ISBN Magic for Google Sheets
ISBN Magic is a Google Sheets add-on that looks up bibliographic data for a list of ISBNs — title, authors, publisher, cover image, dimensions, and more — and writes the results directly into your spreadsheet.
Setup
ISBN Magic is available from the Google Workspace Marketplace. After installing:
- Open Google Sheets
- Click ISBN Magic in the menu bar
- Click Open ISBN Magic — you'll be prompted to connect your Bookhead account the first time
Your account is connected automatically using your Google identity. No password needed.
How to use it
- Select your ISBNs — highlight the cells containing ISBNs (one per row, first column of your selection)
- Open the sidebar — ISBN Magic → Open ISBN Magic
- Choose your fields — pick which data to retrieve (see Available fields below)
- Click Get ISBN data — results write to the columns immediately to the right of your selection
The sidebar shows how many ISBNs are selected so you know what you're about to run.
Available fields
Fields are grouped into sections. Click a section header to expand it.
Core
The most commonly needed fields, selected by default.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Title | Book title |
| Authors (joined) | All authors as a single string |
| ISBN-13 | 13-digit ISBN |
| ISBN-10 | 10-digit ISBN |
| Publisher | Publisher name |
| Binding | e.g. Hardcover, Paperback |
| Date published | Publication date |
| Pages | Page count |
| MSRP | List price in USD |
Detail
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Title (long) | Full title including subtitle |
| ISBN (raw) | ISBN as entered, unformatted |
| Edition | Edition number or name |
| Language | Publication language |
| Dewey decimal | Dewey Decimal classification |
| Subjects (joined) | All subjects as a single string |
| Synopsis | Book description |
| Dimensions (string) | Dimensions as a single string |
| Dimensions (JSON) | Dimensions as structured JSON |
Dimensions
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Length (inches) | |
| Width (inches) | |
| Height (inches) | |
| Weight (pounds) |
Images
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Image | Cover image (thumbnail) |
| Image (original) | Cover image (full size) |
When an image field is selected, choose how to display it:
- Show URL — writes the image URL as text
- Show image in cell — embeds the image using an
IMAGE()formula
Arrays
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Authors (separate columns) | One column per author |
| Subjects (separate columns) | One column per subject |
When Authors is selected, choose the name format:
- First Last — e.g. Cormac McCarthy
- Last, First — e.g. McCarthy, Cormac
Credits
Each ISBN lookup uses one credit. Your remaining credits are shown at the bottom of the sidebar.
| Plan | Credits |
|---|---|
| Free | 100 lifetime lookups |
| Faulkner | 1,000 per month |
| McCullers | Unlimited |
To upgrade your plan, visit bookhead.net.
Support
For help or feedback, visit bookhead.net/support.