How to self-publish a book in Australia and Canada
A combined how-to for two markets that differ on one telling point: Australian ISBNs are paid through Thorpe-Bowker, while Canadian ISBNs are free from Library and Archives Canada. Here is the full path — ISBNs, legal deposit, distribution, printing and pricing — for each country.
The path is the same in both countries — edit, design, format, get an ISBN, distribute through Amazon KDP or IngramSpark — but one step diverges sharply. In Australia, ISBNs are paid, sold by Thorpe-Bowker (about A$44 for one). In Canada, ISBNs are free, issued by Library and Archives Canada to any resident publisher. Both countries also require legal deposit: you must lodge a copy with the national library.
That single difference — paid versus free identifiers — is the thing most authors get wrong when they cross the border. Below is the honest, country-by-country version, with the figures you can act on and the official source for every one that matters.
What is actually the same in both countries?
Most of self-publishing is jurisdiction-neutral. The manuscript still has to be edited properly, the cover still has to sell at thumbnail size, and the files still have to pass each store on the first upload. The retailers are the same too: Amazon and Ingram are global, and an author in Sydney or Toronto uploads to the identical KDP and IngramSpark dashboards an author in London or Lisbon uses.
So the genuinely local decisions come down to three things — your ISBN, your legal deposit obligation, and the currency and printing your books are produced and priced in. Get those right and the rest of the process is the standard one we set out in our guide to how to self-publish a book. Everything that follows is the delta for Australia and Canada specifically.
How do you get an ISBN in Australia?
You buy it. Australia's official ISBN agency is Thorpe-Bowker, and identifiers are sold through its myidentifiers.com.au store. As of 2026 a single ISBN costs around A$44, and a one-off new-publisher setup fee (about A$55) applies the first time. Block pricing falls sharply per unit, and Thorpe-Bowker has at times run a promotion selling 10 ISBNs for the price of two single ones — so the block-of-10 figure can be far lower than a straight ten-times-single price would suggest. Because such offers come and go, do not bank on a fixed block price: confirm the live figure at the Thorpe-Bowker store before you buy.
Because each format needs its own ISBN — eBook, paperback and hardcover are three separate identifiers — a serious Australian author publishing in all three formats is usually better off buying a block of 10 than three singles. If you would rather not own an ISBN at all, Amazon KDP will assign a free one for the Amazon edition, with the trade-offs we cover in ISBN, ISSN and ISMN explained.
How do you get an ISBN in Canada?
You ask, and it is free. Library and Archives Canada (LAC) issues ISBNs at no charge to any publisher or self-publisher resident in Canada. You create an account once through the ISBN Canada service, and you are then allocated a block of identifiers to assign to your own titles as you publish them. There is no per-ISBN fee and no setup charge.
This is the single biggest practical difference between the two markets, and it is worth saying plainly: a Canadian author can hold a full block of professional ISBNs for nothing, while an Australian author pays for the same thing. It does not change how you publish — it changes only your costs and how freely you assign identifiers across formats.
What is legal deposit, and what do you owe in each country?
Legal deposit is a legal obligation to lodge a copy of anything you publish with the national library, so it enters the country's permanent record. It is not optional, it applies to self-publishers, and it is separate from the ISBN. Both Australia and Canada require it; the mechanics differ.
In Australia, you deposit through the National Library of Australia. Where a work exists in digital form, the Library prefers a single electronic copy lodged via National edeposit (NED) — and if you deposit electronically you need not also send a print copy. Deposit is due within one month of publication, and state or territory obligations may apply on top. The authority is the National Library of Australia legal deposit page.
In Canada, you deposit with Library and Archives Canada. The count depends on print run: two copies when 100 or more copies are produced, and one copy for runs of 4 to 99 — which, helpfully, is how most print-on-demand titles are treated. Digital publications are deposited too. One point worth getting right: the federal Legal Deposit of Publications Regulations set no fixed number-of-days deadline — they require deposit but do not impose a one-week rule. The seven-day deadline some guides cite is in fact a provincial rule for Quebec, where works published in the province must also be lodged with Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec (BAnQ) within seven days; see BAnQ legal deposit. For the federal obligation, see Library and Archives Canada legal deposit for the current rules.
