Why Self-Published Authors Should Own Their ISBN

The basic answer is that owning the ISBN to your book makes you the publisher, which is the purpose of self-publishing for most authors who pursue the route.

Let’s look deeper into the ISBN and why I strongly suggest self-published authors own theirs. I’ve written on this before, but this time I am including advice from Sue Collier, the coauthor of The Complete Guide to Self-Publishing, 5th Edition. She has been working with authors and small presses for nearly two decades, providing writing, editing, production, and promotions work for hundreds of book projects.

This how serious I want you paying attention to this right now, lol. | Photo by cottonbro studio.

The ISBN is the set of numbers at the back of your book on the bar code that captures information regarding the book’s publisher, title, language, edition, and version. It is necessary for anyone publishing a book they want to sell.

The number is issued to the publisher, so in traditional publishing, the author does not worry about this, as their publisher will be the book’s publisher of record.

In self-publishing, you can choose a free ISBN assigned by your print-on-demand company, such as Amazon, Lulu, or Ingram Spark. In this case, the company will appear as the publisher of record. For instance, a free Amazon ISBN means Amazon is the publisher, and so on.

Buying an ISBN or getting the freebie is totally up to the author. In fact, a freebie might be ideal for beginning authors on budgets who just want to see their books in print.

Still, the ISBN holds much more weight than these print-on-demand services have let on.

“The POD publisher services companies will try to tell you that it doesn’t matter whether you use their assigned ISBN or obtain your own. But it does because using their ISBN will ensure they are listed as the publisher of record in BIP (Books in Print) as well as with any distributor. Consequently, all orders and inquiries will go to them.”
– Sue Collier

A free ISBN is fine if you only want to publish a book and maybe sell a few copies here and there. However, if you see yourself one day selling your book in bulk to corporations, bookstores, and libraries as the publisher of record, you want to purchase an ISBN so that it belongs to you. Collier explains why:

“Let’s take a few hypothetical situations: Suppose a corporation is interested in purchasing one thousand copies of your book, contacts the Internet publisher (whoever you published through), but you never hear about it. What if a distributor wants to take it on but finds the economics aren’t feasible? Tough luck.”
Sue Collier

Corporations do business with businesses, not individuals. Owning your ISBN with your own imprint positions you as a serious business. If Lulu is your publisher, Lulu is who corporations will contact for the kind of transaction in Collier’s example.

Why?

Because any organization with specific orders or inquiries regarding your book will approach the publisher of record. If you own your ISBN, that would be you/your company. If you do not own your ISBN, that would be whoever you published with.

“In addition, if a POD publishing services company is listed on your book as the publisher, your book may immediately be disregarded by bookstores and potential reviewers as a poorly done vanity press project.”
Sue Collier

Amazon does not vet the manuscripts uploaded to its publishing platform. Consequently, it is flooded with mediocrely written books with poorly designed covers, poor editing, and even worse formatting. When corporations see a book published by Amazon, they automatically throw it into this slush pile.

“Does it really matter? Yes, it does. Here’s the bottom line: If you don’t purchase your own ISBN under your own publishing company name, then you are not the publisher. If you use a publishing services company and let them assign your book an ISBN, they are the publisher, not you.”
Sue Collier

Grabbing the free ISBN from Amazon or whoever you publish with is not a sin. It’s okay. You will still be able to sell your books and do well.

It is, however, very limiting for self-published authors who want to sell their books beyond Amazon’s virtual shelves, have their own imprints, or be the publisher of record for their work so they can sell in bulk and process large orders through businesses and corporations.

Check out more Indie Author Basics articles here.

Yecheilyah’s 6th Annual Poetry Contest Winners: Adariyah Ysrayl

Note: We are in the process of moving all our winning poet interviews to the website. Please be sure to bookmark it at yecheilyahsannualpoetrycontest.org/.

Introducing Adariyah Ysrayl

Instagram: @adariyahysrayl

Adariyah, welcome and congratulations!

Please, tell us, what is your name and where are you from?

My Name is Adariyah Ysrayl and I am from Chicago, Illinois.

Beautiful. What does your name mean?

My name “AdariYah ( A- dar- ree- Yah) means to give respect or Adornment to The Most High.

When did you first fall in love with poetry?

