I Used KDP's Free ISBN. Can I Switch to My Own?

No. Once a book is published on KDP, its ISBN cannot be changed. If you used the free KDP ISBN, you can either leave the KDP paperback as it is and use a different ISBN for your IngramSpark edition, or unpublish the KDP book and publish a new edition with your own ISBN. Below I explain both, and what each does to your reviews.

Can I change the ISBN on a book that is already published on KDP?

No. KDP’s help page on changing an ISBN says “ISBNs cannot be changed if your book is published.” While the book is still a draft you can update it, but after publishing the ISBN is locked.

The same page says that to change the ISBN, or details such as the title or author name, you unpublish the book and then publish a new edition with the updated details. If you use your own ISBN and change its details, KDP says it takes 5 business days to register the changes before you update the book.

Why can’t I just move the free KDP ISBN to IngramSpark?

Because it belongs to KDP’s system. KDP’s ISBN help page says free ISBNs from KDP can only be used on KDP. IngramSpark’s free ISBN page says the reverse: you can’t use free ISBNs associated with your book from other platforms on IngramSpark.

That is why the same paperback cannot carry one number on both. I explain the full rules in IngramSpark vs Amazon KDP.

My ISBN came from Draft2Digital or my old publisher. Can I switch to my own?

Draft2Digital’s FAQ says it assigns a free ISBN to any book published through its system, that the ISBN agency lists Draft2Digital as the “vendor of record” for that ISBN, and that this label gives it no rights to your work. The same FAQ says you can use your own ISBN if you have one (Draft2Digital FAQ). The International ISBN Agency says an ISBN identifies a specific title, edition and format, so each product form, such as a paperback or an EPUB, is identified separately (What is an ISBN?).

Here is what I would do. A revised edition with your own ISBN is a new listing, so plan for the old reviews as the sections above say. Unpublish the old version where it was published. Copies already printed carry the ISBN printed on them, so check your old contract before you sell them, and ask the publisher if it doesn’t say.

What are my options now?

There are two.

1. Keep the KDP paperback and give the IngramSpark edition its own ISBN. Nothing changes on your Amazon listing. The cost is two ISBNs for the same paperback. IngramSpark itself says that listing one book under different ISBNs across sellers can confuse retailers and buyers, so use the same title, subtitle, author name and cover on both.
2. Unpublish the KDP paperback and publish a new edition with your own ISBN. Then one ISBN works on KDP and IngramSpark. The price is a new edition, with the risk to your reviews described next.

If you have not published yet, the better answer is simpler: change the ISBN while the book is still a draft.

What happens to my reviews if I republish?

KDP’s customer reviews page says reviews can carry over to a new version only if the new version’s metadata matches the previous version. It sends you to its “Link Your Books Together” page for what counts as a match.

An ISBN is part of that metadata, so I would not assume the reviews follow a new ISBN. I have not tested this, and KDP does not say what happens in that case. Ask KDP support before you unpublish a book with reviews you care about.

The same page says KDP does not remove reviews that follow its guidelines when you update a book. That is about updates to the same edition, not a new ISBN.

Does my ebook need an ISBN?

No. KDP says ebooks and low-content books are the only formats where an ISBN is optional. If your ebook is on KDP without one, it can stay as it is. Only the paperback and hardcover editions are affected by this choice.

What I do about it

If you want one ISBN that works on KDP and IngramSpark, I can publish your book under my imprint, Urgesta AS. You get an ISBN for each format, you keep all rights and royalties, and I deliver the ISBN and barcode within 2 business days of getting complete book details. There is a 7-day money-back guarantee.

One honest point: the ISBN then stays with Urgesta AS, and the publisher shows as Urgesta AS. If you want your own imprint on the book, get your own ISBN instead. See how it works.

If you are still deciding, read what to put as the publisher on KDP and how much an ISBN costs.