Fiona Green, our Senior Metadata Manager from our award-winning metadata team, goes through the crucial difference that metadata makes for selling and marketing a book – and what you, as an author, can do to help us get it right.
Metadata is all of the information that describes and categorises your book. We used to think of books as just needing a good cover and a blurb, because they were sold in physical shops and needed to stand out on a shelf. However, now, as more and more sales happen online, the metadata we send out is what’s in the shop window.
Metadata is what makes sure your title is discoverable, inspires customers to find out more and ultimately purchase a copy. I use ‘customer’ rather than ‘reader’ as this includes booksellers, online retailers, librarians and lecturers as well as academics, students and individuals who will eventually read your book.
From the price, publication date, format and extent to the author biography, description, table of contents and jacket cover, each item of data has a specific field in Bloomsbury’s own database, which in turn feeds the databases of the vendors we sell through and furnishes their virtual shop windows.
There are also ‘publishing specific’ fields such as Thema and BISAC subject codes as well as Audience codes. These are the codes used by bookshops and online retailers, including Amazon, to decide which subject category to allocate your book to. Keywords will also be added to provide alternative search terms for your book. These sit in the ‘backend’ of retailer websites to inform search results and discoverability.
Well-thought-out codes and keywords are essential for achieving exceptional visibility and a high ranking online because without them, the readers for your book simply may not find it.
Booksellers, library suppliers and data aggregators require a full metadata feed up to 9 months ahead of publication. This is so they can manage the data in their own systems, distribute it to customers and place orders.
Before this date, your marketer and editor will check and sign off your title’s metadata in our database. It is why you may be requested to review an updated description or supply a table of contents for your book ahead of submitting the manuscript. The market demands it!
The metadata is also used internally by many departments at Bloomsbury, including production, royalties and marketing, as well as our distribution warehouses and for displaying titles on Bloomsbury.com.
The standard format for sending book metadata externally is via an ONIX feed. It provides a ‘common language’ for metadata to be transferred from one database to another.
Online retailers, bookshops and libraries are keen to make sure they have the most up-to-date information and will therefore take ONIX feeds from various sources – from the publisher directly and also from several book industry data aggregators.
This is why it can sometimes be difficult for us to retrieve incorrect metadata once it is ‘out there’ – and why your publishing team will inwardly groan if there’s a mistake that finds its way onto an online retailer’s website! A new ONIX feed will be sent out, but it can take time for the amendments to feed through and we cannot guarantee all partners will update their systems.
Outstanding metadata is a powerful ‘silent seller’; it makes sure your book can be discovered and purchased while we are all asleep.
So how can you help? Here are 5 top tips for you to consider when submitting a new book proposal:
Be clear on who your book is for and what needs it will meet. It is better to be specific rather than trying to appeal to everyone. We will then make sure the correct subject and audience codes are assigned, and the descriptive copy hits the right tone.
Top Tip – spend time visualising your reader and explain who they are to your editor.
Make sure your title and subtitle clearly explain what your book is about
First impressions count. A customer wants to be able to take a quick look at the title and understand whether it is relevant to them and how it is different from similar books. They also need to be able to find it – an abstract title might hinder this!
Top Tip – try googling the title you’d like to use for your book and see what search results come up. Do they reflect the readers you’re trying to reach? How can you differentiate your title from the competition?
Start your copy with a strong opening line that sums up the book but doesn’t repeat the title or subtitle. It must spark interest and encourage a reader to ‘click through’ while also using strong keywords to appeal to search engines and support discoverability.
Top Tip – imagine you are in lift with a friend, and only travelling a couple of floors. How would you describe your book to them for maximum impact and appeal in the limited time? Now have a go at writing a description using the same natural language.
Include examples of the themes, people, places, time periods, case studies and features covered by your book. This is also a great way to get keywords in to your title, table of contents and descriptive copy too.
Top Tip – Highlight what is unique or special about your book. Avoid giving a potted history of the subject or using esoteric chapter headings.
Metadata is a central consideration for Bloomsbury, you could say we’re obsessed with it! If your editor has questions about the title or suggestions regarding the descriptive copy, it will be to make sure your book can be discovered and categorised precisely.
Top Tip – talk through title and copy ideas with your editor, they will be happy to discuss and get further views from their sales and marketing colleagues as helpful.
Fiona Green is Senior Metadata Manager at Bloomsbury.
Please visit Bloomsbury.com for our SEO for authors guide and more tips for promoting your book.
