ISBN 979: What Authors Need to Know About the New Prefix

To understand why 979 ISBN prefix exists, we have to look at the numbers game.

In the world of barcodes, books come from a fictitious country called Bookland. Since 2007, the “country code” for Bookland has been 978. Every 13-digit ISBN started with these three digits, signaling to retailers worldwide that “this product is a book.”

But here is the problem: We are writing too many books.

With the explosion of self-publishing, the demand for ISBNs has skyrocketed. The pile of available numbers starting with 978 is simply running out. The US ISBN Agency (Bowker) and other international agencies crunched the numbers and realized they needed more space.

So, the global standards body (GS1) did what any growing nation would do: they annexed more territory.

They opened up the 979 prefix for books.

• 979-0 is reserved for Sheet Music (ISMN).
• 979-1 through 979-9 are now available for traditional books.

So, if your ISBN starts with 979-8 (which is common in the US now), you aren’t holding an error. You’re just living in the new, spacious suburbs of Bookland.

The Critical Difference

This is the most important technical detail you need to understand, and it is where most confusion happens.

You cannot convert a 979 ISBN to an ISBN-10.

Back in the day, you could take a 13-digit ISBN starting with 978, chop off the prefix, do some math, and get a 10-digit ISBN. They were mathematically linked. The 10-digit version was just a “shorthand” for the 13-digit version.

• 978-0-123-45678-9 (ISBN-13) <==> 0-123-45678-9 (ISBN-10)

But the 979 prefix breaks this link. The mathematics of the 10-digit system simply doesn’t have room for this new dataset.

What This Means for You

1. Stop looking for a converter. If you try to put a 979 number into an ISBN converter tool, it will return an error or tell you it’s invalid. It’s not invalid; the math just doesn’t exist.
2. Your book will NOT have an ISBN-10. On your Amazon product page or copyright page, you will list your ISBN-13. That’s it. You will not have a shorter alternative number.

Is This Good News?

Actually, yes. It might seem annoying to lose the “shorter” number, but the introduction of the 979 prefix is actually great news for the industry.

1. It proves the industry is booming. The fact that we burned through the 978 prefix is a testament to the vibrancy of global publishing. More voices are being heard, and more independent authors are entering the market than ever before.

2. It forces modernization. For years, lazy retailers and old-school library systems relied on the obsolete 10-digit format because “that’s how we’ve always done it.” The 979 prefix forces everyone to finally upgrade their software to purely use the 13-digit standard (EAN-13), which aligns books with every other retail product in the world.

ISBN-10 is rapidly becoming a relic of history. By receiving a 979 number, you are future-proofing your book.

Action Plan for Authors and Publishers

If you have been assigned a 979 ISBN, here is your checklist:

• Metadata Entry: When filling out forms on IngramSpark, KDP, or Bowker to submit your book, always use the 13-digit ISBN field. If a form asks for an optional ISBN-10, leave it blank.
• Copyright Page: In your book’s front matter, list your ISBN clearly. You don’t need to specify “ISBN-13.” Just writing “ISBN: 979-…” is sufficient.
• Barcodes: Ensure you are using a modern barcode generator. Old, outdated barcode generators might not be updated to handle the 979 logic correctly. Make sure your barcode reflects the full 13-digit string.

Final Thoughts

The 979 prefix isn’t something to fear; it’s a badge of honor. It signals that your work is a fresh addition to the massive, ever-growing library of human knowledge.

The era of the 10-digit number is officially ending. We strictly operate in a 13-digit world now. So wear your 979 prefix with pride—you are helping to pave the way for the next generation of books.

Need to double-check that your ISBN logic is sound? You can always verify your number structure with our valid check digit tools, but remember: if it starts with 979, keep it 13 digits long and you will be fine.