Procedure for application for ISBN
Publishers should apply to the National Agency for a Publisher Prefix and request for ISBNs for individual titles. Publishers must request an ISBN for a forthcoming publication early enough for the number assigned to be printed in the book.
The group agency will assume the responsibility for assigning publisher identifiers. A block of ISBNs will also be allocated for each publisher by the ISBN Agency. The assignment of a specific number to a specific publication will be carried out by the Agency in consultation with the publishers and upon the submission of the ISBN Requisition Form. Please note that the publishers must also have the registration number from the Bhutan Infocomm and Media Authority.
Where to print ISBNs
The ISBN should always appear on the reverse side of the title page. It should also appear at the foot of the outside back cover and at the foot of the back of the jacket if the book has one. If neither of these alternatives is possible then the ISBN should appear in some other prominent position on the outside. ISBN should be printed in ten-point or larger font.
When to give ISBNs
Individual ISBNs should be given for:
- Each title published for the first time i.e. each first impression.
- Each new edition of a title published. This includes a change in type of binding, a change in text or format, or resetting of type, but not a reprint with no textual difference from the original.
- ISBNs should be assigned to the different bindings of the same title published by the same publisher. i.e. The trade hardback, trade paperback, and leather bindings issued by a publisher either simultaneously or at different points in time.
- ISBNs should be assigned to the related versions of the same work.
- Each volume of a multi-volume set requires a number as well as an ISBN for the set as a whole, e.g.
ISBN 0-670-01039-1 (Volume I)
ISBN 0-670-01045-6 (6 Volume set) - ISBNs should be assigned to works related to a text book. i.e. the teachers’ manual work book and test manual.