly the closure of your IngramSpark account.   Using another publisher's ISBN or EAN may result in the cancellation of your title and possible closure of your IngramSpark account.