I fell in love with poetry in 4th grade. We used to have free time journaling, and I wrote poems outside of drawing as a safe place to express my thoughts and create stories from my reality. I didn’t feel like my voice was heard as a kid, so writing poetry was a great hobby at the time. I loved it so much that I could’ve entered into a contest of writing but unfortunately didn’t from moving so much.

What inspired your poem?

What inspired my poem was I gravitated to the title. My poem is also inspired by my life experiences. This year (2023) was the perfect example of how well I was able to relate to grace.

image_123650291(1) — Adariyah is a MUA artist and entrepreneur

I love that. In your own words, what is grace?

It means that the way we can extend more grace is by getting to the root of certain situations and understanding that you really never know what a person is experiencing behind closed doors. It means not to take things so personally, and to give ourselves grace is to know everything will not be shiny and beautiful, and when it isn’t, don’t be so hard on yourself.

What are you hoping to achieve with your poetry?

Writing poetry is intimidating in ways. To be that vulnerable and open about yourself, especially to an audience, has caused a bit of anxiety for me. Poetry is one of the intimate forms of writing, and I am very much a student of soaking up information. What I am trying to achieve in poetry is to encourage and communicate to people who are overthinkers. At this time, I am writing again as far as my poetry is concerned.

Where do you see yourself one year from now?

A year from now, I see myself being more in tune with my inner voice, more adventurous, exploring new experiences, and adding new skills to my belt, and this is one of them!

And without further ado, I introduce to you “Grace,” by Adariyah Ysrayl:

pexels-atc-comm-photo-305530 — Photo by ATC Comm Photo

The fact The Most High made an executive decision
for me to wake up and breathe.
Overlooking his inhabitants, including me.
Grace is something shown through a glimpse
of what we cannot see.
It is forgiveness minus the strife.
It is something I’m constantly learning how to do
and it’s an ongoing fight.
Before I gave Grace to anyone,
I had to see within myself.
I had to lose myself to gain humility,
and some of my mental health.

My mind got so loud,
and I didn’t know which way to go.
Then my Heavenly Father said to me,
“I’ve always had the navigation of which way you need to go.”
I cried because I knew the destination was right in front of me.
But because I didn’t let Grace lead, I let my ego get the best of me.

I would take two steps forward just to get pushed back three.
That yoke of iron called life would get the best of me.
That is until I finally overcame the battles and pain.

Start giving others and yourself Grace a day
and watch your life change.

About this Poet

Adariyah is a Freelance Makeup Artist in the DMV area. She uses her creative skills to help people feel confident and provides a safe space for people anticipating a special event or moment. Adariyah is committed to helping her clients feel beautiful so they can “stand on business.” She is a mother and wife and hopes her brand will help others to see the beauty within themselves. She currently lives in Delaware.

American History X

In High School, my history teacher made us watch American History X.

For those who’ve seen it, you know how graphic the movie is. And yet, we sat there, fifteen and sixteen years old, consuming this content with no explanation or breakdown of what we were looking at.

As an adult, I can watch it with new eyes and understand the powerful messages embedded within. But, as a teen, I found the movie disturbing, particularly the part where Derek made that Black man put his mouth on the concrete. It took years for me to get that image out of my head. Even now, if I watch it, I fast-forward past that part. It still disturbs me.

I had never seen anything like that before and was surprised that my white male teacher had allowed us to watch it. Nothing was censored. We saw everything, from the racist violence to the rape in the jail scene. And I had questions no one could answer.

It’s a powerful film with tons of messages about race, racism, and life choices, and it changed me.

I just wish my teacher had given a lesson to accompany it rather than allow us to be babysat by the TV.

This is one of many examples of why I am so adamant about how we present history and teach it. My biggest prayer, and hope, is for the young people coming after me to have a deeper understanding of history in ways I didn’t.

I hope Black History Facts is a start.

Thank you to all who have been on this journey with me since I first announced I was writing a history book three years ago.

Thank you to those who trusted me enough to preorder it so early and for all the love you’ve shown to the history videos on Instagram and TikTok.

Now that the book is out, we can move forward to doing more to help restore black historical truth for the freedom of all people.

This is only the beginning, and I am so humbled to have you with me.

My new book, Black History Facts You Didn’t Learn in School, is available now on Amazon and everywhere online books are sold!

