Publish a book or magazine: ISBN, ISSN and legal deposit

The ISBN (International Standard Book Number) is the code that identifies each book on the market. It is defined by article 8 of Ley 10/2007 (the Spanish Book Act), and in Spain it is assigned by the Spanish ISBN Agency. It identifies a specific edition: if you publish the same work in print, EPUB and audiobook, each format needs its own ISBN.

The ISSN (International Standard Serial Number) identifies serial publications: magazines, newspapers, yearbooks, newsletters and collections, both in print and online. It is assigned free of charge by the Spanish National ISSN Centre, which is part of the National Library of Spain (BNE).

The legal deposit is different: it is not a commercial identifier but a legal obligation under Ley 23/2011 (the Spanish Legal Deposit Act) to deliver copies of any publication distributed in Spain to preserve the bibliographic heritage. It is the only 1 of the 3 that is mandatory in all cases, and its processing is free. Managora manages all 3 in 1 single order.

By law it is no longer mandatory: Real Decreto 2063/2008 repealed the old obligation to include the ISBN in all books, and its article 5 gives it an identifying value solely for dissemination and commercialisation purposes. In practice you do need it: bookshops, distributors and printing and sales platforms require an ISBN to commercialise 1 printed book, and without it the work is left out of commercial channels and sector databases.

The current fees of the Spanish ISBN Agency (August 2026, VAT included) are: €45 for each ISBN for author-publishers, with an urgent service in 1 working day for an additional €50. Publishing houses buy prefixes: registering a new publishing house with 10 numbers costs €140, and an already registered publishing house pays €95 for 10 numbers or €549 for 100.

Remember that each format adds up: 1 novel in print and in EPUB are 2 ISBNs. Managora processes the registration and the application for each number for you; you can see the updated amount of our service in the procedure file.

The ISSN is free and is assigned by the Spanish National ISSN Centre of the BNE, which has been part of the international ISSN Network since 1978. It can be requested by any publisher or entity related to the serial publication, before the 1st issue comes out or at any later time in the life of the magazine.

The application consists of a form from the Centre accompanied by 1 copy of the 1st issue (or a photocopy of the cover and the editorial data page) and the most recent issue. If you request it before publishing the 1st issue, the BNE accepts mock-ups or drafts of the cover and the editorial data page. The assignment is not immediate and the Centre does not publish a set deadline, so it is advisable to request it in advance. The assigned number must appear in the masthead of each fascicle.

2 frequent clarifications: the ISSN does not exempt you from the legal deposit of each issue, and 1 magazine does not have an ISBN, except for monographic issues that are sold as an independent work.

The obliged party is the publisher with a domicile, residence or permanent establishment in Spain (art. 6 Ley 23/2011); if the publisher does not reside here, the obligation passes to the producer or printer. The deposit is constituted at the legal deposit office of the autonomous community where the publisher has its registered office, and always before distribution or sale: without a deposit, the work cannot be distributed (art. 12.1).

There are 2 stages: first the legal deposit number is requested, before production or printing ends (art. 14.1); that number must be printed on the work, and the regional development regulations usually require it to appear on the back of the title page or on the credits page, next to the ISBN. Afterwards, with the finished work, the copies are delivered to the regional office.

The number of copies depends on the type of work: the BNE keeps 2 copies of 1st edition books and pamphlets (art. 10.4) and the regional office adds those destined for its own libraries, so in practice around 3 or 4 copies are delivered depending on the community, plus 1 additional copy in communities with a co-official language. Print on demand is also subject to this, except for that intended for distribution in a family environment (arts. 4.3 and 5.q).

Failure to comply carries a penalty: not constituting the deposit on time or distributing copies without a number is a minor infringement with a fine of €1,000 to €2,000, and repeat offences, false data or obstruction are a serious infringement with a fine of €2,001 to €30,000 (arts. 18 to 20). Furthermore, the office can require you to constitute it within a maximum period of 1 month (art. 15) and the fine does not exempt you from depositing (art. 20.4). The autonomous community imposes the penalty.

1 commercial ebook needs its own ISBN, different from that of the print edition, and each electronic format (EPUB, PDF, audiobook) has a different number if distributed separately.

In the legal deposit of online publications the rule changes in your favour: article 8.2 of Ley 23/2011 and RD 635/2015 exempt the publisher from managing the deposit. It is the conservation centres (the BNE and the regional ones) that automatically harvest free access sites; you only have to facilitate that harvesting and, if your publication has restricted access, transfer it when requested. Refusing to give them access is a serious infringement (art. 19.e).

1 online magazine can request its ISSN just like 1 in print; if it coexists with the printed edition, each version has a different ISSN as they are parallel editions.

Managora processes the ISBN, the ISSN and the legal deposit for you: you provide us with the details of the work and the documents, we prepare each application and submit it to the ISBN Agency, the BNE or the office of your community. You can see the updated amount in the procedure file.