Author Topic: ISBNs as a kickoff to author presence at Goodreads and BookBub  (Read 1444 times)

Tom Wood

ISBNs as a kickoff to author presence at Goodreads and BookBub
« on: December 17, 2018, 05:39:15 AM »
I'm a new author who is starting from zero. I intend to release three ebooks of a science fiction series in fast succession at Amazon KDP-KU, with paperbacks and hardcovers at IngramSpark. I was going to delay the purchase of a block of ISBNs until I'm closer to publishing, but there are a couple of things that may accelerate the buy. I'm not interested in the discussion of whether or not I need ISBNs for ebooks, take it as a given.

It appears to me that it is a good idea to set up my author page at Goodreads and BookBub well in advance of first publication because it gives me access to additional tools.

I already have a moderate presence at Goodreads as a reader. The minimum trigger to be able to convert that presence to an author page is either an ASIN or an ISBN. Since I won't have an ASIN until I publish, the ISBN will do.

I just set up a profile at BookBub because I intend to use their ad platform as an author when the time comes. There are better tools available there if you engage with the platform. The earlier you start engaging, the faster those tools become available. I've asked BookBub what the minimum trigger there is to convert a regular profile to an author profile, but it's the weekend and I haven't heard yet - no diss on them. I asked them - Is it the registration of the ISBN, or do I have to wait until the ebook is listed for pre-order? Does anyone here know?

When I do get my ISBNs, I will associate the first three numbers with the three ebooks that I'm about to publish. Print numbers will follow later as I set them up at IngramSpark.

Here are the questions:

At MyIdentifiers/Bowker, can I just upload a cover for each one of the three ISBNs for the ebooks, and stop there until I have more to add?

If so, when I tell Goodreads and BookBub that those are my ISBNs and ebooks, will they pull in that cover to my author page/profile?

I'll followup with the same questions to MyIdentifiers, but I've held off there to give them time to recover from the hack. I figure this week should be good to go.

ETA: Clarifications
« Last Edit: December 17, 2018, 06:48:02 AM by Tom Wood »
 

LilyBLily

Re: ISBNs as a kickoff to author presence at Goodreads and BookBub
« Reply #1 on: December 17, 2018, 01:11:26 PM »
I'm a new author who is starting from zero. I intend to release three ebooks of a science fiction series in fast succession at Amazon KDP-KU, with paperbacks and hardcovers at IngramSpark. I was going to delay the purchase of a block of ISBNs until I'm closer to publishing, but there are a couple of things that may accelerate the buy. I'm not interested in the discussion of whether or not I need ISBNs for ebooks, take it as a given.

It appears to me that it is a good idea to set up my author page at Goodreads and BookBub well in advance of first publication because it gives me access to additional tools.

I already have a moderate presence at Goodreads as a reader. The minimum trigger to be able to convert that presence to an author page is either an ASIN or an ISBN. Since I won't have an ASIN until I publish, the ISBN will do.

I just set up a profile at BookBub because I intend to use their ad platform as an author when the time comes. There are better tools available there if you engage with the platform. The earlier you start engaging, the faster those tools become available. I've asked BookBub what the minimum trigger there is to convert a regular profile to an author profile, but it's the weekend and I haven't heard yet - no diss on them. I asked them - Is it the registration of the ISBN, or do I have to wait until the ebook is listed for pre-order? Does anyone here know?

When I do get my ISBNs, I will associate the first three numbers with the three ebooks that I'm about to publish. Print numbers will follow later as I set them up at IngramSpark.

Here are the questions:

At MyIdentifiers/Bowker, can I just upload a cover for each one of the three ISBNs for the ebooks, and stop there until I have more to add?

If so, when I tell Goodreads and BookBub that those are my ISBNs and ebooks, will they pull in that cover to my author page/profile?

I'll followup with the same questions to MyIdentifiers, but I've held off there to give them time to recover from the hack. I figure this week should be good to go.

ETA: Clarifications

You don't have to upload anything to Bowker. Just use your ISBNs and eventually, when it's convenient, go back to Bowker and assign the numbers on the site to the titles for which they were used. I do it maybe once a year. Sometimes I upload files and sometimes I don't bother.

Goodreads and Bookbub pull your cover from where you published it, not from Bowker.
 

Tom Wood

Re: ISBNs as a kickoff to author presence at Goodreads and BookBub
« Reply #2 on: December 17, 2018, 01:56:51 PM »
...

You don't have to upload anything to Bowker. Just use your ISBNs and eventually, when it's convenient, go back to Bowker and assign the numbers on the site to the titles for which they were used. I do it maybe once a year. Sometimes I upload files and sometimes I don't bother.

Goodreads and Bookbub pull your cover from where you published it, not from Bowker.

But that's the thing - I want to use my Goodreads and BookBub profiles, and the tools they provide, BEFORE I publish the ebook. Prior to actually publishing, I want to set up giveaways at Goodreads and ARC giveaways at Bookfunnel, links to which will be part of my profile at Goodreads and BookBub. (Or, at least part of my website, which will be in my profiles.)  The only glue that holds that all together looks like the ISBNs and the associated covers. No?
 

LilyBLily

Re: ISBNs as a kickoff to author presence at Goodreads and BookBub
« Reply #3 on: December 17, 2018, 03:47:46 PM »
Hmm...owning an ISBN is different from publishing a book. I buy my ISBNs months or even years in advance of using them.

As a test, I've just added my book that's coming out later this month (and is currently on pre-order on Amazon) to Goodreads. Goodreads didn't require me to provide an ASIN since I had an ISBN. But that ISBN still is not assigned on the Bowker site. I really don't think you're going to need to assign the ISBNs on the Bowker site to proceed, or upload anything at all to Bowker. I'm not even sure you'd need to have the book on pre-order anywhere, either, but obviously I can't test that part for you.