Getting an LCCN for Your Self-Published Book

Industry Advice, Marketing and Promotion, Production and Publishing

An LCCN (Library of Congress Control Number) is a unique identification number assigned to forthcoming books by the Library of Congress. Libraries use a national database of LCCNs to locate, acquire, and catalogue new books.

Librarians are selective and must work within limited budgets. When choosing which books will be allotted to their coveted shelf space, librarians prioritize titles based on a few key factors:

  • Professional Reviews: Positive reviews from trade publications like Library Journal or Booklist are a major plus.
  • Patron Demand: If a library’s patrons are asking for your book, the library is more likely to buy it.
  • Professional Quality: Your book must have professional editing, a great cover, and proper formatting. An ISBN is required.
  • Distributors: Many libraries buy books through major distributors like IngramSpark. If your book is available there, it has a better chance of being seen.
  • Discoverability: An LCCN and good metadata (like BISAC codes) makes your book easy to find and helps librarians catalog it.

The Library of Congress offers the Preassigned Control Number (PCN) Program for publishers and authors. The online application is free, but once your book is published, you’ll need to send a copy to the Library of Congress to complete the process, at which point the PCN you’ll have received when you applied becomes your official LCCN. This helps ensure your book is officially recognized and discoverable by libraries nationwide.

If you’re interested in acquiring an LCCN, there are a few things you’ll need to know first:

  • You must apply before the book is published.
  • Your book must be a physical print book.
  • You must be a U.S. resident.
  • Your book must list a U.S. city of publication.
  • You must have an ISBN for the print edition of your book.

Once you’ve completed the above, here’s what the process of getting an LCCN looks like:

  1. Go to the Library of Congress’s PrePub Book Link website at loc.gov/publish/pcn/.
  2. If you’re a new user, create an account as an “author/self-publisher”.
  3. Log in and select the option to request a new PCN to start a new application. You will need to provide:
    • Your name and contact information.
    • The title of your book.
    • The ISBN for the print edition of your book.
    • The publisher’s name and U.S. city of publication.
    • Your projected publication date.
    • A brief summary of your book.
  4. Submit your completed application. There is no fee for this service.
  5. Receive your PCN. The Library of Congress will email you with your assigned PCN, which will also be available on your account dashboard, within about 15 days.
  6. Place the PCN on the copyright page of your book. The standard format is: “Library of Congress Control Number: [Your PCN]”.
  7. Once your book is in print, you must send a physical copy to the Library of Congress. This finalizes the process and allows your PCN to become the official LCCN in their catalog.

If you’d really like to see your book at your local library, making savvy publishing decisions, including investing in quality editing, typesetting, proofreading, and printing, and creating a professional sell sheet to market your book directly to local libraries can help.

That said, getting your book into libraries generally won’t do much for your book’s sales overall. If your main focus is selling your book through commercial retailers like Amazon or Barnes & Noble, the ISBN (International Standard Book Number) is the only identifier you absolutely must have. (An ISBN is a commercial identifier used by bookstores and retailers to track sales.)

An LCCN won’t impact your book’s sales performance and isn’t strictly necessary like an ISBN is, but having one can increase a book’s visibility and professional standing.