There are so many details to worry about when publishing your work. You must think up the concept, develop it and get it on paper in an understandable fashion. That could take weeks or months and, in most cases, years before it is complete. Then what? You have a document, but not a finished product.

At Certa Publishing, we want to take the stress and worry of publishing off your shoulders, including researching and obtaining copyrights, ISBNs and barcode.

We are the experts, so you don’t have to be.

Copyright

Your publication is yours. You created it and put all your effort and ideas into it. You don’t want anyone to claim it. That is why we highly recommend that you copyright your publication.

Copyright: a form of protection grounded in the U.S. Constitution and granted by law for original works of authorship fixed in a tangible medium of expression.

By copyrighting your publication, you are ensuring that no one else can reproduce it, take portions from it, or use it without your permission. It doesn’t take any rights away from you, the author. You can reproduce it, prepare derivative works from it, and/or display it publicly. A copyright protects “original works of authorship.”

Under law, an author’s work is copyrighted from the moment of conception. Then why get a registered copyright for it? Because the work, although technically copyrighted, is still not protected if there is a dispute, since the work is considered to be in the “public domain.” To have your work protected under U.S. law, you need to have the copyright on public record and have a certificate of registration.

ISBN

An ISBN is the International Standard Book Number. It is a 13-digit number that identifies a unique publication. An ISBN establishes an identity for one title or a certain edition of a title for a specific publisher. It is a permanent number for a single publication.

An ISBN allows bookstores, distributors and libraries to more efficiently market your publication. It is also used for managing and reporting sales, inventory control and ordering.

Each format or binding must have its own, unique ISBN. A new number is required for a revised edition. Each number can only be used once and cannot be reissued.

Certa Publishing's contact information is registered so that bookstores, distributors and libraries worldwide can quickly find where to purchase your publication!

Certa Publishing has a specific number assigned, of which the first six numbers identify Certa Publishing. The next three numbers identify the publication as a title within one of the blocks of ISBNs allotted to Certa Publishing. The final number is an algorithmic check digit which validates the ISBN. Once we register and assign your publication an ISBN, we will report it to the database of record for the ISBN Agency and Books-in-Print. After the publication is reported, the ISBN number identifies the publication as a specific book, for example, instead of just another publication by Certa Publishing.

Barcode

A barcode is an ISBN translated into a worldwide compatible format. Most bookstores and retailers require not only that your book has an ISBN, but also that it has a barcode, which is machine readable or scannable and makes it easier to process the sale.

You can embed your selling price into your barcode, but we would recommend not doing this, as you may want to price your book differently for different markets. That decision is up to you. Again, we can handle this for you.

Library of Congress

A Library of Congress control number (aka catalog card number) is a unique identification number that the Library of Congress assigns to the catalog record created for each book in its cataloged collections. The number is printed on the copyright page of the book and thereby facilitates cataloging and other book processing activities. It links the book to any record which the Library of Congress, other libraries, bibliographic utilities, or book vendors may create.

Certa Publishing will register your book with the Library of Congress pre-publication. Based on the information provided, Library staff preassign (meaning before publication) a control number for the book. The number includes the year of registration followed by a serial number. Upon receiving the number (which usually happens within 48 hours after submission, but can take up to two weeks), it will be placed on the copyright page in the following manner:

Once the book is printed, Certa Publishing will send a copy of the finished book to the Library of Congress for their library.