Metadata guide
Metadata is the information that retailers use to understand, categorize and display your book. It helps readers find you and keeps all versions of your book grouped together in the right place. Because of that, setting your metadata carefully is one of the most important steps in the process.
You will complete your metadata in the Authorzone once your book is finished. Along with choosing your book price, it is one of the areas where we need your input. We have created this guide to explain each field clearly and to show simple examples so that everything feels straightforward when you reach that stage.
Title
Use the title exactly as it appears on your cover and title page. Keep the wording and capitalization consistent everywhere it appears.
The Quiet Path Home
Subtitle: A Journey Through the Hills
Author name
This is how you want to be known as an author, so choose a form you are comfortable with. Some writers prefer initials, others use their full name. Once published, the name becomes part of your public record, so consistency across editions and platforms is important.
Author: Sarah L Martin
Bio
A short third-person biography is best, usually between forty and eighty words. Focus on the essentials. Readers do not need a full CV, just a clear sense of who you are and what connects you to your writing.
Sarah L Martin is a novelist based in Somerset, England. She writes quiet, character-driven fiction inspired by rural landscapes and the people who live in them. When she is not writing she volunteers at her local library and enjoys long coastal walks with her family.
Description
This is the short summary readers see on retailer pages. It should be clear and engaging, usually one hundred to two hundred words, broken into short paragraphs.
When Anna returns to her childhood village after twenty years away, she expects little more than a brief visit. Instead she finds unfinished stories, old friendships waiting to be rediscovered and a landscape that still feels like home. The Quiet Path Home follows one woman's journey through memory, belonging and the quiet changes that shape a life. Set against the rolling English countryside, it is a gentle novel about coming back to yourself.
Keywords
You can provide up to seven terms or short phrases, separated by semicolons. Think about what a reader might type when looking for a book like yours. There is no need to repeat words already used in your title or categories.
contemporary fiction; village life; English countryside; returning home; gentle novel; friendship; family story
Subject codes
These help retailers place your book in the correct category. Choose the most specific codes available rather than broad general ones. We can help review these if you are unsure.
Primary category: Fiction, Contemporary Women
Secondary category: Fiction, Family Life
Tertiary category: Fiction, Small Town and Rural
Metadata can look daunting at first, but once you break it down into individual fields it becomes very manageable. Take your time, aim for clarity rather than perfection, and don't worry if you're unsure about any part of it. We review this information with you and are always happy to help guide you, so you can feel confident that your book is presented clearly and correctly when it reaches retailers.