1. Metadata

2. IntroductionWhat is Metadata?You may see metadata as a grid, a task to becompleted, a necessary evil. You may even see it as anend result: a description, an author bio, a title. INscribe Digital. All rights reserved | CONFIDENTIAL | 2 3. IntroductionBut really, metadata is:Your Bookseller! In this age of online discovery, your metadata is what sells your customer on your book over all the rest.. INscribe Digital. All rights reserved | CONFIDENTIAL | 3 4. Why is Metadata my bookseller now?According to a recent eMarketer survey, 61% of purchasers researched& browsed online before purchasing. Only 37% of purchasers did so inphysical stores. Data from Bowkers consumer research initiativesbacks up this trend and Nielsen is looking at ways of expandingBookscan to include that sort of data as well. http://www.ecpa.org/news/54960/Your-Metadata-is-More-Important-Than-Your-Books.htm INscribe Digital. All rights reserved | CONFIDENTIAL | 4 5. According to BowkerTop Reasons People Will Buy Books Popular searches people use to find books: Covers TOCs Book Reviews Summaries Author bio Description of the book Sample chapters Subject codeshttps://www.myidentifiers.com/isbn/market_your_book INscribe Digital. All rights reserved | CONFIDENTIAL | 5 6. Also according to BowkerTop Reasons For Choosing TitlePopular searches people use to find books:Like The AuthorLike This SeriesLiked Topic/SubjectLike CharacterPriceIntrigued By Book TitleCover/Jacket Description / TestimonialsLooked Thru Book, And Liked ItSpecial Offer / PriceGood Book ReviewCover ArtOn Bestseller ListMovie/TV Show Based On BookRecommended From Media Personality/ TV Show https://www.myidentifiers.com/isbn/market_your_book INscribe Digital. All rights reserved | CONFIDENTIAL | 6 7. PW Daily says, We know that good metadata can drive sales. Whatwe sometimes forget is that a lack of good metadata is a sales killer. According to Mark Ruffilio, CEO of Bookswim.com, Look at itthis way: if your book is shelved in the wrong location in a bookstore,it has little chance of selling. Online retailers, meanwhile, arebecoming increasingly sophisticated, monitoring sales and customerdata to create recommendation algorithms to push sales. Withoutgood data, your books will either be dropped from thoserecommendations (as they arent bought) or they will be incorrectlyrecommended (and therefore never bought). INscribe Digital. All rights reserved | CONFIDENTIAL | 7 8. Example #1: Bestselling Metadata #4 Bestseller right after the Hunger Games trilogy is a littleknown author with a new mystery series. Manhattanites + Vermont = a pret near perfect cozy debut In bucolic small-town Vermont, Stella Thornton Buckley feels out of her elementand not just because shes fresh from Manhattan. Mere hours after moving to maple syrup country, she and her husband, Nick, find a dead man, Allen Weston, in their well. The police investigation forces the couple out of their lovely farmhouse andsince the motels are packed with leafpeepersinto a less than luxurious deer camp. Instead of mourning the loss of electricity and running water, Stella and Nick drive their Smart Car all over the Vermont hamlet to question the quirky locals about Weston, a shrewd businessman who rubbed a lot of folks the wrong way.8 9. Example #1: Bestselling Metadata Format: Kindle Edition Average Customer Review: 4.0out of 5 stars See all reviews (6customer reviews) Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100Paid in Kindle Store) #1 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Fiction > Genre Fiction > Mystery & Thrillers > Mystery > Women Sleuths #1 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Mystery > Women Sleuths #1 in Books > Literature & Fiction INscribe Digital. All rights reserved | CONFIDENTIAL |9 10. Example #2: Great Metadata A KILLER STALKS HIS PREYA calculating and deadly killer is in search for what he terms as his perfect family. Preying uponsingle mothers and their innocent children, the police have dubbed him "The Family Man.HE WATCHES THEM...HE TAKES THEM...He plays out his role as the perfect father. When things dont go so perfect in his insane fantasyworld, the family man kills.HOLLY JENNINGS IS ON THE CASECrime Scene Investigator Holly Jennings of the San Diego Police Department is determined totrack him down and see that justice is served. With Holly being a single mother herself, this manscrimes are deeply personal to her, and turn more so when a friend and her daughter become thelatest victims of The Family Man."Along with tracking an evil killer, Holly is dealing with her own internal demons. She is raising herdaughter Chloe alone after the death of her husband--a death she feels guilty for.To complicate her life further, Holly is doing her best to avoid possibly falling in love again withcharming veterinarian Brendan ONeil. As Holly delves deeper into solving the murders, she findsherself being sucked into a game of cat and mouse by "The Family Man," that may lead her downa dark path too horrible to bear. One that may cost her gravely-her family, her new found love, andeven her life. INscribe Digital. All rights reserved | CONFIDENTIAL | 10 11. Example #2: Great Metadata Format: Kindle Edition Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (22 customer reviews) Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store) #1 