There are a lot of terms that authors should know, but two of the most confusing are ISBN and BISAC codes. Most authors have at least heard of ISBNs, but BISAC codes are just as important, if not more so. Where an ISBN will allow readers to buy your book, it may be the BISAC code and category that will help them find your book, so that’s the one we’ll tackle in this post. (ISBNs were covered in a previous post.)
BISAC is a list maintained by the Book Industry Study Group (BISG) and is an acronym for Book Industry Standards and Communications. Basically a detailed list of genres, BISACs make it possible for book sellers to place your book on the right shelves in the store and for book buyers to find the books that interest them. Currently, there are 53 major headings, only one of which is Fiction, but under the Fiction heading, there are 65 subheadings, with additional sub-subheadings totalling over 200 individual categories, so you’re more than likely to find the right one for your book. (I find it helpful to identify the BISAC code early on in the writing process, so as I’m writing, I can refer to it…thus keeping me on the right track.)
As the genre is often printed on the back cover in the upper left corner, that’s a good place to put the actual BISAC descriptor (but not the numeric code itself).
BISAC code examples:
- CGN004210 COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS / Manga / Yaoi
- CKB040000 COOKING / Specific Ingredients / Herbs, Spices, Condiments
- EDU029080 EDUCATION / Teaching Methods & Materials / Language Arts
- FIC042120 FICTION / Christian / Romance / Suspense
- FIC009070 FICTION / Fantasy / Dark Fantasy
- FIC014070 FICTION / Historical / Colonial America & Revolution (new in 2019)
- FIC022110 FICTION / Mystery & Detective / Cozy / Cats & Dogs
- FIC027460 FICTION / Romance / Historical / Gilded Age (new in 2019)
(almost 50 other Romance categories!) - FIC028010 FICTION / Science Fiction / Action & Adventure
- FIC031060 FICTION / Thrillers / Political
- HOM012000 HOUSE & HOME / Do-It-Yourself / Masonry
- JNF013070 JUVENILE NONFICTION / Concepts / Size & Shape
- MAT007020 MATHEMATICS / Differential Equations / Partial
- SPO043000 SPORTS & RECREATION / Swimming & Diving
As you can see, there are plenty to choose from and more than enough detail to identify your specific book.