Yecheilyah’s 6th Annual Poetry Contest Winners: Olopade Samuel

SAM

Note: We are in the process of moving all our winning poet interviews to the website. Please be sure to bookmark it at yecheilyahsannualpoetrycontest.org/.

Introducing Samuel Olopade

Instagram: @_olops_

Samuel, welcome and congratulations!

Please, tell us, what is your name and where are you from?

My name is Olopade Samuel, im from Lagos, Nigeria.

Nigeria in the housee!! When did you first fall in love with poetry?

Poetry/writing had always been my sort of remedy. Growing up with a speech impediment made me value writing as the best way to express myself when words failed me.

What inspired your poem?

You know the saying, “You don’t know what you have till you lose it?” It’s synonymous with “You don’t know what you really want till you have it.” I see Grace in the same light. Being from dark places or places of just basic wants, the same wants everybody’s after, but then you find you’re getting things in an unparalleled manner. I see that as Grace. Basically, it’s an unparalleled favor.

In your own words, what is Grace?

Unparalleled favor, lol.

Lol. In what ways can we extend more grace in our own lives and in the lives of others?

In understanding, we’re all in similar races, on different fronts, but in the same cycle. As a volunteer and a fervent altruist, I believe in giving. Someone somewhere needs that unparalleled favor to get to the point they really need to be at, and you never know who your act of kindness could affect via a series of chain reactions you’re not even aware of.

What are you hoping to achieve with your poetry?

I am hoping to be a voice for the voiceless, a way to express and share feelings and emotions that are not easily seen.

A voice for the voiceless. I like that. Where do you see yourself one year from now?

I see myself thanking the past me for not giving up.

Now that’s a poet thing to say! I love it.

And without further ado, I introduce to you “Grace,” by Samule Olopade

In the crucible of pain, we find our Grace,
A journey from the depths to a higher place.
From sorrow’s grip, we rise to happiness’s embrace,
A transformation beyond what words can trace.

Beyond physical exertion, it’s the strength of soul,
Grace, like a river, making wounded hearts whole.
In every stumble, in every broken pace,
Grace is the warmth of a loving, forgiving space.

Accepting our shortcomings, embracing them with love,
We find Grace showered from the heavens above.
In this masterpiece of life, we all play a part,
Grace, the melody that harmonizes every heart.

So let Grace be the bridge that carries us through,
From pain to happiness, from old to the new.
In this tapestry of life, a wondrous embrace,
Grace binds us all with love’s enduring Grace.

In the realm of Grace, we find our way,
Where kindness and love forever sway.
A gentle touch, a whispered word,
In Grace’s embrace, our hearts are stirred.

Through trials and storms, we often roam,
Yet Grace is the light that guides us home.
It’s the hand that lifts us when we fall,
The sweetest voice, a comforting call.

In Grace, forgiveness finds its place,
A healing balm, a warm embrace.
For in our flaws and in our fears,
Grace dries our tears and calms our tears.

It’s the beauty of a sunset’s hue,
A gift of love from me to you.
In Grace’s dance, we all take part,
Uniting every soul and heart.

So let us cherish Grace’s art,
A masterpiece from the very start.
In kindness, love, and blessings too,
Grace shines on all, both me and you.

About this Poet

I’m Olopade Samuel, a proud Nigerian volunteer, engineer, and upcoming politician. As far as I recall, my whole life involved humanitarian activities with clubs like the Red Cross, Rotary, and Lions Club. My interests lie in observing nature, human advocacy, and wishful thinking to be a better artist. My life goal is to be that person others look up to, that model person who rises above stereotypes.

Yecheilyah’s 6th Annual Poetry Contest Winners: S.R. Graham

Note: We are in the process of moving all our winning poet interviews to the website. Please be sure to bookmark it at yecheilyahsannualpoetrycontest.org/.

Introducing S.R. Graham

Instagram: @thesensualgenius

S.R., welcome and congratulations!

Please, tell us, what is your name and where are you from?

My name is Shakeitha Graham. I am from Salters, South Carolina.

When did you first fall in love with poetry?

I first wrote poetry when I had to write a poem as an assignment in my first-grade class. I didn’t know much about poems, but I’d write them occasionally without really understanding what I was doing. I never thought I was good at writing them until I started posting my poems on social media and getting compliments on them. I first fell in love with poetry when I went to college and started learning about it extensively. That was when I was exposed to more black poets like W.E.B Dubois, Nikki Giovanni, Toni Morrison, and James Baldwin.

