The book publishing industry is filled with acronyms and forms you need to fill out for each of your books. Along with the ISBN (International Standard Book Number) that is used to identify a book, two other acronyms are used by libraries.
When you look on the copyright page of a book, you may see one of these two numbers on the bottom half of the page. Libraries use either a Cataloging in Publication (CIP) listing or a Library of Congress Catalog Number (LCCN) to catalog your book. Unlike an ISBN neither one costs anything.
Your can read more about both programs on the Library of Congress (LOC) Web site page for publishers:
http://www.loc.gov/loc/infopub/
Basically, you can get a CIP for a book that hasn’t been published if you are a publisher that has published the works of three or more different authors.
You can’t get a CIP if you are:
- A book vendor, distributor, printer, production house or other intermediary.
- A publisher who has published the works of fewer than three different authors.
- A self-publisher (i.e. “authors and editors who pay for or subsidize publication of their own works; who often do not publish the works of more than three different authors; and whose works are rarely widely acquired by the nation’s libraries”).
The third limitation is the reason self-publishers like me are not going to get a CIP. Even if you are not eligible for the CIP program, you may be able to get an LCCN through the Library of Congress’s Preassigned Control Number (PCN) Program. According to the LOC, the PCN program is designed to make it possible for the LOC to assign LCCN numbers to books that may be added to the LOC collection.
To get an LCCN, you first have to apply for the PCN program. Once you are accepted, you get a username and password you use to log into the site and request an LCCN for your book. The LOC staff then emails you back an LCCN, which you put on your copyright page. The format is:
Library of Congress Control Number: 2008012345
The number is basically a year (2008) followed by a sequential number. Generally you want to get your LCCN when you are laying out (typesetting) your book.
Although it is yet another administrative task to deal with, having Library of Congress cataloging information adds legitimacy to your book in the eyes of the publishing community. Plus, if you ever want to sell to libraries, you should have it. Whether you get a CIP or LCCN, it’s an inexpensive and easy way to ensure your book gets in front of more readers.