Metadata Guide

Professional metadata makes your books discoverable and distributable.

What is Metadata?

Metadata is “data about data” - information that describes your book. It helps:

  • Retailers - List and categorize your book correctly
  • Readers - Find your book when searching
  • Distributors - Route your book to appropriate channels
  • Libraries - Catalog and classify your work

Essential Metadata

Identifiers

ISBN (International Standard Book Number): - Unique identifier for each edition - 13 digits: 978-1-234567-89-7 - Each format needs its own ISBN (paperback, ebook, hardcover) - Purchase from your national ISBN agency

Title Information

Main Title: - Exactly as it appears on the cover - Don’t add edition info (“Paperback Edition”) - Don’t add series info (“Book 1”) - use the series field

Subtitle: - Secondary title text - Often explanatory or marketing-focused

Sort Title: - For alphabetization in catalogs - Removes leading articles: “The Great Gatsby” → “Great Gatsby, The” - Usually auto-generated

Contributors

List everyone who created the work:

  • Author - Primary creator
  • Editor - Content editor
  • Translator - Language translator
  • Illustrator - Visual artist
  • Narrator - Audiobook performer

Order matters. The first contributor is the primary one. The second is secondary, and so on.

To move a contributor, use the up and down chevrons in the Order column of its row.

See People & Contributors for more.

Descriptions

Short Description (up to 400 bytes): - One-sentence hook - Used in search results - The field shows a running byte count as you type

Long Description (up to 4000 bytes, HTML tags included): - Marketing copy for product pages - 3-4 paragraphs typical - Focus on benefits, not features - End with call-to-action

Categories

BISAC Codes: - Book Industry Subject and Category codes - Choose up to 5 codes - Be specific, not broad - Example: Not “Fiction” but “Fiction / Fantasy / Epic”

Thema Codes: - International alternative to BISAC - More granular than BISAC - Useful for international sales

Keywords

Search terms readers use:

Guidelines: - 5-10 keywords or short phrases - Don’t repeat words from your title - Think: themes, tropes, comparable titles

Good Keywords: - “enemies to lovers” - “portal fantasy” - “cozy mystery”

Bad Keywords: - Generic terms (“book”, “novel”) - Words from your title - Irrelevant terms

Publication Information

Imprint: - Your imprint name - Appears on the copyright page - Set in the Imprint field of the edition’s panel

Publication Date: - When book was/will be published - Can differ by edition - Set in the Publication date field of the edition’s panel

Language: - Primary language of the text - Set in Original Language on the title’s Publishing tab

Audience & Content

Target Audience: - Pick one value from the Target audience list. It is in the Target audience section of the title’s Description tab. - The list has twelve options. The first three are Adult / Trade / General, Young Adult / Teen, and Children / Juvenile. - The rest are education and language-teaching levels, such as Primary Education / Elementary (ages 5-11) and Higher Education / University. - Pick Children / Juvenile or Young Adult / Teen to show two more fields beside it: From age and To age.

Content Warnings: - With Adult / Trade / General, tick Contains adult-only content, sexually explicit or age-restricted material. A list of content warnings appears, such as Sexual content, Graphic violence and Strong language. - With Young Adult / Teen, tick Contains sensitive content requiring reader discretion. A list of sensitive content warnings appears, such as Depicts or describes self-harm and Severe bullying. - Other audiences show no content warnings.

Best Practices

Do’s

Be Specific: - Choose precise BISAC codes - Write unique descriptions - Use relevant keywords

Be Consistent: - Standardize author names across titles - Use same imprint name format

Be Complete: - Fill in all applicable fields - Add all contributors with proper roles

Be Compelling: - Write descriptions that sell - Use reader-focused language

Don’ts

  • Copy descriptions from other books
  • Choose BISAC codes just because they’re popular
  • Leave fields blank when information exists
  • Use ALL CAPS or excessive punctuation
  • Include your own reviews in descriptions

Metadata Checklist

Before publishing, verify:

  • ISBN assigned and correct
  • Title exactly matches cover
  • All contributors listed with roles
  • Description is compelling and error-free
  • Subject codes selected
  • Keywords added
  • Publication date correct
  • Copyright information complete

Resources

ISBN Agencies: - USA: Bowker (myidentifiers.com) - UK: Nielsen (nielsenisbnstore.com) - Other countries: Check your national agency

Subject Codes: - BISAC: bisg.org/complete-bisac-subject-headings-list - Thema: editeur.org/151/Thema/