What is metadata in publishing?
- Structured information retailers and databases use to display books.
- Standard fields: title, subtitle, author, description, keywords, BISAC, ISBN, price, date.
- Fed through ONIX feeds to retailers.
- The keyword and BISAC choice drives discoverability.
- Each retailer requires different metadata field formats.
Metadata in publishing is the structured information about a book that retailers, search engines, and databases use to display and recommend it: title, subtitle, author, description, keywords, BISAC codes, ISBN, price, publication date. Modern metadata is fed through ONIX feeds to retailers; correct metadata is what makes books discoverable.
Chapter i·Why it matters
Metadata is what tells retailers and AI search systems what your book is. A muddled metadata pass produces a book that doesn’t show up in genre searches even if the content is excellent. Most indie authors leave money on the table by treating metadata as a quick task at the end instead of a deliverable in its own right.
Chapter ii·What to include
- Title and subtitle.
- Author name (legal or pen name).
- Long description (~4,000 characters) and short description (~300 characters).
- 7 keywords (KDP limit) from competitive analysis.
- 2-3 BISAC codes for genre placement.
- ISBN per format (print, ebook, audiobook).
- Price and pre-order pricing strategy.
Chapter iii·Example
A self-publishing author’s metadata package for her 75,000-word romance: title and subtitle, 4,000-character description, 7 keywords from Publisher Rocket, 3 BISAC codes, ISBN per format, $4.99 ebook + $14.99 print pricing. She reviews the metadata at T-90, T-30, and T+30 based on category performance.
Chapter iv·Related questions
WriteLoom holds the canonical metadata sheet and exports per-retailer formats.
See the Sell studio