31 July 2024
The International Standard Name Identifier (ISNI) International Agency has announced the publication of a key document, The Benefits of ISNI for Publishers. This landmark publication promises to be a significant asset for the book publishing industry, showcasing the transformative impact of the ISNI standard on global publishing practices.
Informed by the expertise of the ISNI Book Publishing Consultation Group, a collective of over 60 book-industry professionals, the document underscores the crucial potential of ISNI in resolving name ambiguity and enhancing metadata and rights management across the book-industry supply chain. The Group’s membership spans prominent publishers, trade bodies, libraries, booksellers and data aggregators from across the globe, including industry leaders: Bloomsbury, Cambridge University Press, HarperCollins Publishers, Macmillan Publishers, Penguin Random House, Wiley, BIC, BISG, BookNet Canada and many more.
ISNI’s mission is clear: to assign persistent unique identifiers to the public names of contributors and organizations, facilitating unambiguous attribution of creative works to their rightful creators. This new document describes in some depth how ISNI adoption empowers publishers to radically improve identity management within the publishing ecosystem, showcasing the overall benefits of ISNI for the book industry as well as the specific benefits to publishers and stakeholders, including essential assistance in achieving:
- Enhanced author and customer relationship management (CRM)
- Streamlined rights and royalties management
- Accurate management reporting and statistics
- Improved data and metadata quality
- Deeper engagement with readers and end consumers
In line with growing conversations about the nationwide adoption of ISNIs in regions such as East Asia, the United States, Central and South America and Africa, this timely publication will help publishers to gain invaluable insights into the benefits of ISNI identifiers to inform conversations with colleagues, boards and stakeholders on the importance and prioritisation of adoption.
Tim Devenport, Executive Director of the ISNI International Agency, states: “Year-on-year, the ISNI standard is gaining traction within the book industry, thanks in no small part to the numerous world-leading publishers, trade bodies, data aggregators, and booksellers represented on the ISNI Book Publishing Consultation Group. It’s an exciting time to be part of the dynamic publishing industry as we see ISNI taking wing, and we’re excited to share such an important document to aid its progression and increase awareness across the book publishing sector.”