Fill out the application. Do this online at the Bowker website or request a paper application by fax, mail or by phone. The company will require information such as the company or publisher name, the name of the Rights and Permissions Contact person in the company, the year the company was founded, and information about how your products are distributed (if applicable).
Prepare for the costs. Obtaining an ISBN number for any product requires a fee. Most publishers buy their ISBN numbers in blocks, meaning they purchase more than one at a time. If you're a first-time author/publisher, you might want to consider the smallest block, which is 10 numbers at a time. The cost for this is around $240. There is also a publisher registration fee for each block of ISBNs purchased. The registration fee for a block of 10 ISBNs is $29.95.
Fill out advance-book information. After your book has its ISBN number, complete an advance book information form so that your book title can be added to the directory. The form is available through Bower. Some POD printers offer this service as an added bonus. List your book with Bowker's Books in Print, a directory of all current and upcoming books. Books in Print is used by booksellers, schools, libraries, universities and other institutions. Institutions use Books in Print to search for and pre-order books, and to decide what books to carry prior to the publication date.
Order a barcode once you have finished filling out all of the paperwork to list your book. Your barcode will appear just below your ISBN number on the back cover of your book. Barcodes will cost $25 for one to five barcodes. If you're a publisher that wants to order large quantities of barcodes at once, you can order them in bulk from Bowker as well.