Discoverability

1. How to Make Your Titles More
Discoverable

2. What?
 Core
 Title/subtitle, author/contributors
 Format, price, page count, illustrations, series, edition, pub date
 ISBN, BISAC/subject codes, territorial rights
 Enhanced
 Long description (2,000 characters), short description (250 characters)
 Author/contributor biography
 Q&A, publicity, supplementary material
 Reviews, reader feedback

3. Why?
 Critical for online discovery, both print and ebook
 Most titles discovered via search query
 If title isn’t listed in the top 10–20 results of a query, no chance
of discovery
 Many different systems of classification
 Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, Bowker, Google, Ingram, etc.
 Often not compatible, different catalogs/vendors employ different fields
 XML data feed (usually ONIX) must be customized for each vendor
 Systems constantly changing

4. Where?
 Input
 Title management system (if working with a publisher or distributor)
 Or input directory into vendor system(s)
 Output
 ONIX feed delivers metadata to various catalogs and vendors
 1-2 weeks from input to visibility on catalog/vendor sites
 Check output regularly, varies from field to field, site to site
 Experiment! No limit to the number of times fields may be changed

5. The “How”
• Collection • Production • Distribution • Follow Thru
• (Business) • (Business/IT) • (IT) • (Business)

6. Collection Points

7. Collection Points
Editorial
Production
Marketing
Business
Management

8. Collection Points
Editorial Acquisition Development
Production
Marketing
Business
Management

9. Collection Points
Editorial Acquisition Development
Copy File
Production Editing
Design
Creation
Marketing
Business
Management

10. Collection Points
Editorial Acquisition Development
Copy File
Production Editing
Design
Creation
Launch/
Sales
Marketing Market Publicity Catalogs
Conference
Planning
Business
Management

11. Collection Points
Editorial Acquisition Development
Copy File
Production Editing
Design
Creation
Launch/
Sales
Marketing Market Publicity Catalogs
Conference
Planning
Business Price
Management Contracts Pub Plan
& Quantity

12. Collection Points
Editorial Acquisition Development
Copy File
Production Editing
Design
Creation
Launch/
Sales
Marketing Market Publicity Catalogs
Conference
Planning
Business Price
Management Contracts Pub Plan
& Quantity

13. Discoverability: Keywords
 Google Keyword Tool: adwords.google.com/keywordtool
 Market Samurai
 Choose your keywords
 Look for keywords with high monthly searches,
low competition
 Avoid general terms — aim to be targeted, relevant, and specific
 Use your keywords
 Incorporate into title/subtitle, description, keynote, author bio

14. Discoverability:
BISAC Codes
 Subject categories critical for retail and library classification and online
discoverability
 BISAC most common standard, often used in combination with more
proprietary classification systems (B&N, Amazon, Google, etc)
 52 main subject areas, 3,600+ categories
 Every category begins with “general”: avoid using this
 Try to assign at least 3 subcategory codes per title
 Current codes listed at www.bisg.org

15. Metadata: Maintenance
for Print Books
 Pre-Publication
 Review title/subtitle, cover image, description, author bio, BISAC
 Carefully manage publication date
 Post-Publication
 Add reviews, user feedback, author publicity and promotion
 Experiment with subject codes, price, etc.
 Brush Up Your Backlist
 The stronger the title, the more important to review periodically

16. Discoverability:
Book Evangelists
 Build a community around your book launch
 Targeted promotion
 Amazon: Reviews, Author Pages, Links, Build Sustained Buying
(Amazon Sales Rank), Lists
 Timing
 Get reviewers early. Request they post within week of launch

17. Discoverability:
Use Your Biggest Asset
 Use your content to promote
 Search Inside the Book
 Boost keyword search
 Make sure targeted keywords are part of your content
 Online galleys to build a fan base to help spread the word

18. BEN TODD
Chief Publisher Advocate
Firebrand Technologies
ben@firebrandtech.com