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What is a BISAC code?

Clair ButtonWhat are BISAC codes?

As I was working with one member of our Writers Guild of Eastern Oregon to design her website as a standard and model for our group, she asked the question, “What are BISAC codes?” It was one piece of information I believed we should include in the data about her books. Why? Because my first publisher told me that was industry standard data, and necessary.

When I self published later (don’t even ask about that #@*&% subsidy press publisher), I continued to follow that advice because I did a little research and discovered the purpose of the codes.

BISAC (Book Industry Standards and Communications) codes are a “standard used by many companies throughout the supply chain to categorize books based on topical content.”

The codes are often required for participation in many publishing industry databases, which may seem obscure to those of us involved only in writing. However, you can understand it more clearly if you realize that those codes provide your local bookstore manager a means to categorize, store, and decide how to display your book. Without your knowing it, those codes may be incorporated in the bar code on the book cover.

BISAC codes are established and controlled by the Book Industry Study Group, Inc. (BISG), the industry’s leading trade association for policy, standards and research. Membership consists of publishers, manufacturers, suppliers, wholesalers, retailers, librarians and others engaged in the business of print and electronic media. The BISG mission “is to create a more informed, empowered, and efficient industry supply chain.”

When you think about participating in the book industry as a publisher, recognize that electronic standards, efficiency, and reducing the operating costs of your suppliers, distributors, and retail outlets are part of your mission, too. Take the time to look up and list your own BISAC codes.

BISAC Subject Headings List A-J

BISAC Subject Headings List K-Z:

Roadmap to book identifiers:

http://www.bisg.org/what-we-do-18-32-roadmap-of-identifiers.php

Article by Clair Button, Writers Guild of Eastern Oregon, www.wgeo.org

This entry was posted on February 20, 2008 at 13:10 and is filed under Publishing Business. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.

5 Responses to “What is a BISAC code?”

  1. Frank Gerace says:
    July 4, 2008 at 10:20

    I am new to the BISAC business and am trying to find a suitable code for a book on English for Spanish Speakers that is written in Spanish. I have looked through the codes and can’t find a suitable one. I had a 2007 list. Is a new one out? Any ideas? Thanks

  2. Clair Button says:
    July 4, 2008 at 10:52

    Frank,
    I would suggest the following codes from the 2007 list as possibilities for you in the order I think might best apply. Remember that if more than one applies, you may list multiple codes. Consider the intent of the work, and the system’s definitions of the code usage. While the definitions are not explained in detail on the website, a little extra research might get you zeroed-in on the appropriate use. Librarians are always a good choice to ask for advice as well.

    Clair

    FOR007000 FOREIGN LANGUAGE STUDY / English as a Second Language;
    LAN023000 LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / Translating & Interpreting;
    EDU020000 EDUCATION / Multicultural Education

  3. Rick says:
    August 8, 2009 at 08:25

    Thank you for the article. But where do I list my BISAC codes? On the copyright page? and what about BIC codes? Are those also listed on my copyright page?
    Do I enter these in some database somewhere?
    Thanks!

  4. Clair Button says:
    August 8, 2009 at 10:53

    Rick,
    I’ve seen them listed on the copyright page, though usually as the literal heading (genre type) rather than the code itself. It may be helpful on the back cover or book jacket. In those cases, the purpose is to assist the retailer to stock shelves or help the customer to identify the subject matter, so the codes are not as useful as the literal genre heading.

    I list the codes and subject headings on my own website and also on “sell sheets” which I pass out to retailers.

    Your publisher probably already lists those codes in their database, and it should appear in Books In Print when your books are referenced there. Generally, even subsidy press publishers query the authors or assign subject headings to all their books. In all likelihood, if your books are available to the distribution chain, those categories have been assigned by someone else.

    However, if your books are not currently listed in “Books In Print,” then you should go to the Bowker company website and register (free) to add your own data through “Bowker Link” at http://www.bowker.com/index.php/component/content/article/5/61

    Note that they will offer you an online ISBN logbook (a charge service) which you do not need if you already have your ISBNs.

    As for BIC, you may know something I do not. I thought that stood for Bank Identification Code, which would only be appropriate for financial transfer transactions.

    Clair

  5. Claudia Newcorn says:
    April 13, 2010 at 10:32

    Outstanding explanation and the comments are also very helpful. I have suggested your page to Readerviews.com which was discussing BISAC codes in a recent newsletter.

    Claudia Newcorn
    Author of Crossover & Dark Fire
    Award-winning fantasy fiction like nothing you’ve ever read!
    www.claudianewcorn.com

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