Comments on: LCCN – Should You Bother?

By: Walt Shiel

Walt Shiel — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 19:13:43 +0000

First note of warning: Take the time to carefully read the contract you signed with that subsidy publisher. You would even be wise to consult a good IP attorney to review it and whatever release of rights they send you.

I have never considered this aspect, since I have never dealt directly with any of those oxymoronic “self-publishing” companies. You would want to be sure that they no longer have any legal claims on the book or its contents (see previous paragraph). You might then be able to contact the LoC’s cataloging division and see if they can just update their records without changing the LCCN.

How much of an issue this might be depends greatly on how well the book has sold to this point and whether you’ve made many sales to libraries. It might be simpler to just get a new LCCN, although the LoC might inquire about the connection between the two books since both would have the same title and author.

By: Naomi

Naomi — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 19:40:08 +0000

I see that my book’s LCCN is connected with its publisher. If I pull out of that publisher’s ISBN (self-publishing company) to reprint with another (and therefore lose my ISBN, and get my own ISBN) do I need to change the publishing information for my LCCN? Both the publisher name and ISBN will be different than the Library of Congress has on file.

Thanks for your advice!

By: Walt Shiel

Walt Shiel — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:16:28 +0000

I don’t think you can get an LCCN through the PCN program after a book has been published. Did you or PublishAmerica register your book with the Library of Congress for copyright? If so, it might have been cataloged and, thus, now have an LCCN assigned (I don’t know if the LoC will catalog books published by places like PA).

You can check by searching for your book at http://catalog.loc.gov

If it’s not listed, it hasn’t been cataloged. As it was published in Nov 2008, if it isn’t listed they likely don’t plan to do so (although I know the LoC is running behind on most tasks these days).

By: Robert Bates Graber

Robert Bates Graber — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:27:47 +0000

Greetings! Enjoyed this article. My latest book, PLUTONIC SONNETS, was published in November of 2008 by print-on-demand house PublishAmerica. I dont recall their having offered an LCCN arrangement; and printings to date have not included one in the front matter–only an ISBN number. I am wondering if I can still get an LCCN? And if so, how?

Thanks for any more help you can give!

Best,

Rob