So, you’ve written your whole book, and you’re about to publish it, but then you realise that there is a number of things you need to take care of. This post will hopefully help other authors who want to publish their own book. Please note that I am not an expert; I am just sharing my experience. In this post we will focus mostly on the copyright page.

Step Zero: ISBN

Obtain an ISBN. Do not purchase a single ISBN as you will most likely need more than one. Ten ISBNs per book is a reasonable number. Besides, you will pay less per ISBN if you buy a larger number thereof. You need several ISBNs because:

  • You need an ISBN per format (paperback, hard cover, electronic)
  • If you plan to update your book, you may need a new ISBN

It is a good idea to purchase a minimum of 10 ISBNs.

Copyright page

Consider including the following information in your copyright page:

  • Citation information: it is useful to include citation information, that is, how should this book be cited
  • Copyright statement and all rights reserved. Here is an example of what your copyright statement may look like

Copyright © 2023 Pantelis Sopasakis. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without the prior written permission of the copyright owner, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

If your book is distributed under an open licence (e.g., a Creative Commons licence) you should include the corresponding licence statement.

  • ISBN: include the ISBN(s) of your book. If you are publishing the book in multiple formats, you will need an ISBN per format (an ISBN for your paperback, a different ISBN for your electronic book, etc)
  • Cataloging information: If you have registered your book with the Library of Congress, you can include your LCCN. I believe this step is optional at least outside the US. We need to note three things about obtaining an LCCN: (i) you need to be distributing your book in the USA and you will be asked to state in which state you will have your main distribution network, (ii) you will need to ship a copy of your book to the Library of Congress once it gets published, (iii) you cannot obtain an LCCN after your book is published.
  • Credits for cover art: mention your contributors and/or the graphics designer of the cover. If your cover or the content of your book includes photographs you should acknowledge and have the permission of the photographer and the creator of the artwork. This applies to graffiti as in the case of my book on Control Systems
  • Trademarks: Mention any trademarks and/or registered trademarks that are included in the book. For example:

MATLAB® is a registered trademark of The MathWorks Inc, 3 Apple Hill Drive, Natick MA. The Control Systems ToolboxTM, the Symbolic Math ToolboxTM, the Systems Identification ToolboxTM, the Robotics System ToolboxTM, and […] are trademarks of The MathWorks Inc.

Nielsen Title Editor

Before or shortly after you publish your book, it is a good idea to register it with Nielsen Title Editor. Nielsen on their website say that by registering your published (or soon-to-be-published) book to their database “you ensure your book is visible to your buying customers - booksellers, libraries and others in over 100 countries.” The procedure is quite straightforward.

Open access books

There are several channels you can use to promote your open access book: