ISBN-13

ISBN (international standard book number)  underwent a change from 10 to 13 digits on 1 January 2007. This was an important change for the industry and affected all of our systems.  Seminars were held by the APA and ISBN Agency to discuss the changes.  You can download the PowerPoint presentation here:

Presentation Part 1
Presentation Part 2
Presentation Part 3

Click here to download the timetable for ISBN-13 changes

Replacement of BISAC Files

From January 1st 2007, BISAC files are no longer a valid data format as they contain no provision for ISBN-13 codes.  
 
APA Technology Expert Reference Group recommendations for migration from BISAC are as follows:
 
BISAC title information - from January 1, 2007 the primary data format for delivery of title information became ONIX. Booksellers are able to access such files from either the DataPage download service of Titlepage or directly from publishers. It is the recommendation of the APA that when delivering this content to booksellers directly it should be a "simple" ONIX version, known as ONIX Basic Biblio. Please refer to the ONIX section of the APA website . 

BISAC Purchase Order and Purchase Order Acknowledgement (POA) documents – from January 1, 2007 publishers do not accept orders or deliver purchase order acknowledgements in BISAC format. It had been recommended that publishers migrate to existing ANSI or EDIFact formats, as these formats are already in use between most publishers and major retailers including Coles Myer and Big W.  Many publishers also have a proprietary format in use with their EDI provider. We strongly recommended that you talk to your primary EDI provider before commencing with development.
 
In the longer term, the Technology Expert Reference Group recommends adoption of the book industry specific XML-based format for EDI - known as EDItX - as a replacement for BISAC, as they believe that EDItX has the best potential to meet publishing needs into the future. Further, the APA is a member of EDItEUR and is able to lobby for modifications and enhancements to the EDItX standard if this proves necessary in order to meet local business needs.

ISBN-13 Frequently Asked Questions

1. What will be happening with ISBNs?

As of 1 January 2007 all book and book-related products must carry 13-digit ISBNs.

Existing 10-digit ISBNs (ISBN-10) need to be converted to the new 13-digit ISBN (ISBN-13) by prefixing them with 978. The check digit at the end of the ISBN will also have to be recalculated.

The 13-digit number will be identical with the EAN-13 number that is currently encoded in the barcode.

A new range of 13-digit ISBNs with a prefix of 979 will become available as those that commence with a 978 number start to run out. This will create enough new ISBNs for the foreseeable future.

2. What does a new ISBN look like?

ISBNs are held in barcodes on the back of a book. Barcodes will carry the 13-digit ISBN with hyphenation above the barcode and the EAN-13, the identical number without hyphens or spaces, below the barcode.

3. Why did this change happen?

ISBNs are allocated in "blocks" to publishers. The first few numbers of the code indicate country and publisher and although many organisations have plenty still unused, some are approaching the extent of their current allocation. Eventually there would not be enough new blocks available for new allocations.

The changes incorporating a new prefix effectively allow for re-use of the existing number range without duplication occurring.
N.B Publishers, you cannot simply re-use your existing 10-digit ISBN allocation with the new 979 prefix. You will need to apply for new allocations.

The industry needed to make this change in a coordinated manner to ensure consistency across our systems.

4. When did this change happen?

The go live date for 13 digit ISBNs was 1 January 2007. However, in the USA many large retailers and distributors were using Bookland EAN-13s by 1 January 2005 so publishers that communicated with them had to be able to handle 13-digit numbers from then.

5. What should I do about it?

Australian bookshops already comply as they have other items that use EANs. Australian publishers needed to ensure they were able to deal with 13-digit ISBNS as of 1 January 2007. The recommendations were:

To put the new ISBN-13 on the imprint page of your books in addition to the 10-digit ISBN as soon as practical.

Check that your systems, interfaces and EDI could handle 13-digit product numbers.

Explain these changes to your customer service, product, editorial and sales staff. The APA provided training seminars on ISBN-13 in 2005.

Review your reports and special stationery such as invoices and order forms which may not have had enough room for the 13-digit number.

Follow up with your systems supplier (e.g. TMS, Vista) on technical issues that they needed to address.

Ensure you started work on your internal interfaces and systems for delivery in plenty of time and converted all files containing the ISBN-10 simultaneously prior to 1 January 2007.

6. Where can I go for more information?

For more information on the new ISBN see the following links:

For general information on ISBNs from ISBN International

For a list of frequently asked questions about the new 13-digit ISBN

Australian ISBN agency

BISG ISBN-13 manual

USA ISBN agency

UK ISBN agency