In the Name of Progress

The Role of ISNI in Book Publishing: Enabling Accuracy, Discoverability, and Collaboration

By Alaina-Marie Chapman, Communications Manager at the ISNI International Agency

The International Standard Name Identifier (ISNI) has become an imperative in the evolving landscape of book publishing. As our industry grows ever more digital and interconnected, ISNI's role in ensuring accurate identification and the attribution of works to contributors—including authors, editors, illustrators, translators, agents, and organizations—has shifted from a technical utility to a strategic necessity. 

 Let’s explore how ISNI benefits the publishing world by addressing key challenges such as metadata quality, intellectual property management, global discoverability, and collaborative innovation.

1. What’s in a Name? Tackling Metadata Mayhem
   In an industry driven by data, metadata is as essential as the content itself. Accurate metadata determines a book’s visibility in online stores, libraries, and digital catalogs, directly impacting its sales. However, the sheer volume of publications and the global nature of authorship can make it challenging to attribute works to their creators accurately.
   
   Errors in name matching—such as conflating two authors with the same name or failing to connect works by the same author under different pseudonyms—can hinder discoverability and damage credibility.
   
   ISNI provides a standardized solution by assigning persistent, unique identifiers to individuals, real or fictional personas and organizations. These 16-digit identifiers serve as an unambiguous reference point, enabling publishers, retailers, and rights organizations to confidently connect creators with their works, even when names are ambiguous, transliterated, or duplicated.
   
   For example, consider "Brian Cox”. The English physicist and former musician (ISNI: 0000 0000 5639 7298) might easily be conflated with the Shakespearean actor (ISNI: 0000 0001 1030 1913); not to mention the other eight Brian Coxes currently in the ISNI database at the time of writing. ISNI ensures their respective works are uniquely attributed, accessible to readers across the world, and discoverable.

2. By Any Other Name: Enhancing Discoverability in a Crowded Market
   Modern readers have countless ways to discover books—from search engines, online retailers and platforms to social media communities like BookTok and library catalogs. ISNI enhances discoverability by linking creators to their works with precision, ensuring that readers find exactly what they’re seeking.
   
   Take an academic author with works spanning journals, books, and multimedia for example. ISNI interacts with research sector ID schemes including Ringgold, ROR, ORCID, and CrossRef, to consolidate an author’s contributions across diverse platforms and sectors. This increases the visibility of the author’s works while enriching “about the author” pages for publishers and retailers. Readers also benefit from streamlined access to the content they’re looking for. It’s a win-win for all!

3. Rights and Royalties: Naming the Rightful Owner
   For publishers and rights organizations, the ability to manage intellectual property efficiently is critical. ISNI simplifies the processes by:
   • Linking Works to Rights Holders: Ensuring accurate identification of individuals or entities entitled to royalties, reducing disputes and administrative overhead.
   • Supporting Collective Rights Management: Organizations like music and film societies already leverage ISNI to track contributions. In publishing, integrating ISNI with other standards like ISBNs and DOI (Digital Object Identifiers), creates a seamless ecosystem for managing rights and automating royalty distribution.

From mergers and acquisitions to global licenses, ISNI streamlines operations and ensures contributors are credited and compensated accurately, even for authors whose works cross borders, disciplines or fields of interest.

4. Name Connections: Bridging Borders with ISNI
   Publishing is increasingly global. Books written in one language are often translated into dozens of others or adapted into other media, with multiple contributors—authors, translators, editors—across regions. ISNI acts as an international marker, linking all the creators in this complex network.
   • Translations: ISNI helps ensure translators are credited properly alongside original authors, fostering transparency and collaboration, and boosting the visibility of both.
   • Cross-Media Adaptations: Whether a book inspires a film, podcast, or graphic novel, ISNI tracks the original creator’s contribution across mediums, ensuring consistent attribution that bridges linguistic and cultural divides.

By standardizing names across languages and scripts, ISNI—as an internationally-recognized ISO identifier—boosts opportunities for creators worldwide.

5. ISNI in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
   The rise of AI-generated content introduces new complexities in authorship and attribution. Collaborations between humans and machines challenge traditional systems of credit and identification.
   
   While industry best practices for AI are still under discussion, ISNI is well-positioned to address the challenges. Assigning identifiers to human contributors involved in creating AI-generated works ensures clarity in ownership and attribution, safeguarding the integrity of creative industries as they adapt to this new frontier. 

6. Case Studies: ISNI in Action
   Real-world applications showcase ISNI’s transformative impact:
   • Library Systems: National libraries worldwide use ISNI to enhance cataloging and provide precise attribution for digital and physical collections.
   • Retail Platforms: Online bookstores and platforms integrate ISNI to improve search accuracy and enrich author pages.
   • International interactions: Academic and trade publishers utilize ISNI’s curated data to link authors and works across identifier schemas like Ringgold, ROR, ORCID and CrossRef, ensuring scholarly integrity and reliable attribution.
     
     

7. The Name Game: Unlocking ISNI’s Potential
   As the book publishing industry faces challenges like piracy, misinformation, and fragmented markets, ISNI offers a foundation of trust and transparency. Future opportunities include:
   • Expanding Adoption: Encouraging broader use by authors, agents, publishers, and platforms to enrich metadata and boost discoverability across the supply chain.
   • Raising Awareness: Concerted efforts in education and advocacy—including stellar work of the BISG ISNI Working Group and the recent publication of our Benefits document for publishers—can drive adoption.
   • Systems are Go: Many systems already support ISNI integration in ONIX feeds—check with your supplier to learn more.
   • Utilize the ISNI Database: Search our database here to see if a contributor already has an ISNI assigned. If they do, it’s available to use at no cost.
     
     

8. Conclusion: A Name to Trust
   The International Standard Name Identifier is more than a tool; it’s a cornerstone for accuracy, efficiency, and collaboration in the global publishing ecosystem. By ensuring proper recognition for creators and streamlining operations for publishers, ISNI can help to build a future that’s not only more efficient but also more equitable. However, success depends on collaboration across the industry.

Help ISNI to reach its full potential. Join the ISNI Book Publishing Consultation Group nd BISG's ISNI Working Group to drive the adoption of our ISO standard across the industry and help shape the role of ISNI in the book industry. Get in touch via info@isni.org and info@bisg.org for more information. 

Together, we can create a world where every contributor’s voice is heard—and accurately identified.