This week I promised to write about one of the most often overlooked items in the publishing business – the Library of Congress Control Number, or LCCN. I’m going to write about it a bit today, but my thinking on the LCCN has changed to some degree over time.
According to the Library of Congress website, “A Library of Congress catalog control number is a unique identification number that the Library of Congress assigns to the catalog record created for each book in its catalogued collections.” You may wonder how necessary it is to have one of these, and whether it’s worth spending the money.
The answer: yes and no. Or, even worse, “It depends.”
Now, my own journey in self-publishing was fairly difficult and complex, since I published my first three novels on the same date. I also created my own publishing company as an LLC. In other words, I did not become a CreateSpace, or Amazon-only author. However, I made a few mistakes along the way. For one, after copyright registration, I paid the Library of Congress for LCCNs for all of my books. I felt that there were a couple good reasons to do this:
a) These numbers would supposedly give my books the legitimacy needed to get into libraries.
b) They would also supposedly give my books the legitimacy needed to get into bookstores.
Once my books were available, I paid to ship copies of each of them to the Library of Congress to show that I had published them. With over 164-million titles on hand, the Library of Congress is the largest library in the world, and I knew that librarians can search the database and find my titles that way.
But Here’s the Problem
Unfortunately, there’s no guarantee the Library of Congress will actually keep your titles in their system indefinitely, as I know from experience. Fortunately, I also know that, once accepted into local libraries, your books are likely to remain there. A quick search of worldcat.org reveals one of my titles in several Florida library systems, and another continues to appear in a New York system. Those represent actual sales to libraries, unlike the copies “gifted” to the Library of Congress.
The other complication: when I purchased my LCCNs, no one bothered to tell me I should have a CIP Data block on each copyright page. So I had to revise my copyright pages after the fact by purchasing CIP Data blocks, created by The Donohue Group.
According to the Library of Congress website, they have just launched a program for CIP Data that “limits eligibility to titles…most likely to be widely acquired by the nation’s libraries.” Does that mean I wouldn’t qualify? I don’t know.
What I do know is that I obtained those LCCNs for each of my books, and now the Library of Congress website doesn’t list them. So librarians searching the worldcat.org site can find info on my titles, but those searching the old LOC database won’t find them.
If this all sounds like sour grapes, it’s because I’ve been a big proponent of libraries for many years. And it’s more than a little disappointing to see the nation’s largest library not helping out all the local libraries by providing them with my info! On the other hand, you learn not to take everything personally in this business.
What do you think about the LCCN debate, or the new CIP program, if you’ve had experience with it? I’d love to hear from you in the comments.
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Hi Michael – Great post. I’m researching this topic now. Question – why did you have to PAY? The Library of Congress website says that the LCCN (or the PCN as it’s also called) is given free of charge. Was it because you requested it after publication? Thanks!
Hi Beverly! That’s a great question. In fact, I believe you are correct: the LoC doesn’t actually charge you for the number. However, when I filed in 2015, I did have to send them copies of all three novels. So I essentially paid the price of a book for each registration. Either way, as the publisher and author, that was money out of my pocket for no ROI. For my latest release, I did not file for an LoC number, as the LoC has not kept them listed in their collection. Thanks.
Thanks Mike. So, in a short phrase or two if possible, I am a first time self-published author (Amazon, Kindle) is there a good reason to go through this or not? What does the answer depend on? My interest is in my “legacy” – such that it may be. Thanks again.
Hey, Robert. Thanks for stopping by! I have to say, it’s a really tough call at this point. If it’s not a problem for you to send a print copy to the Library of Congress, you might want to consider it. However, there’s not much point doing it unless you have already applied for the LCCN or PCN and you can add it to your copyright page.
When I was setting up my last release back in March, the Library of Congress website was in the midst of an update on the whole process. I couldn’t even FIND the info I needed doing a search on their site. Once I discovered that they had actually delisted some of my back catalog (after I’d already sent them copies at my expense), I decided to forget about it for this release. It’s really your call. It can’t hurt, I suppose, but might not help. That’s all I can tell you at this stage.
Anyone else out there have current info or an experience with this? I welcome more comments.
My exact question. I’m in the exact same situation. Waiting for my “final” proof copy from KDP now, and wondering how to proceed. Feeling very cautious. (Plus, I’m egotistical enough to like the idea that my name and title could be registered with the United States Congress! That’s pretty cool.)
Great post! Do you know if you can submit your book to the library of Congress after its already been published? I obtained ISBN and copyright but not a PCN before publication. Thanks!
Hi Mikhaela! Thanks for dropping by.
There’s certainly nothing stopping you from submitting it, but I’m not sure if they would put it in the LoC. If it’s the same copyright year as when you send it, they probably don’t check, but it’s hard for me to guess; the process may have changed considerably since my last submission to them. I’d read through their website before spending the money.
Mike
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Thanks, Sabina. I appreciate it. I have had a few guests from time to time. Check out guest posts from social media guru Frances Caballo here and from fellow author Tara Malone on avoiding the content mills here.
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Hey Mike, If I applied for an LCCN for free, then do I have to register the copyright separately? Seems like two different sites, one free/one not.
Hi Evan. At this point, I couldn’t even say. The last time I looked at the Library of Congress website was March 2019, when they were in the midst of updating the entire process. One thing I can say for sure: even if an LCCN is “free,” you still have to buy your own book and pay to ship it to the LOC. Then, as they did in my case, they might dispose of it anyway. Not a great deal for the indie author/publisher!
I have applied for an LCCN and not heard a word. I even submitted an inquiry after the fact but got no response. Is there a phone number at the LoC I can call to check on this before I publish?
Doubtful. With COVID, customer service via telephone has gotten worse almost everywhere; I can’t imagine the government’s communication has approved. There’s probably a delay for any inquiry.
I had the same problem, Michael. I applied at the end of 2019 and sent in copies. My book doesn’t show up on the website, I can’t find out any information on it, I’ve emailed and received no response. I even web chatted, and they told me I should donate a book to the local library if it doesn’t show up… This past book was my first book. Now I’m getting ready to put out another one. My question is: Do you think having the LCCN listed in the copyright page of the book gives it any edge of professionalism? Or does it not really matter either way if it won’t actually be processed to show up anywhere? Did you notice any difference with the new book you published that did not have the LCCN number?
Thanks for stopping by, H.M. No idea whether the LCCN makes it look more professional, but my most recent novel, Whizzers, has done better than all the others without one. That might be more a function of better marketing on my part, or maybe the LCCN makes no difference. I won’t spend money on another one in the future, though. By the way, donating a book to a local library doesn’t necessarily have an impact; sometimes libraries get rid of them if not enough people check them out!
Hi! I’m glad I found your website! I plan to publish through Amazon, kindle, Ingramsparks and smashwords. There are separate ISBNs for each book (not required for epub). It sounds as if the LCCN is good for all copies even though they have separate ISBNs. Will I need a separate CIP for each book? Thank you!
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Thanks, Amina. See my comment to H.M. Forrest: No idea whether the LCCN makes it look more professional, but my most recent novel, Whizzers, has done better than all the others without one. That might be more a function of better marketing on my part, or maybe the LCCN makes no difference. I won’t spend money on another one in the future, though.
Thank you! I did get the LCCN and hope to publish this month. Appreciating your support.