Managing Titles

Learn how to create and manage your book catalog in Pubblish.

What is a Title?

In Pubblish, a Title represents a distinct intellectual work - a book. A single title can have multiple editions (paperback, hardcover, ebook, audiobook), but they all share the same core content and metadata.

Creating a Title

Basic Information

Every title needs:

  • Title - The main title of the work
  • Subtitle (optional) - Additional descriptive text

A URL-friendly slug is automatically generated from your title.

Example: - Title: “The Great Gatsby” - Subtitle: “A Novel”

Sorting and Display

Sort Title is automatically generated but can be customized: - “The Great Gatsby” becomes “Great Gatsby, The” - “A Tale of Two Cities” becomes “Tale of Two Cities, A”

This ensures proper alphabetical sorting in catalogs.

Contributors

Contributors are the people who created the work.

Adding Contributors

  1. In the Contributors section, search for an existing person or create a new one
  2. Choose their role:
  3. Author - Primary creator
  4. Editor - Content editor
  5. Illustrator - Visual artist
  6. Translator - Language translator
  7. Introduction By - Wrote introduction
  8. Narrator - Audiobook performer
  9. And many more…
  10. Set sequence number (order of importance/listing)

Contributors vs People

People and Contributors are related but separate concepts:

  • Person - The real human being (legal entity) with legal name, address, payment details
  • Contributor - A public persona (pen name, biography, author brand)

One person can have multiple contributor personas. For example, “J.K. Rowling” and “Robert Galbraith” are two contributors linked to one person.

See People & Contributors for more details.

Editions

A title can have multiple editions - different physical or digital formats.

Common Edition Types

  • Paperback - Trade paperback edition
  • Hardcover - Hardback/clothbound edition
  • Ebook - Digital edition (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)
  • Audiobook - Audio narration
  • Large Print - Accessibility edition

Creating an Edition

  1. On the title page, find the Editions section
  2. Click Add Edition
  3. Fill in edition-specific details:
  4. Format - Edition type
  5. ISBN - International Standard Book Number
  6. Publication Date - When this edition was/will be published

Edition-Specific Details

Each edition can have its own: - ISBN (each format needs its own) - Publication date (formats may release at different times) - Physical specifications (for print editions)

Copyrights

Manage copyright notices for your title.

  1. In the Copyrights section, click Add Copyright
  2. Fill in:
  3. Holder - Who owns this copyright
  4. Year - Copyright year (e.g., 2024)
  5. Description - What this copyright covers (optional)

Multiple Copyrights

Some books have multiple copyrights:

Example: 1. “© 2024 Jane Author” (text) 2. “© 2024 John Artist” (illustrations)

Keywords

Add up to 10 custom keywords to improve discoverability. Think about: - Genre terms readers might search - Themes and topics - Comparable titles or “readers who liked X”

Don’t repeat words from your title - these are additional search terms.

Subject Classifications

Pubblish supports industry-standard subject classification:

  • BISAC Codes - Book Industry Standards and Communications codes (used in North America)
  • Thema Codes - International subject classification standard

You can add multiple codes from each system. See the Metadata Guide for more on subject classification.

Content Warnings

Mark content that may need retailer categorization or reader warnings:

  • Adult Content - Sexual content requiring age restrictions
  • Sensitive Content - Violence, strong language, or other sensitive topics

These help retailers categorize appropriately.

Target Audience

Specify who the book is for:

  • General/Adult
  • Young Adult
  • Children (with age range)

Best Practices

Title Entry

Do: - Use the exact title as it appears on the cover - Include subtitle if it’s part of the cover design

Don’t: - Add series information to the title (use Series feature instead) - Include edition info in the title (“Paperback Edition”)

Metadata Quality

Do: - Choose specific BISAC/Thema codes (not broad categories) - Add relevant keywords readers would search for - Include all contributors with proper roles

Don’t: - Choose subject codes just because they’re popular - Keyword-stuff or use irrelevant terms - Forget to credit editors, translators, illustrators

Edition Management

Do: - Create separate editions for each format - Use proper ISBNs for each edition

Don’t: - Use the same ISBN for multiple formats - Create separate titles for different editions of the same work