Registering for an ISNI

As part of our dedication to and love for standards, we at BookNet Canada, thought it would be helpful to provide a quick rundown and reminder of what ISNI is, the benefits it provides, and a list of resources to get you started in the registration process.

What is an ISNI and why is it important for authors and imprints to get them?

An ISNI (International Standard Name Identifier) is an ISO standard that helps identify the contributors of creative work across various forms of media content, including books, newspaper articles, music, and other media. As discussed in this webinar hosted by the BISG, ISNIs provide the means of properly identifying writers and content creators who may share the same name but also help to track all output from a single creator across different publishers and industries. 

Both publishers and booksellers benefit from proper management of ISNIs because they can:

• increase global identification;

• act as a single identifier for all parties of the publishing process;

• enable linking and attributing of work for specific contributors, thus creating more marketing opportunities;

• increase interoperability and data enrichment; and

• help distinguish between human creators and AI-generated entities.

For more information about these and other benefits, read the official ISNI document.

Where can one register for ISNIs?

While you can find an extensive list of agencies to choose from on the official webpage for ISNI registration agencies, here are a few options that we suggest for the book industry in particular:

1. Bowker: Bowker, a recent addition, is the official ISBN agency across North America, providing resources to help authors publish, distribute, and promote their books.

2. Casilini Libris: While this agency is European, it provides ISNI registrations to 40 different countries.

3. MVB: MVB is part of the Börsenverein Group along with the German Publishers & Booksellers Association, Frankfurter Buchmesse, and Mediacampus Frankfurt.

To learn more about ISNI and its importance in the book industry, read ISNI in the industry: Everything you should know or visit our collection of blog posts on the subject.

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