Excellent! Tell us, what inspired your poem?

I used to be a perfectionist, so I would give myself a hard time about everything. I always wanted things to be perfect or I wasn’t able to recognize the value in it. I’ve grown from perfectionism a lot, but I still have my moments when I am hard on myself. It has always been easier for me to extend grace to others than it is for me to do it for myself. That’s what inspired my poem.

Snapchat-946093396

I can relate to that! In your own words, what is Grace?

Grace is the empathy and compassion we have for ourselves and others even when we fall short. It’s the space we hold for the imperfection within us since we are human.

In what ways can we extend more grace in our own lives and in the lives of others?

We can extend more grace in our own lives by recognizing our inner critic as the young version of us that doesn’t approve of the things we may be doing in the present. We should nurture that inner child and help it to understand that we are no longer in that stage of our lives. We can extend more grace to others by being more understanding and not judging them based off our values and principles.

Well said! What are you hoping to achieve with your poetry?

I am hoping to inspire people to feel the hard emotions when they read my poetry. I also hope to make people feel seen, heard, and felt.

Where do you see yourself one year from now?

One year from now, I see myself being an established poet and performing spoken word poetry on small and big stages.

I believe it!

And without further ado, I introduce to you “What I Lack,” by S.R. Graham

pexels-karolina-grabowska-4022208 — Photo by Karolina Grabowska.

I offer it to those who pluck sin from between their teeth,
and pass down trauma like family recipes.
I offer it to those whose chests are desolate like coal mines,
but their eyes are brightly lit when love comes with a prize.
I offer it to those who take pain religiously, like daily vitamins,
but still implement hope and faith in their regimens.
I offer it to those who serve destruction as a three-course meal,
and make friends with drugs because they’re too afraid to feel.
I offer it to those who are at odds with life.
They are the ones that need it most
because their intrusive thoughts hold them hostage with a knife.
I offer it to the ones who are addicted to the light,
even though they pull foolish stunts
to remain in the public’s sight.

I offer it to women who wear their burdens
like pearls around their necks.
The ones who hide from their reflections
to dodge the secrets they want to forget.
I offer it to men who are spoon-fed large helpings of responsibilities
but are always thought of last when we are serving reciprocity.
I offer it to children who are forced into adulthood too soon.
Their inner beauty is sometimes stagnant
like butterflies who aren’t ready to leave their cocoon.
I’d offer it to the tired eyes looking back at me in the mirror,
but sometimes my vision is too cloudy to see the value in me clear.

So, I give offerings of grace to those whose sins are severe,
hoping that what I lack rewards its adherer.

About this Poet

S. R. Graham was born in October 1990 in South Carolina, where she still lives. She has a bachelor’s degree in creative writing and English attained at Southern New Hampshire University. She is a versatile writer, creating anything from poetry to novels and novellas. She is the author of the Two Monogamous series and the Pretty Privilege series. You can visit her website at srgraham.org to learn more about her and find all her works in one place. S. R. Graham is also a podcaster, a cosplayer, an advocate for sickle cell disease, and a sickle cell warrior.

Is Your Book Marketable?

As I learn more about self-publishing and strive to develop and sell better books, I realize how important it is to write a marketable book. As I speak with other writers who want to self-publish, I realize how important this stage is to the process.

Traditionally, publishers will turn down a book if it’s not marketable. In self-publishing, there are no gatekeepers to make that decision, as the author has more creative control.

The disadvantage to this, however, is that the self-published book that doesn’t have a market also doesn’t sell well, and the author learns the hard way why publishers tend to be so selective.

“No matter how you decide to publish, your book, ultimately, ends up a product in the marketplace—a product for sale. Yes, your creativity, authenticity and even inspiration make it stand out from the pack. However, often, more than these things, a bestseller is created by your ability to:

write a book that is unique in a category

write a book that is necessary in a market and category

write a book that targets a large potential audience

successfully target and promote to a market.”
Nina Amir, How to Write Marketable Books that Feed the Soul

Publishing is challenging, period. It doesn’t matter if you are self-publishing or publishing traditionally; it’s hard work.

