The document discusses the importance of accurate and comprehensive metadata for books in the digital age. It outlines key metadata standards like ISBN, ONIX, and BISG Product Metadata Best Practices that can be used to ensure book metadata is complete and consistent. Following international metadata standards and best practices helps books and authors reach readers by making their information discoverable across different online platforms and sales channels.

1. Books, Marketing & Metadata
Positioning Strategies and Increasing Sales
The promotion and distribution of books in the new
environment of a connected world
Richard Stark
Director of Product Data, Barnes & Noble
Chair of the BISG Metadata Committee
La Feria Internacional del Libro de Bogotá
19 de abril de 2012

2. Agenda
Books: It all begins with the
book, but what exactly is a book
now?
Marketing: Mobile marketing,
marketing online, reaching your
customers wherever they are.
Metadata: What, exactly, is
metadata, and what does it have
to do with books and the
marketing of books?

3. It begins with a book…

4. But what,
exactly,
is a book
nowadays?

5. Books come in physical formats

6. But now books come on
these devices as well

7. Regardless of its format, each book we have loved…

8. …began with an author...

9. …and ended with a reader.

10. Our business is to connect
authors to readers.
Technology doesn’t
change that.

11. How we connect readers to books
(and their authors) has changed
People still But they also
want these… want these

12. We want readers to find our books
however they wish to read them
In the month of January
2011, e-books comprised 31
percent of all adult trade book
sales in the U.S.
Yet print book sales continue
to rise and many owners of
e-book readers continue to
buy print books
No ha muerto

13. Readers can purchase physical
books in many places…
At traditional At national and
independent international
bookshops bookstore chains
At From a table
“big box” on
stores the street

14. Readers can purchase and read
e-books in many places…

15. You probably already know how
to sell books in these places…
At traditional At national and
independent international
bookshops bookstore chains
At Library &
“big box” school
stores markets

16. But how well do you know how to
sell books on these?

17. Is Your Book Discoverable On:
Facebook: Give your customers the
opportunity to “like” a book and share
their opinion. Pay attention to what they
say in their comments.
Twitter: Does your author “tweet”?
Should your author “tweet”? Consider the
book’s audience.
Google: You should “tell” Google how to
discover your book. Don’t let them drive
the discovery process.

18. How do you get your book
discovered?
• People are so inundated with
advertising that your products can
easily be overlooked.
• Making your advertising bigger and
louder doesn’t necessarily mean
people will notice your ad.

19. Help Your Customers Find Your Products
Remember, in digital marketing:
• Your customers will find you more often
than your ad will find them.
• Your products must be
discoverable, regardless of the site, the
service, or the app they are using.
• If they don’t find your products, they will
find your competitors’ products

20. Today’s Readers Are Smart Consumers
They will find the same
book at your competitor…
…while they are
standing in your
store…
…and they will order it from your
competitor while they are standing in
your store.

21. We must reach readers
wherever they are.
But how?

22. The “Secret” to reaching your
customers, wherever they are is:

23. What is metadata anyway?
According to Webster, metadata is:
Data about other data.
That’s right…
Los datos sobre otros datos.
¿Cómo se dice “una definición circular" en ingles?

24. Samuel Johnson would not
accept such a definition
In the preface to his famous dictionary (the first comprehensive
dictionary of the English language), Johnson wrote:
...wherever I turned my
view, there was perplexity to be
disentangled and confusion to
be regulated...

25. Disentangling the perplexity of
metadata
• Metadata is, simply, the information that
describes the “data”
• For our purposes, the “data” is the book
• In other contexts, metadata describes a web
page, an XML message, a film, etc.

26. When your product
metadata is accurate and
comprehensive, your
customers will find this…

27. Bogotá, Colombia
• Pop. 6,840,116
• Founded 1537
• Elevation: 2,625 m
• Storied history
• Seat of national government
• Center of business
• Center of learning
• Pronounced bō-gō-̕tä,

28. Instead of this…

29. Bogota, New Jersey
• Population 8,187
• Founded 1894
• Elevation: 17 m
• Named for 17th-century Dutch
settler Roelof Bogert
• Home of Andy’s Corner Bar (say
hello to Tommy the bartender
when you visit)
• Pronounced /bə̕ɡoʊtə/ (rhymes
with pagoda)

30. If we think of the book itself as the data…
Then this is the metadata:
• ISBN • Subjects
• Title • Language
• Author • Series
• Publisher • Edition
• Publication • Price
Date • etc.
• Page count
• Format/binding
• Status/availability

31. Metadata used to look like this:
Author
Title
Publisher
ISBN
Subjects
Catalog cards, MARC records, ONIX product records all carry
the same basic information: The book’s metadata.

