Publishing

Why Every Self-Published Author Needs Book Metadata

Having the correct book metadata ensures that your work is easy to find by readers. It is essential when self-publishing.

When you self-publish a book, it’s important to have the right book metadata in place. But what is book metadata? Put simply, book metadata is data about your book that helps identify it in a searchable database. This includes information such as the title, author name, ISBN, publisher, and even keywords related to the content.

What is book metadata?

When it comes to self-publishing, the book metadata is one of the most critical elements that authors need to understand and utilize effectively. It is a set of descriptive information about a book that helps it be identified and located by readers, retailers, distributors, and other industry players.

Book metadata includes basic details such as the book's title, author's name, publication date, and publisher's name, as well as more detailed information such as the book's genre, page count, book format, language, target audience, and keywords that describe the book's content.

As an author, understanding the importance of book metadata is critical in ensuring your book gets the exposure it deserves. In the next section, we'll explore why book metadata is so important for self-published authors.

Why is book metadata important for self-published authors?

As a self-published author, your book is your business, and book metadata is essential to make sure your business gets noticed. Metadata is the information that describes your book and helps potential readers find it when they are browsing online bookstores or searching the internet.

Visibility & Discoverability - Metadata is crucial in making your book visible to readers and attracting potential buyers, especially on online platforms where books are often discovered through keyword searches or recommended by algorithms based on their metadata. It can also impact the discoverability of your book in online marketplaces and help to improve your book's visibility on search engines.

Without accurate and comprehensive book metadata, your book may be difficult to discover in online search results and may not attract the attention of potential readers. For example, if your book is about gardening and you forget to include the keyword "gardening" in the metadata, readers searching for gardening books may not find it. Moreover, poor or missing metadata may cause your book to be excluded from certain categories, making it more difficult for readers to find it.

Sales Impact - In addition to making your book more discoverable, metadata can also impact sales. Effective metadata can attract readers to your book by giving them a glimpse into what it's about and making it stand out among other books in the same genre. Good metadata can help convince potential readers to purchase your book by highlighting its unique features and benefits.

Key elements of book metadata

Here are some key elements that should be included in your book metadata:

1. Title and Subtitle - Your book title should be concise and clear and give the reader a clear understanding of the content. The subtitle is optional but can provide more detail about your book.
2. Author - Make sure your author name is spelled correctly and matches your brand or pen name. You can also include an author bio. If there is more than one contributor, include their names as well.
3. Description - A compelling book description that gives the reader an overview of what to expect when they read your book.
4. ISBN - The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is a unique identifier assigned to each edition of your book.
5. Categories and keywords - Categorizing your book and choosing appropriate keywords can help your book show up in relevant searches on platforms like Amazon.
6. Cover image - Your book cover should be professional and visually appealing to catch the reader's attention.
7. Format - Include the format of your book, such as paperback, hardcover, or e-book.
8. Page count - Your book's page count is important information for readers and helps to set expectations.
9. Physical information - This includes number of illustrations, paper color, paper weight, trim size, and other related details.
10. Imprint – Are you self-publishing under an imprint? You can input the name in your metadata.
11. Series & Volume - If your book is part of a series, be sure to include a link to the other books.
12. Table of contents – If allowed, it’s recommended that you include your table of contents. This information is sure to be useful for your potential readers.

Other metadata information that you may include are the price of your book, the reader category who will enjoy your book, the publisher's name, the publication date, and the genre your book falls into.

Including all of these key elements in your book metadata can help make your book discoverable by potential readers. Remember, metadata should be accurate and consistent across all platforms to improve your chances of success as a self-published author.