As of November 2026, Amazon is accepting the International Standard Name Identifier (ISNI), a globally adopted ISO standard that uniquely identifies the millions of contributors to creative works and those actively involved in their distribution. While optional, the retailer is actively encouraging publishers to submit ISNI for book contributors as part of their books’ metadata.
At BookNet, we’ve talked about why we believe ISNI is the dream identifier. As a refresher, here are the top reasons why publishers should implement ISNI:
- to give end users, including retailers like Amazon, a reliable way to differentiate contributors with similar names;
- to group titles by the same author, even when their name is written differently across books;
- to improve how books are linked to an author’s page; and
- to allow the industry to answer client questions such as “What else has the author written?” and “What other book is in this series?”.
Resources to get started with ISNI
A webinar led by Chris Saynor from EDItEUR and Tim Devenport from ISNI International Agency. In it, they give an introduction to ISNI, including an overview of what it is and how it works, as well as looking at some of its uses.
ISNI in the industry: Everything you should know
A blog post highlighting the reasons why the Canadian book industry should widely adopt this identifier.
The benefits of ISNI for authors and book industry contributors
A resource from the ISNI International Agency highlighting the many benefits of implementing ISNI, which include improved visibility, discoverability, and attribution.
Resources to get you started in the registration process.
How to add an ISNI to an ONIX metadata record using Webform
Instructions for users of Webform, BookNet’s easy-to-use online tool that allows small operations to create and manage book metadata.
Recommended practices for assigning ISNI
A resource from the Book Industry Study Group outlining six recommendations to encourage broader adoption of ISNI.