32. And it used to be stored in this:

33. Now metadata looks like this:
Title
Author
Publisher
Publication
date
ISBN
Format
Page count

34. And it is stored in this:

35. Book product metadata is…
• Your book’s “business card”
It lists your book’s credentials
• Your book’s listing in the
“Yellow Pages”
 It tells your customers how & where
to find your book
• Your book’s “real estate listing”
It lists your book’s selling points vs.
other books

36. Needless to say, you want your
book product metadata to be
accurate.
When it isn’t accurate, the results
can be frightening…

37. An actual catalog record
Title: You two are my favorites
ISBN-13: 9780123456786 ISBN-10: 0123456789
Publisher Comments: The cultural and natural World Edition Number: 3rd ed., rev.
Heritage thirty years after the adoption by UNESCO of Edition Description: Includes bibliographical
the World Heritage Convention (1972). references and index.
Production: Director, H.S. Rawail ; music, Madan Series: NIH publication
Mohan, Jaidev. Series Volume: 121
Performance: Rishi Kapoor, Ranjeeta, Ranjeet, Danny Publication Date: c2000
Denzongpa. Illustrations: Yes
Publisher: HenRhoad Productions Pages: 432 p.
Location: Columbus, Ind.
Subject: Neuropsychopharmacology Subject: Psychiatry -- Research.
Subject: Research Subject: Photovoltaic power generation.
Subject: Psychiatry Subject: Solar cells.
Subject: Neurosciences Subject: Munich (Germany) Pictorial works.
Subject: Neuropharmacology Subject: Opioid habit.
Subject: Neurophysiology Subject: Buprenorphine -- Therapeutic use -- Congresses.
Subject: Mental Disorders Subject: Prose poems, Canadian.
Subject: Munich Subject: Opioid-Related Disorders.
Subject: Neuropsychiatry Subject: Poâesie canadienne-anglaise
Subject: Canadian poetry Subject: Poáemes en prose canadiens-anglais
Subject: Feature films Subject: Buprenorphine

38. Accurate product metadata: A true story
Cien años de soledad Cien anos de soledad
Perdona
la palabra,
por favor.

39. Accurate, timely product
metadata increases sales.
This has been proven…

40. Metadata and sales
According to a Nielsen study of the top-selling
100,000 books in the U.K. in 2011:
Books without complete basic data or an image sold, on
average, 385 copies in 2011.
Books that added a cover image saw sales increase to 1,416, a
268% boost.
Books with complete basic data but no image had average
sales under 437 copies.
Books with all of the necessary data and image
requirements, had average sales reach 2,205. This
represents an increase of 473% in comparison to those
records which have neither the complete basic data
elements or an image.

41. So how do I ensure quality metadata?
Follow international standards and best practices
ISBN
ONIX
BISG Product Metadata Best Practices or BIC Basic
BISAC or BIC Subjects
ISNI

42. ISBN: International Standard Book Number
• ISBN was first standardized in 1972
• One of the most successful information standards
every adopted
• In late 1990s, a shortage of numbers loomed
• Standard revised in 2005: ISBN lengthened to 13
digits
• ISBN-13 formally launched in January 2007
• 979- prefix ISBNs are already in use in France
• ISBN-10 should always be converted to ISBN-13

43. Print Books and e-books Need ISBNs
• Each distinct format of a book needs its own ISBN
– Don’t recycle print ISBNs for e-books!
• If you publish e-books in more than one format,
(e.g, both ePUB & PDF), each format should get its
own ISBN
• Each separately traded book product needs its own
ISBN.
– This helps ensure you will get paid properly and get
credited for the sale.
• Google and other search engines love ISBNs
– Make sure your book is returned in an ISBN search

44. ONIX (ONline Information eXchange)
• Highly robust information standard capable of
conveying rich product data
• XML-based
• Large base of suppliers and recipients
• Version 2.1 released in 2003; widely adopted in
North America
• Version 2.1 offers good support for e-book data
• Version 3.0 released in 2010; gaining acceptance
internationally among e-book publishers
• Version 3.0 offers detailed support for e-book data
• Detailed Best Practices are available