But it’s even harder to push a book that has no market.

One way to discover this is to ask yourself questions.

Are there other books similar to the one I am writing that have been successful?

Years ago, I spoke with an author who said they wanted to write a cookbook that is also a self-help book and a memoir.

It would be difficult to market this kind of book because it has no clear focus, and there is no evidence of someone combining so many different genres in one book and doing it successfully. It is confusing, and there is no audience for it.

We frequently want to produce the most innovative and unique story ever written, which causes us to overthink. The concept that we have a completely original idea that has yet to be realized is a fantasy. It is not real. Each story idea has been tried before. What distinguishes a book is our unique perspective.

It’s YOUR voice that makes it different. It’s YOUR voice that makes it stand out.

What’s the competition like?

What are the top five to ten books in your categories that are doing well? This is not to compare yourself to them and feel bad about it. This allows you to determine whether there is a need that you can supply. In what ways is your narrative set-apart? Are there any gaps in the market you can fill? The lack of this type of market analysis is why self-published books fail to sell. There is a lot of inventiveness, but more business principle implementation is needed.

When I chose to publish Black History Facts, I knew I wanted it to be both instructive and straightforward. I didn’t want it to be so nerdy or long that the average individual became bored and stopped reading. I based this on other nonfiction history books that are comparable to mine but that I get bored with over time.

I also considered young readers early in their black history journey. Is there something a young person could read on their way to the longer, more advanced reads? I wouldn’t recommend Black AF History to my thirteen-year-old niece. It is an excellent education, but I know she’s not going to read 432 pages. I took all of this into consideration.

What are people’s reactions when I talk about my book? Do they gasp? Do they want to know more? Do they ask follow-up questions? Are they checking in to see if I’ve finished it yet?

If people keep asking about your book, that’s a clue that it is marketable because of its demand. If your logline or first few sentences intrigue them, you might have yourself a winner.

Another thing you could do is to use your blog as a test platform. Share a few chapters of a story and see what kind of engagement and feedback you get. I’ve written a few books from this blog by doing that, including Black History Facts.

“Publishing is a business, and the business owner needs to be as certain as they can be that the products or services they offer for sale will sell and make money for them. It is no different from a boutique owner deciding to stock one dress style and not another – or a building contractor using the same sub-contractors because they have demonstrated a superior service in the past.”
Nina Amir, How to Write Marketable Books that Feed the Soul

While editing, cover art, and formatting are must-haves for any book, writing a book that people want to read, one that is marketable, is the first step to self-publishing a book that sells.

Check out more Indie Author Basics articles here.

Things I’m Tired of Hearing During Black History Month

There are a few things I am tired of hearing every February, but let’s call this part one.

I am tired of hearing “Black history is everyday,” or some variation of this every time Black History Month comes around.

While I agree with the sentiment, it is frequently expressed by folks who, for 11 months of the year, never discuss Black history or any campaign they are advocating to educate the masses.

Black History Month wouldn’t have to exist if, instead of regarding it as a footnote, the true history of African Americans was widely taught and not as an elective.

And, perhaps, Black History Month wouldn’t have to exist if we could name other leaders and activists outside of MLK.

Maybe, if we knew about Irene Morgan and the Journey of Reconciliation, we’d better understand Rosa Parks, the Bus Boycott, and the Freedom Riders.

Perhaps, if we understood Nat Turner’s rebellion, we would know why it became unlawful for Blacks to read and write during slavery and use it as a catalyst to promote reading in the African American community.

It is wise for scholars, researchers, and historians dedicated to teaching year-round to use this moment to impress this knowledge on young people who are only thinking about their heritage in February.

As unfortunate as it is (with all of its 28/29 days), most people’s hearts are more open to learning during February than any other month, so let’s use it to our advantage. Perhaps we can spark inspiration where there was none, and people will begin to study Black history outside of this month.

Until then, consider it a doorway by which we can shine some light with almost certainty that people will pay attention, even for a moment.

Imagine you were enslaved on a plantation, and someone approached you with an opportunity to be free. Wouldn’t you take it?

Imagine you were the person to free someone else, but you only have a short window to do it. Wouldn’t you take it?

Just a thought.

Need a resource? Make sure you preorder your copy of Black History Facts coming to you on the 24th!

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