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Fiction > Genre Fiction > Romance > Romantic Suspense #1 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Thrillers > Psychological Thrillers #1 in Books > Romance > Romantic Suspense INscribe Digital. All rights reserved | CONFIDENTIAL | 11 12. Example #1: Suffering Metadata When Jem and Oliver accidentally fall through a portal to another world just beforetheir first year of high school, they quickly discover that all is not well here. The firstperson they meet, a creepy old man named Atychis, almost gets them killed by aferocious, fire-breathing dragon. Theyre only narrowly saved when Sierra, a shy farmgirl from a nearby town, uses illegal magic to help them escape. Allowed to stay withher family while they try to figure out a way back home, Jem and Oliver begin to learnof magic and the Regime that is oppressing it.It isnt until the Regime kills a woman that the three kids realize they have to dosomething to stop the Regime from taking over completely. After being framed for acrime they didnt commit and banished from the town, Jem, Oliver, and Sierra take offon an adventure across this strange world in an attempt to defeat the Regime. Newcreatures and new kinds of magic are around every corner, but so are dangers thatcould have them wishing they were back safe at home.Through the Portal is approximately 104,000 words and is the first in a plannedtrilogy.The most unique characteristic within the book is the use of sylph, a physicalmanifestation of magic that allows the user to manipulate it however they need whileexerting minimal energy. Sylph makes transportation available through sylphcyclesand sylphquads, and is just one of the exciting new concepts explored in this magical INscribe Digital. All rights reserved | CONFIDENTIAL | 12and complex world. 13. Example #1: Suffering Metadata Format: Kindle Edition Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews) Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #71,943 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store) INscribe Digital. All rights reserved | CONFIDENTIAL | 13 14. Example #2: Suffering Metadata NO PUBLISHER PROVIDED DESCRIPTION: fills in with PW review In Myerss over-the-top 15th crime caper starring Amish-Mennonite sleuthand innkeeper Magdalena Yoder (after 2006s Grape Expectations), thecorpse du jour is the once-handsome scoundrel Cornelius Weaver, whomay have been murdered by any one of seven womenhis lovers. Familiarcast members provide the usual foils to Magdalenas running (and oftenvery tired) jokes and too-breezy banter as she worries about her looks andupcoming mixed faith marriage to Dr. Gabriel Rosen more than she doesabout her investigation of Corneliuss killer. The thin plot is so improbableand haphazard, its a relief but no great surprise when Magdalena closesthat case and solves another murder as well. Corneliuss death-by-painkiller-laced Indian dish inspires the curry-themed recipes sandwichedbetween chapters. Maybe its time to close the kitchen and ordertakeout? (Feb.)Review "As sweet as a piece of brown-sugar pie... Magdalena is so likable."-Booklist INscribe Digital. All rights reserved | CONFIDENTIAL | 14 15. Example #2: Suffering Metadata Format: Kindle Edition Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews) Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #194,232 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store) INscribe Digital. All rights reserved | CONFIDENTIAL | 15 16. So what are the differences? Description is key. This is not the back of a book jacket, as much as it might seem so. Instead, this is your moment to sell the book. Think about: Endorsements. Did a relevant person love this book, and write a blurb for the cover?It should be the first thing your customer reads. The HOOK. What is the hook in your description? If you dont know, its not there. Similar authors: How do customers know if theyll like it? If its like someone else they enjoy. Dont be too specific: Spending too long on specific details can mean that you lose the reader completely. INscribe Digital. All rights reserved | CONFIDENTIAL | 16 17. What works in the description? According to Carolyn McCray, bestselling Amazon author, itsalmost a formula. First off, note any awards or accomplishments for either the writer or thebook itself. Establish yourself/book as an authority on the subject or provethat it is popular. Keep this BRIEF. Put your best 3 quotes/blurbs/reviews for your book (punchy, short,exciting). Again, each quote, etc should not be longer than a fewsentences. After these initial 3 quotes, put a brief style description of your book. DoNOT go into specifics about the book. You will lose the excitement you justbuilt. This is a sales pitch Follow your punchy/pithy/exciting sweeping pitch with 2-3 more glowingreviews (no longer than a sentence or two each) to reconfirm that the bookyou just described is a popular one. End your books Product Descriptionwith a definitive call to action. If you enjoy gardening any time of the year,then ____ is for you! http://www.digitalbookworld.com/2011/best-practices-for-amazon-ebook-sales/ INscribe Digital. All rights reserved | CONFIDENTIAL | 17 18. Playing the BISAC game Extra features = extra sales By appearing in Top 100 lists, your book will have