45. ONIX Looks Like This
<ProductIdentifier>
<ProductIDType>15</ProductIDType>
<IDValue>9789875780644</IDValue>
</ProductIdentifier>
<ProductForm>BC</ProductForm> ISBN
<ProductFormDetail>B106</ProductFormDetail>
<Title>
<TitleType>01</TitleType>
<TitleText>La vida breve</TitleText>
<TitlePrefix>La</TitlePrefix>
Format
<TitleWithoutPrefix>vida breve</TitleWithoutPrefix>
<Subtitle>Town and District</Subtitle>
</Title>
<Contributor> Title
<SequenceNumber>1</SequenceNumber>
<ContributorRole>A01</ContributorRole>
<PersonName>Juan Carlos Onetti</PersonName>
<PersonNameInverted>Onetti, Juan Author/contributor
Carlos</PersonNameInverted>
<NamesBeforeKey>Juan Carlos</NamesBeforeKey>
<KeyNames>Onetti</KeyNames>
</Contributor>
Edition information
<EditionTypeCode>NED</EditionTypeCode>
<EditionNumber>1</EditionNumber>
<Language>
<LanguageRole>01</LanguageRole>
<LanguageCode>spa</LanguageCode>
Language
</Language>
<NumberOfPages>420</NumberOfPages>
<BICMainSubject>FA</BICMainSubject> Page count
<Subject>
<SubjectSchemeIdentifier>13</SubjectSchemeIdentifier>
<SubjectCode>1KL</SubjectCode> Subject
<Subect>
<AudienceCode>01</AudienceCode>

46. Once you load the ONIX files into your
systems, you can easily output the data to a web
<ProductIdentifier>
site
<ProductIDType>15</ProductIDType>
<IDValue>9789875780644</IDValue>
</ProductIdentifier>
<ProductForm>BC</ProductForm>
<ProductFormDetail>B106</ProductFormDetail>
<Title>
<TitleType>01</TitleType>
<TitleText>La vida breve</TitleText>
<TitlePrefix>La</TitlePrefix>
<TitleWithoutPrefix>vida breve</TitleWithoutPrefix>
<Subtitle>Town and District</Subtitle>
</Title>
<Contributor>
<SequenceNumber>1</SequenceNumber>
<ContributorRole>A01</ContributorRole>
<PersonName>Juan Carlos Onetti</PersonName>
<PersonNameInverted>Onetti, Juan Carlos</PersonNameInverted>
<NamesBeforeKey>Juan Carlos</NamesBeforeKey>
<KeyNames>Onetti</KeyNames>
</Contributor>
<EditionTypeCode>NED</EditionTypeCode>
<EditionNumber>1</EditionNumber>
<Language>
<LanguageRole>01</LanguageRole>
<LanguageCode>spa</LanguageCode>
</Language>
<NumberOfPages>420</NumberOfPages>
<BICMainSubject>FA</BICMainSubject>
<Subject>
<SubjectSchemeIdentifier>13</SubjectSchemeIdentifier>
<SubjectCode>1KL</SubjectCode>
<Subect>
<AudienceCode>01</AudienceCode>

47. ONIX, Alas, Is Not Magic
• ONIX won’t improve your metadata by itself
• It is just a container in which you move your
product metadata
• You have to improve the data in your own systems
• Best practices can help you do this
• ONIX Best Practices
• BISG Product Metadata Best Practices
• BIC Basic

48. BISG Product Metadata Best
Practices Overview
• Two sets of Best Practices:
• For data providers (e.g., publishers, distributors, data aggregators)
• For data recipients (e.g., booksellers, libraries, data aggregators)
• Guidance on when data providers should supply various
metadata elements, e.g.:
• Author name should be supplied 180 days before a book is released
• Page count may be estimated until 30 days prior to a book’s
publication
• Establishes minimum levels of service for data recipients
• Recipients should acknowledge receipt of metadata
• Metadata should be processed promptly

49. BISG Product Metadata Best
Practices for Data Providers
• Based on the ONIX for Books metadata standard
• Limited to 30 key data elements
• Compatible with
• BIC Basic
• Canadian Bibliographic Standard
• Detailed style rules on each data element available in
Product Metadata Best Practices
• Although based on ONIX, an Excel template is also provided

50. BISG Product Metadata Best Practices
Focus on These Core Data Elements
1. Standard Product Identifier (ISBN- 17. Edition Information
13/GTIN-13/EAN-13) 18. Intended Audience for Product
2. Title/Name of Product 19. Case Pack/Carton Quantity
3. Contributor(s) 20. Related products
4. Publisher/Imprint/Brand Name 21. Territorial Rights
5. Price(s) 22. Bar Code Indicator
6. Publisher's Proprietary Discount Code 23. Weight and Dimensions
7. Publisher Status Code 24. Return Code
8. Product Availability Code 25. Extent (Page Count/ Running
9. Product Form Time/File Size)
(Format/Binding/Packaging) 26. Distributor(s)/Vendor(s) of Record
10. DRM/Usage Constraints 27. Number of Pieces
11. Software/Hardware requirements 28. Textual Description(s) of Product &
12. Publication Date(s) Other Text (e.g., sample chapter)
13. Strict-On-Sale Date 29. Illustration & Multimedia details
14. BISAC Subject/BIC Subject 30. Digital Image(s) of Product
15. Language(s) of Product Content
16. Series/Set Information

