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UPIC: An ISBN Alternative

Your rating: None Average: 5 (2 votes)

Hi folks

Just wanted to plug a new service I'm offering to publishers and customers of publishers: the Unique Publication Identity Code, or UPIC, a free alternative to ISBNs for small to medium-sized publishers.

Go to http://upic.taur.net and enter the UPIC from a book, magazine or whatever, and you'll get much of the standard ISBN data: Publisher info, first publishing date, status (in-print or not), et cetera. Fanzine publishers, comic book printers, makers of art portfolios, and anyone else who offers printed goods for sale is invited to use this service.

The service is free to publishers and users, but contributions are of course welcome. The features of the site are still somewhat in flux, but the current version is up and working.

Check it out!

Aatheus

Comments

Your rating: None Average: 5 (1 vote)

For those of us not as well read, I take it that ISBN is not a free system?

I did some looking and I also can't find a lookup for ISBN numbers.. would anyone know of some such?

Your rating: None Average: 5 (1 vote)

A good first source for information on ISBNs is http://www.isbn.org/

In answer to your first question: Yes, the ISBN system is not free.

And to locate a title by it's ISBN, one place to start looking is http://www.booksinprint.com/

Your rating: None

Both of those cost money ... it is a racket ... I wonder where all the money goes.

Your rating: None Average: 1 (1 vote)

You couldn't wait another six months and have a full two decades between original comment and reply?

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Would upic show up in search indexes.

Your rating: None Average: 5 (1 vote)

After eighteen years, something tells me it's no longer a thing.

Your rating: None

Yeah, lol, didn't check the date while posting. Anyway, tge link is dead now.

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