Publishing a book in the UK comes with a small pile of official business that has nothing to do with writing. Most of it takes an afternoon. The trouble is that the three things new authors ask about most — ISBNs, copyright and legal deposit — tend to get muddled together, as though one piece of paperwork covers all three.
They don't. An ISBN is a product code for the book trade. Copyright is a right you already hold. Legal deposit is an obligation to send printed copies to specific libraries. Work out which is which and the process becomes straightforward.
An ISBN — International Standard Book Number — identifies one edition of one book in one format, from one publisher. That's the whole job. It's a stock number, and a very useful one: bookshops, wholesalers, online retailers and libraries use it to order, list and track your title. Without one, most retailers can't stock your paperback at all.
It is not a copyright registration, not a mark of quality, and not a barcode, though a barcode can be generated from it. In the UK, ISBNs are issued by Nielsen Book Services, which operates as the UK ISBN Agency.
ISBNs are sold in blocks rather than singly, and the cost per number falls sharply the larger the block. If you plan one paperback and nothing else, that's a consideration. If you expect a hardback, an ebook and a second edition later, buying a block now saves you starting the process again.
A word on free ISBNs. Some self-publishing platforms supply one as part of a package, which is convenient but usually means the platform is listed as publisher, and that number generally can't be used elsewhere. If you want your own imprint on the record, buy your own.
UK copyright is automatic. There's no register to join, no fee to pay, no certificate to frame. As soon as you record your work in some form — a manuscript file, a notebook page, a typed draft — copyright exists in it. Literary works are generally protected for the author's life plus seventy years.
Copyright covers the expression of your ideas, not the ideas themselves. Titles, names and short phrases are usually not protected by copyright, which is why two novels can share a title without legal difficulty.
Keep evidence. Dated drafts, numbered versions, cloud backups with timestamps, editorial correspondence — all of it helps if you ever need to show when and what you wrote. The old trick of posting a manuscript to yourself carries little weight. A clear trail of dated files is better.
Print a notice. A line on the copyright page — © Your Name, year of first publication — has no legal magic in the UK, but it tells anyone who picks up the book who owns it.
You also hold moral rights: to be identified as the author, and to object to derogatory treatment of your work. The right to be identified generally has to be asserted in writing to be effective, so make sure your name appears prominently.
If you're offered a publishing contract, read closely how it treats copyright. A licence grants specified rights for a specified period. An assignment transfers ownership. They are very different things, and a contract asking for your copyright outright deserves scrutiny. For anything you're unsure about, take advice from a solicitor or an authors' organisation.
This is the part that catches self-published authors out. Publish a printed book in the UK and you are a publisher, which means legal deposit applies to you. It isn't optional, and it isn't only for large houses.
Postage comes out of your pocket, so build it into your budget before you set a print run. Legal deposit covers printed books, pamphlets, magazines, newspapers, sheet music and maps. Arrangements for digital publications have been introduced gradually, with voluntary schemes for some ebooks and e-journals, so check the current guidance from the legal deposit libraries if your book is digital-first. Failing to comply can lead to a fine, which is an expensive way to learn about a free obligation.
Your local library authority may also request a copy for its local studies collection. That one is optional, and agreeing to it is a pleasant thing to do.
If your book ends up on UK public library shelves, you can be paid when it's borrowed. The Public Lending Right scheme, administered by the British Library, pays authors a set amount per loan, up to an annual cap. You have to register, and you have to register each book separately, before it starts being lent. Payments aren't automatic and they aren't retrospective, so register as soon as your book is in the system.
None of this is difficult, and most of it is a one-off. Get the details right for the first book and the second will take you an hour.
A general guide only. For contract terms, disputes or anything with legal consequences, speak to a qualified professional.
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