Australia vs Canada: the self-publishing essentials
| What you're comparing | Australia | Canada |
|---|---|---|
| ISBN agency | Thorpe-Bowker (myidentifiers.com.au) | Library and Archives Canada (ISBN Canada) |
| ISBN cost | Paid — about A$44 for one, plus a first-time setup fee; blocks are cheaper per unit (confirm the live block price) | Free — no per-ISBN or setup charge |
| One ISBN per format? | Yes — eBook, paperback, hardcover each need their own | Yes — same rule, but free to assign |
| Legal deposit body | National Library of Australia (+ state/territory) | Library and Archives Canada |
| Copies owed | One — electronic via NED is preferred and satisfies the print obligation | Two if 100+ produced; one for runs of 4–99 (covers most POD) |
| Deposit deadline | Within one month of publication | No fixed federal deadline in the LAC regulations; Quebec's separate BAnQ deposit is due within seven days |
| KDP 70% royalty band | Eligible without KDP Select; price A$ equivalent of $2.99–$9.99 | Eligible without KDP Select; price C$ equivalent of $2.99–$9.99 |
| Local print currency | AUD | CAD |
Where should you distribute — KDP, IngramSpark, or both?
The answer is the same on both sides of the Pacific: KDP for the Amazon storefront and eBook reach, IngramSpark for bookshops, libraries and wide distribution. Australia and Canada both sit inside Amazon's 70% eBook royalty territories, and — unlike Brazil, Japan, Mexico and India — neither requires KDP Select enrolment to earn that rate, provided the book is priced in the local equivalent of the US$2.99–$9.99 band. Royalty terms shift, so verify the current ones in your dashboard and against Amazon's eBook royalty help.
Most authors in both countries publish to KDP and IngramSpark together: KDP for Amazon, Ingram for the trade. If you are deciding how to split the two — and whether to use KDP for print at all — our KDP vs IngramSpark comparison lays out the trade-offs in detail, and the bookshop reach Ingram gives matters more in Canada and Australia, where local independent stores order through Ingram channels.
What about printing, shipping and currency?
Both KDP and IngramSpark print on demand close to the buyer, so a paperback ordered in Melbourne or Montreal is generally produced in-region rather than shipped across an ocean — that keeps delivery times and customer postage sane, which is the practical case for print-on-demand over an offset run for most indie titles. We weigh that choice in print on demand vs offset.
On currency: you set a list price per marketplace, so you will price your book in AUD for Amazon.com.au and CAD for Amazon.ca, alongside USD, GBP and EUR for the rest. Your royalties are paid in those currencies (or converted), and the 70% band is applied to the local price, not a US one. Set each market's price deliberately rather than letting Amazon auto-convert from a single base price — readers notice an odd-looking AUD or CAD figure, and your margin depends on getting the local list price inside the royalty band.
So what does a clean run look like, end to end?
In both countries: finish and edit the manuscript; commission the cover and interior; build a press-ready PDF and a validated ePUB; get your ISBN (buy it in Australia, request it free in Canada); upload to KDP and IngramSpark with a deliberate price per marketplace; then lodge your legal-deposit copy with the national library within the deadline. The order never changes — only the ISBN step and the deposit details do.
If you would rather hand the production half of that to people who do it every day, that is exactly what we do from Belgrade for authors worldwide, Australian and Canadian included. Covers and interiors are made by hand, never by AI; files are built to pass KDP and IngramSpark first time, including an EPUBCheck-validated reflowable ePUB 3; you get a fixed quote up front, two revision rounds, and you keep all rights and the editable source files. See what that looks like for imprints and frequent publishers on our for publishers page.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to pay for an ISBN in Australia?+
Yes. Australia's official agency, Thorpe-Bowker, sells ISBNs — roughly A$44 for a single one in 2026, cheaper per unit in blocks of 10 or more, plus a first-time setup fee. Amazon KDP will give you a free ISBN for the Amazon edition only, but a paid Thorpe-Bowker block lets you own identifiers across every format and retailer.
Are ISBNs really free in Canada?+
Yes. Library and Archives Canada issues ISBNs at no cost to any publisher or self-publisher resident in Canada. You create an account once through the ISBN Canada service and receive a block of identifiers to assign to your own titles. There is no per-ISBN fee and no setup charge — a genuine saving compared with Australia.
What is legal deposit and do self-publishers have to do it?+
Legal deposit is the legal duty to lodge a copy of anything you publish with the national library, and yes, it applies to self-publishers. Australia wants one copy, preferably digital via National edeposit, within a month. Canada wants two copies for runs of 100 or more, one for runs of 4 to 99, which covers most print-on-demand books.
Can authors in Australia and Canada earn Amazon's 70% royalty?+
Yes, and without joining KDP Select. Both countries sit in Amazon's 70% eBook territories, so a book priced in the local equivalent of US$2.99 to $9.99 qualifies for the higher rate. Brazil, Japan, Mexico and India require KDP Select for 70%, but Australia and Canada do not. Always confirm the current terms in your KDP dashboard before pricing.