51. BIC Basic
BIC Basic consists of three elements:
• A statement of the basic data elements of a product
record, whether for physical or digital products, which
publishers and bibliographic agencies should be able to
provide, accurately and on time, to UK retail booksellers and
other supply chain intermediaries.
• A set of guidelines and recommendations for the provision
of product data.
• A timetable for publishers for the electronic supply of
product data to data aggregators.

52. BISAC Subject Codes
• Industry-standard in the United States and Canada
• 52 major subject headings sections defining broad subject
areas
• 3,822 detailed subject categories
• BISAC also has separate listing of 77 Merchandising Themes
listing seasonal, cultural, and topical themes that cross
subjects
• BISAC also publishes a list of Regional Themes that allow for
geographical classification of books across subjects
• Actively maintained and updated annually by BISG
• Easily mapped from BIC Subject Categories

53. BIC Subject Categories
• Industry-standard in the United Kingdom
• Widely used in Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa
• 18 sections defining broad subject areas
• Over 2,600 detailed subject categories
• Separate children’s section that covers all subjects
• All codes are hierarchically arranged, and of various length depending on
their position in the hierarchy
• Over 900 Qualifiers covering 5 distinct additional aspects:
• Geographical area • Educational Purpose
• Language • Interest Age & Special Interest
• Time Period

54. New IBIC Subject Taxonomy
BIC Subject Categories have been adapted for use in:
• Italy • Russia
• Sweden • Spain
• At the 2011 Frankfurt Book Fair, EDItEUR announced the development of a new
global, multilingual subject classification scheme
• Will be based on the long-established BIC subject categories
• Individual countries’ needs will be met by extensions to the ‘qualifiers’ which
define geographical, historical, educational and other country-specific aspects.
• First release of the new scheme is planned for October 2012
• Participation and support from publishing industries in:
• United Kingdom • Sweden • Netherlands
• Spain • Germany • Norway
• Italy • Portugal • Arab countries

55. ISNI: International Standard
Name Identifier
• Each Public identity of a given Party gets its own ISNI:
• Lewis Caroll & Charles Lutwidge Dodgson get separate
ISNIs
• Separate identities that are the same person can be
linked
• Authors of the same name get distinct ISNIs:
• Thomas Wolfe
• Tom Wolfe, author of The Bonfire of the Vanities
• Tom Wolfe, author of numerous books on
woodcarving

56. Character-Set & Spelling
Differences Don’t Change the ISNI
• Günter Graß, Guenter Grass and Guenter Graß are
character set variances of the same Public Identity
• Ciaikovsky, Pjotr Iljc and Пётр Ильич Чайковский
are transliteration variances of the same public
identity and also receive the same ISNI.
• Pyotr Tchaikovsky and Peter Tchaikovsky are
linguistic variances of the same public identity and
again receive the same ISNI

57. For More Information
• ISBN: www.isbn-international.org
• Or consult your national ISBN agency
• ONIX: www.editeur.org
• EDItEUR maintains many useful standards in
addition to ONIX
• BIC: www.bic.org.uk
• For information on BIC Basic & BIC Subject
Categories
• BISG: www.bisg.org
• For information on BISG Product Metadata
Best Practices & BISAC Subject Codes

58. The Importance of Standards
• Standardization is about developing scalability
• How quickly could the e-book business have
grown without the acceptance of the ePub
standard?
• What if there were dozens of e-book file
types instead of the ePub?
• How difficult would it have been for the retail
sector to grow without the EAN and bar code
standards?
• Working together we make it easy for every
organization to operate in the information economy

59. Remember…
• Get your product metadata right
and your customers will find your
products
• Don’t be wedded to your existing
methods of
production, marketing, and
developing new authors
• If you build it correctly, they will
come.

60. Remember Accurate Product Metadata…
And you won’t …with this.
confuse this…
The Liberator rhymes with Oliver

61. Muchas gracias.
Richard Stark
Director of Product Data, Barnes & Noble
Chair of the BISG Metadata Committee
rstark@bn.com
+1-212-352-3816
rstark@speakeasy.net
+1-917-535-5258