Introduction
Part 1: Book Industry Players and the Metadata Lifecycle
Part 1 explores the path and evolution of metadata through publishing and bookselling activities and channels and describes the players that create, distribute, enhance, and use metadata.
Chapter 1: The Metadata Lifecycle
Chapter 2: The Players
- Publishers
- Trade Publishers
- Professional and Scholarly Publishers
- Educational Publishers
- Small and Independent Publishers
- Self-Publishers
- Digital Publishing
- Selling from Publisher or Author Websites
- Book Data Aggregators
- Wholesalers, Distributors, and Ebook Aggregators
- Retailers
- Independent Bookstores
- Chain Bookstores
- Online Retailers
- Libraries
- Metadata Management Vendors
Part 2: Book Industry Metadata Standards
Part 2 outlines the history and development of book identifiers and book metadata standards, the organizations that administer the standards, and the role of standards in facilitating efficient data exchange in support of e-commerce.
Chapter 3: A Brief History of Metadata Standards and Practices
Chapter 4: Book Industry Standards for Sharing Metadata
- ISBN and Other Identifiers
- ONIX for Books
- Other Standards
Chapter 5: National and International Standards Organizations
- ISO and NISO
- The International ISBN Agency and National ISBN Registry Agencies
- EDItEUR and the ONIX Standard
Part 3: Essential Metadata Elements
Part 3 describes types of book metadata and the essential information about a book needed to fully support description, discovery, selection, and commerce needs. This section also explores the ways in which various metadata elements are used behind the scenes to drive search engines and machine-based decisions on what books to display to which readers.
Chapter 6: Must-Have Data for Bookselling
- Metadata for Book Content Description
- Metadata for Product Description
- Metadata for Commerce
Chapter 7: Must-Have Data for Selling Books
- ISBN
- Elements of Product Description
- Optimizing Metadata for Digital Publishing
- Metadata in the EPUB Standard
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Chapter 8: Enhancing Data to Stand Out in the Marketplace
Part 4: Metadata Best Practices and Certification Programs
Part 4 introduces the national publishing industry organizations for Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom and their approved metadata best practices. This section also discusses the certification and accreditation programs administered by the organizations. These programs evaluate and rate publisher metadata for compliance with industry standards, recommended core elements, and best practices.
Chapter 9: Book Industry Organizations
- Book Industry Communication (BIC)
- Book Industry Study Group (BISG)
- BookNet Canada (BNC)
Chapter 10: Best Practices
- Recommended Core Metadata Elements
- Definitions and Style Guide
- Guidelines for Using the ONIX Standard
Chapter 11: Certification and Accreditation Programs
- Book Industry Communication Product Data Excellence Awards
- Book Industry Study Group Data Certification Program
- BookNet Canada Bibliographic Certification Program
Part 5: Metadata and the Future of Publishing
Part 5 discusses how metadata standards and practices are evolving in response to the increased importance of digital publishing, the rise of self-publishing, shifts in the roles of publishing industry players, and changes in reader expectations. In conclusion, the authors share their thoughts on the meaning of these trends for the future of publishing and the role of metadata.