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i am currently writing a book but would like to know if i can pre register an ISBN and Book title. I am little concerned someone might call their book the same as mine before i finish it. So i really want to secure the title/isbn. Are there any great website for doing this?

You help would really be appreciated for sure as i'm a novice when it comes to the publishing side. Thanks - Andy

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2 Answers

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Book titles are often duplicated quite by accident, and there is pretty much no way of preventing other people from publishing a book with the same title. It happens all the time, and as long as the title isn't something trademarked (like something in the Star Wars universe), it's generally not a problem.

I'd recommend you concentrate on writing the book, then when you have it ready for publication, search and see if the title is available. Don't get too hung up on the title - titles can change up to the last minute, and I understand it's not at all unusual for an editor or publisher to suggest a different title than the one you have in mind anyway.

You could register an ISBN, but that costs money, and again there's no good reason to do so before you absolutely need it. Especially since if you publish through a regular publisher, they'll take care of all of that anyway.

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Hi Michael i really appreciate your response, i'm very much new to publishing so what you say does make a lot of sense. I'm looking forward to completing the book. I have to say writing is so much fun :) thanks again - Andy – user1738894 Oct 12 '12 at 8:06
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As an ISBN includes a code that identifies the publisher, if you get your own ISBN, the company that ultimately published your book couldn't use it anyway. If you're planning to self-publish, sure, you could get an ISBN years before you publish. But as Michael says, why bother? If the title you have in mind is something that someone else might accidentally duplicate, then it's not distinctive enough to be worth worrying about. When you're ready to publish, come up with something else if your first idea is taken. – Jay Feb 8 at 20:43
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My book, Writing The Science Fiction Film, is due out in April 2013 but it already has an ISBN number. I didn't deal with it my publisher MWP organised it, but it shows that it is possible to do. They've also told me that it will appear for pre-order on Amazon etc. very soon (this is 6 months in advance of publication date!) and it obviously will need one before that can happen.

Hope that helps.

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Sure that makes perfect sense. Pre-orders would be a major motivator and benefit before a book launch. Exposure is a great thing. Many thanks Robert. – user1738894 Oct 12 '12 at 8:51
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Your publisher likely has purchased a block of ISBNs already, so they can simply take one out of the lot and use it for the book you are working on. An individual author doesn't have a bunch of unused ISBNs floating around on their desk. – Michael Kjörling Oct 12 '12 at 12:22
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@Michael Kjörling, true. And you have to buy ISBNs in batches of 10 (I think), so they aren't cheap either – Shantnu Tiwari Oct 12 '12 at 15:09
@Michael You don't "need" to have a bunch of extra ISBNs sitting in the drawer, but if you're in the US anyway, the way they are priced, it is cheaper to buy 10 all at once than to buy 3 one at a time. When I published my second book I bought 10, so now I have 9 available, ready for when I finally get my third book done. – Jay Feb 8 at 20:46
@Jay, what's their market price like? How much did you paid for 10? – Pacerier May 13 at 7:18
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