extraexposure. So have you picked 4 BISAC codes, allowing youextra exposure in all categories? Carolyn McCray added Women Sleuths and Hard Boiled, aswell as generic mystery. That gave her additional lists in whichcustomers could find her books. According to Carolyn, getting onto the Top 40 Bestselling page does give you an additional 5% increase. The Top 20 Bestselling page, another 7% pop. If you are lucky enough to climb into the Top 10 Bestselling, add another 14% increase in sales if you are above the fold (in a slot that can be viewed WITHOUT having to scroll down any further) which is usually about rank #5. Carolyn also states that this is LASTING progress. The more traction you gain on the bestseller lists, the longer your title lasts there, giving you week after week of sales. http://www.digitalbookworld.com/2011/maximizing-digital-book-sales-part-2/ INscribe Digital. All rights reserved | CONFIDENTIAL | 18 19. Good Author Bio The author description is a highly searchable piece of information.Think about what the customer will be searching for, and use thosekeywords within your description and author bio. Is the author accomplished? List awards, relevant training, all thepieces that will steer the reader toward your book and overcomeobjections. Ex/ Paula McLain was born in Fresno, California in 1965. After being abandoned by both parents,she and her two sisters became wards of the California Court System, moving in and out ofvarious foster homes for the next fourteen years. When she aged out of the system, shesupported herself by working as a nurses aid in a convalescent hospital, a pizza delivery girl, anauto-plant worker, a cocktail waitress--before discovering she could (and very much wanted to)write. She received her MFA in poetry from the University of Michigan in 1996. Since then, shehas received fellowships from the corporation of Yaddo, the MacDowell Colony, the UcrossFoundation, the Ohio Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts. Her first book ofpoetry, Less of Her, was published in 1999 from New Issues Press and won a publication grantfrom the Greenwall Fund of the Academy of American Poets. Shes also the author of a secondcollection of poetry, Stumble, Gorgeous, a memoir, Like Family: Growing Up In Other PeoplesHouses, and the novel, A Ticket to Ride. Her most recent book is The Paris Wife, a fictionalaccount of Ernest Hemingways first marriage and upstart years in 1920s Paris, as told from thepoint of view of his wife, Hadley. She teaches in the MFA Program in Poetry at New EnglandCollege, and lives with her family in Cleveland. INscribe Digital. All rights reserved | CONFIDENTIAL |19 20. Series Tags Dont forget to use the optional areas of metadata to help driveyour book. Is it the first in a series? Put that in the series tag. Is it the fifth book in the series? Is there another related book?Dont hesitate to put that in the description. If the reader cantell its part of a series they havent read, they will want to findthe first. Dont make it hard for them. Heres an example: In this stunning follow-up to the global phenomenon The Da VinciCode, Dan Brown demonstrates once again why he is the worlds most popular thrillerwriter. The Lost Symbol is a masterstroke of storytellinga deadly race through areal-world labyrinth of codes, secrets, and unseen truths . . . all under the watchful eyeof Browns most terrifying villain to date. By all means, use the subtitle to denote a series as well. INscribe Digital. All rights reserved | CONFIDENTIAL | 20 21. Not Metadata, but while were here Reviews: You need em! Make sure you have a minimum of five reviews for your title,with 10 preferred. Customers do look at reviews, and the moreyou have, the better. They dont have to be five star reviews, but a one star reviewneeds that many more five star reviews to lift the average. When your book comes out, check the pages. If you arentseeing reviews, in Carolyns words It is the job of the writer or publisher to drive reviewers (friends, family,fans, Tweeps, bloggers, etc) to your Amazon page and fill thesereviews/likes (a bare minimum to have legitimacy is 5 but 10 is a betternumber to shoot for) as quickly as possible after your title goes live (andespecially before any kind of ad campaign). After the original launch, then you can allow the reviews to come inorganically through paying readers, however monitor your page daily. Asingle 1 star review can kill sales. INscribe Digital. All rights reserved | CONFIDENTIAL | 21 22. Still not metadata, but important Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought Customers often look at this bar as validation. If you think yourbook is similar to another author, buying your book and theirstogether is one of the best investments you can make in yourbook. The longer this bar is empty, the longer customers think thebook is irrelevant in the marketplace. Help the search enginesmake the right choices; it will build your customer base. http://www.digitalbookworld.com/2011/best-practices-for-amazon-ebook-sales/ INscribe Digital. All rights reserved | CONFIDENTIAL | 22 23. SummaryYou can control most of the areas your customers are searching:CoverTitleDescriptionAuthor BioReviewsIf You Like, Youll LoveWhy dont you give it a try?Make your next book a bestseller! INscribe Digital. All rights reserved | CONFIDENTIAL | 23