Handle Library of Congress prepublication records

Ask whether the title is eligible for CIP

Find out whether your publisher participates in the Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication program and whether this title will get a CIP record, which is a fuller prepublication catalog record and not the same as a control number.

Conditional (for library-facing books)Owner: PublisherYou: AskFreeAll publishing paths

Authors often hire help with this: library or cataloging.

Why it matters

A CIP record means a catalog record exists before the book does, which lowers the cataloging work for a library that decides to buy it. It does not make that decision for the library, and it does not commit the Library of Congress to acquiring the book. Its absence isn't fatal, but knowing early whether you'll have one tells you whether to plan for a Preassigned Control Number instead, and what to expect on the copyright page.

Your part

What you do: Ask. Someone else normally owns it. Get an answer, then record it.
Who normally owns it: Publisher. Publisher applies if eligible; author asks
When: Six to nine months before publication, before the copyright page is finalized, since CIP applications need the manuscript in advance (Handle Library of Congress prepublication records: twelve to six months before publication, before the copyright page is final)Checked September 13, 2026 (opens in a new tab)

Your part changes with your publishing route.

How to do it

The full walkthrough

Cataloging in Publication (CIP) is a Library of Congress program that creates a catalog record for a book before it is published. The CIP data block is printed on the copyright page and the record is distributed to libraries and vendors, which gives a library a record to work from instead of writing one. It is free, but it is available only to publishers that the Library of Congress has admitted to the program.

Keep the three terms straight. An LCCN identifies a Library of Congress catalog record. The Preassigned Control Number program can assign one before publication, but that is not the same as full Cataloging in Publication data. CIP creates a fuller prepublication record for eligible publishers. Neither program guarantees that the Library of Congress or any other library will acquire the book.

Eligibility belongs to the publisher, not to you. The Library's stated requirements include that the publisher be a United States publisher whose titles are likely to be widely acquired by United States libraries, and that it has already published at least three titles by three different authors. The Library also states that the program does not include works of self-publishers, and that authors who pay for or subsidize publication of their own works, along with fee-for-service publishers, are not eligible. So the question is the same whatever your route: is the publisher of record on this book a CIP participant, and has this title been submitted? Ask, and do not assume. If the answer is no, the Preassigned Control Number (PCN) program is the other route to a Library of Congress Control Number (LCCN), and the LCCN item covers it.

Program rules and eligibility wording change. Check the Library of Congress program pages before relying on any of this.

Common mistakes

Assuming every publisher participates. Small and new presses may not yet qualify.
Assuming a hybrid publisher's book qualifies when the arrangement is author-subsidized.
Trying to apply for CIP as a self-publisher, when the PCN program is the route the Library offers.
Confusing CIP data (a full catalog record) with an LCCN (a control number only).

Identifiers for Ask whether the title is eligible for CIP

Set a status on any record and it joins this step. All book identifiers.

Book and author identifiers
My status	Identifier	Why this matters	Cost	Yours
Not reviewed Learn more	Cataloging in Publication (CIP) A full Library of Congress catalog record prepared before printing and set on the copyright page, open only to publishers the Library admits.	The record is distributed to libraries before your book exists, so it shapes how the book is described in catalogs around the country, and a misspelled name or title in it is much harder to fix once the book is printed. Traditionally published authors normally read the data block when it arrives, check the spelling of their name and title, and confirm the printed copyright page matches it; a hybrid author normally has to ask first, because some hybrid publishers take part and some don't. If you publish the book yourself, this is not available to you under the program's current rules, and the Preassigned Control Number route is where to look instead. Review the data block early enough to raise a correction before the copyright page is final.	No charge. Participating publishers must send a complimentary copy of each book immediately on publication.	Nothing to record
Not reviewed Learn more	LCCN and the PCN program A free Library of Congress catalog number you can print on the copyright page, if you request it before the book is published.	A number printed in the book makes it easier for a library cataloger to match your book to a catalog record, and that is the whole benefit. It is worth being clear about what it isn't: having one doesn't mean the Library of Congress holds your book, it doesn't oblige any library to buy or catalog it, and it isn't copyright registration. Traditionally and hybrid published authors normally ask whether a number was requested, often as part of the publisher's Cataloging in Publication request, and record it when it arrives; a United States self-publisher who meets the program's rules normally applies through the Author Portal before the book is printed. Record the number, print it in the form the Library specifies, and send the required finished copy after publication.	No fee. Participants must send a copy of the published book to the Library of Congress.	Add your LCCN
Not reviewed Learn more	PrePub Book Link The Library of Congress website where prepublication catalog numbers and catalog records are requested.	This is the form, not the program, so it matters only once you have decided you need a Library of Congress Control Number. If your book has a publisher you will not use it; normally you ask which program they submitted your title through and what number or data came back. If you publish the book yourself in the United States and meet the program's rules, the Author Portal is your entrance, the Publisher Portal is not, and the request has to go in before the book is published. Keep access to the right portal and record the number issued for the book.	Free. Participants must send a copy of the published book to the Library of Congress.	Nothing to record

What done looks like

A yes or no from the publisher on CIP participation and on whether this title has been submitted.
If yes, the expected timing of the CIP data and a plan to verify it on the copyright page.
If no, a decision about whether to pursue a Preassigned Control Number instead, if eligible.
The answer recorded in the Book Identity Sheet.

Ask your publisher

Copy this into an email. Replace the bracketed parts with your details.

Hi [Name], does the house participate in the Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication program, and has [Book Title] been submitted for CIP data? If so, could you let me know when the data is expected and confirm it will appear on the copyright page? If not, could you let me know whether a Preassigned Control Number will be requested instead? Thank you.

Sources and last checked

Official source: Official source (opens in a new tab)
Other sources: CIP membership requirements (opens in a new tab)
Preassigned Control Number program (opens in a new tab)
Last checked: September 13, 2026
How confident we are: Needs verification

Rules and deadlines change. We last checked this information on September 13, 2026. If you see something that needs updating, please tell us.