Question regarding ISBN for next book(s)

[TreySullivan]

I am going to do my best and hopefully not sound repetitive.

I am almost finished with my next book (yes, another screenplay). It is not a sequel or prequel, but it it set within the same 'universe' as my previous book. I want to publish it solo and as a collection. Kind of special edition so to speak

Would this affect my ISBN from both books, if I were to combine them within the so-called special edition?

Thanks in advance for all the assistance!

[Peter May]

You must have a different ISBN for each individual book and a different ISBN for the collection.

The ISBN uniquely identifies an edition.

[TreySullivan]

Thank you, Peter.

I appreciate all your help, previous posts/forums included.

[Peter May]

A pleasure..

Its easier to understand about having unique ISBNs when you realise that ISBNs were originally invented for a major book retailler and distributer.

Up to ISBNs a customer would go into a book shop and ask for a book by name and author and if the shop didn'thave it in stock they'd order it from their distributer who in turn may have to order it from the publisher.

As you can imagine with all the millons of books the chances were that the wrong book or edition of that book would arrive. The customer wanted a paperback and the hardback was delivered etc

So the ISBN identifies uniquely a particular edition of a book and is used only for that edition. Different publications of the same book have different ISBNs.

ISBNs are quite recent-- 1966  -- and I have many books on my shelves that I  bought new from a shop that are without ISBNs,

[TreySullivan]

Awesome Post!

[kevinlomas]

http://www.isbn.org/standards/home/isbn/us/isbnqa.asp

A FAQ page ^^