Why ISBN Ownership Matters

What makes a book traditionally, self, or subsidy published? It all comes down to two things - who owns the ISBN and payment.

Let’s tackle payment first. What did the author pay for? If the author paid a company or service to do most or all, then that is subsidy publishing. If the author paid for an editor, a formatter, a cover artist, etc., then that is likely self-publishing. If the author paid nothing and will receive royalties, that is most likely traditional publishing.

But the true test l...