Skip to main content

LCCN, PCN or CIP? How to Catalog Your Self-Published book

Catalog options mentioned here are available only to United States (US) publishers with offices and staff in the US who are available to answer bibliographic questions about their books. The Library of Congress Control Number (LCCN) Catalog in Publication (CIP) are two well known catalog systems. The CIP provides free distribution of prepublished
and further distribution of completely published books to libraries and book vendors world-wide. The PCN provides an abbreviated record but is not further disseminated to libraries on the same scale as the CIP.

Here is a secret. This book is primarily written for nonfiction authors who want to self-publish a professional book available to specialized organizations or professionals. It will most likely be available through Amazon.com and other on-line bookstores and distributors. This is the widest distribution effort and your best marketing source. You will most likely use print on demand and rely on word of mouth, social networking, non-traditional marketing and advertising and key words for search engines to let others know about your books. Once you develop your publishing company, you might only publish your books and until you are ready to jump in full time, probably will not be publishing titles of other authors.

Additionally, if your book is well written and marketed it will be successful and launch other books and products. However, according to the Library of Congress (LOC), the self-publishing model will make your initial books ineligible for the CIP and possibly the Preassigned Control Number (PCN).

The good news? Many of my favorite books do not have CIPs. Some do not even have a PCN. Their copyright page just contains publisher and copyright data. Most readers will not even know these numbers as they are provided for mainstream distribution and not alternative publishing channels. The only reason they are necessary is to aid US Libraries
and book vendors with a recording system. So, though the CIP is highly desired, the record is not necessary for a book to be successful. The LCCN/PCN may be available to you, but if not, you shouldn’t be too concerned. Chances are, because of the niche subject matter, your book may not be eligible or desired for world-wide library distribution. If you would like to have catalog information, but are ineligible for LOC, you can always have a professional librarian research and provide catalog information for the copyright page. 


Jeffrey W. Bennett, ISP is the owner of Red Bike Publishing Red Bike Publishing . Jeff is an accomplished writer of non-fiction books, novels and periodicals. He also owns Red bike Publishing. Published books include: "Get Rich in a Niche-Insider's Guide to Self Publishing in a Specialized Industry" and "Commitment-A Novel".Jeff is an expert in security and has written many security books including: "Insider's Guide to Security Clearances" and "DoD Security Clearances and Contracts Guidebook", "ISP Certification-The Industrial Security Professional Exam Manual", and NISPOM/FSO Training"See Red Bike Publishing for print copies of:Army Leadership,The Ranger Handbook,The Army Physical Readiness Manual,Drill and Ceremonies,The ITAR,and The NISPOM

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

3 Ways to Build Credibility By Teaching a Course

Residence classes This is a real opportunity to build credentials and create a real academic presence. Traditional education opportunities are solid and recognized ways to get your message out. Teaching provides a return on investment but takes hard work and persistence to get started. Also there are two different avenues. You can host these classes yourself, or you can get them sponsored. Host the Residence Class Yourself Just like self publishing you can control the product. You have the freedom to create and do not need to seek approval from anyone to get started. You choose to set up the class time, the material, the advertising, and everything else you need to start a successful course. It also means that you have to bring in the resources yourself. For a residence class, you will need a classroom or similar environment, curriculum, projector, screen, training aids, certificates and supplies. There is a terrific possib...
2 comments
Read more

The best way to publish your book (In my opinion)

You know how there are so many book publishing options? I help authors publish their final manuscripts by helping them take control of their work. After writing and publishing many, many books, I have come to the conclusion that publishing and managing books on Amazon is currently the best option and for a few very good reasons: It is free to publish your books on Amazon. As a publisher, I've used many print and publishing services, and Amazon is the only one that I'm aware of that will let you upload and publish for free. You can publish an ebook, a paperback, and an audio book. Since it's free, you can update book content and covers any time. It's almost instant.. You want a new cover? Upload it Need to correct an error or update book content? Upload it All you need is an amazon account and you are capable of being a publisher. It's really all there is to it. Your publisher account is tied to your amazon account Your author page is tied to your a...
Post a Comment
Read more

Using a book to promote your business and vice versa.

A book is a great way to start a business, develop a business or market a business. Many people struggle with what to focus on as a book topic or a business.  They wonder what they should write about, what business they should focus on, how to market the book or the business, where to start, and how to grow. Perhaps this is your journey. If so welcome to the club. One of the most difficult tasks is settling on a topic, niche or business idea. It's important to understand where your expertise lies and how to reach others with your solution. I've always been an advocate of teaching and writing and learned there lies the core of my potential business competency. I wrote my first book on the subject of teaching others how to prepare for a certification. Whether you already have a business, want to learn how to start a business, or have a book, it's important to learn how to market your capability. I always say that one of the best ways to start a newsletter appropriate for your...
Post a Comment
Read more