I want share about Bowker as a heads-up…
I want share about Bowker as a heads-up to self-publishers. The ISBN services are good, as well as the barcode and copyright process, even though you could do the copyright yourself and save the money. The Bowker platform has poor user experience interface and I had a low value customer experience ( UI/UX) using their platform and interaction with customer service. It explains what their services do, but instructions on how to activate services are vague or non-existent. It is basically a fancy affiliate network for it's author support services. One of their providers, Inkubate, is outdated, setting up profiles for Google+ IDs, which was discontinued in 2019. They also do not connect to Instagram & TikTok. I paid nearly $875 for my Bowker package. For the experience I had, it was only worth $250. Definitely stay away from the eBook service. I saw errors in my book and realized I uploaded the wrong version. If you make one mistake, they re-charge you as if you are buying it for the first time. Bowker has it's value, but I do not recommend anything beyond the ISBN related services for independent authors. They don't own those services and therefore cannot be accountable when the service is unsatisfying.
I worked hard to save the money I paid for my package. I own my mistake and will just have to take the business loss. I was told that I should stay away from Amazon as a self-publisher. Amazon is at least honest and I get more value for my money. I also don't have to pay to update my manuscript and the customer service does not leave me feeling unsatisfied, even when I don't agree with them. Why pay Bowker to treat you bad and deliver low value experiences, when Amazon is more supportive for free.
Indie authors should be cautious about purchasing additional services and always thoroughly vet third-party providers, even when they are affiliated with a trusted platform. My recommendation to stick to the ISBN-related services and go elsewhere to get your book marketed.