Metadata is a critical element of your eBook’s marketing and sales efforts, directly impacting SEO. Make sure fields are relevant, utilize keywords, and grammatically accurate.
When entering your metadata for each eBook title, please ensure that all fields with a GREEN column heading are complete. These are mandatory fields for all INscribe partners; any incomplete and/or incorrect mandatory data fields will cause delays in distributing your eBooks. Please see below instructions on how to complete each column of the metadata sheet.
Please note that you can include multiple titles in one excel sheet. Each row corresponds to a new title.
Download the latest Metadata and Price Campaign Sheets here: Athena Import & Price Campaign Sheets
INscribe Metadata Sheet
Action (mandatory field):
Please use the drop down menu to select "Add" for new titles, "Update" for change requests, and "Takedown" for deletion requests.
Book Publisher (mandatory field):
Please enter your publisher/imprint name here.
NOTE: Spelling of publisher/imprint names must be exact and consistent with what was communicated to your client representative upon contract signing. This includes spacing, commas, periods, etc.
eBook Types (mandatory field):
Please use the Product Contents tab to list the code that best describes the format type of your eBook.
NOTE: You can select more than one code and separate by spaces should you have various versions. e.g. 2 7 8
eBook ISBN-13 (mandatory field):
Please enter your eBook ISBN here. Please ensure this is a unique 13-digit eISBN and is NOT the same as the physical title’s ISBN. Please do NOT include any hyphens or spaces in the eISBN entry.
Book Title (mandatory field):
Please insert your book title here. It must be the proper title and match what is listed on the cover exactly. Do not include advertising, versioning, or other extraneous information.
NOTE: A title with all capital letters will not be accepted. Please adhere to standard title case conventions.
Book Subtitle (optional field):
If your eBook has a subtitle, please insert it here.
NOTE: All capital letters are not acceptable to retailers; please adhere to standard title case conventions.
Series Title (optional field):
If your eBook has a series title, please insert it here.
NOTE: It’s okay if this is the first book of the series; still insert the series title. It is a clue to readers that there are more books to come.
Series Number (optional field):
If your eBook has a series number, please insert it here. Only whole numbers are accepted; do not include decimals, such as 1.5.
NOTE: If your eBook has a series number, it must also have a series title.
Author Name (mandatory field):
Please insert your author name here - first name then last name. Must match the name on the cover exactly. (Example: Jane Doe)
NOTE: All capital letters are not acceptable; please adhere to standard title case conventions.
Author Name Inverted (mandatory field):
Please insert inverted Author Name detailed above - last name comma (,) then first name. (Example: Doe, Jane)
NOTE: All capital letters are not acceptable; please adhere to standard title case conventions. If it is an organization (e.g., The Boy Scouts of America, it should not be inverted. This field is for searchability, so you can enter the name again as is).
Author Bio (mandatory field):
Please insert author bio here. Links to retailer sites are not accepted. 50 - 2,000 character limit, excluding whitespace and HTML tags, if any.
NOTE: Please also be sure to spell check author bio for spelling and grammatical errors. Improper grammar is a cause for rejection at all retailers.
KEEP IN MIND that the author bio is searchable in most retailers, so use important search keywords, relevant awards, and additional book titles by the author to increase the likelihood that your book will pop up in customer search results.
Additional Contributors (optional field):
If your eBook title has additional contributors, please insert them here. Please select contributor role codes found on the Contributor Roles tab.
NOTE: Please remember to follow the exact structure indicated in the header instructions as all parentheses, spacing, contributor role codes, and brackets are important. (Example: Jon Doe (Doe, Jon) [B01])
Subjects (mandatory field):
You may have up to four (4) subject codes. List the primary subject first. Use only the BISAC alphanumeric subject codes found on the BISAC Subjects tab. The subject must match the content of the book. Books with erotic content must use an erotica BISAC code.
NOTE: BISAC description should not be included; only the actual code should be used.
KEEP IN MIND that BISAC Subjects are used to create subjects and rankings on the retailers’ sites. We recommend using all four for maximum impact (in priority order, for retailers who allow less than four) and separate by space. e.g. BUS078000 TRV000000
Language (mandatory field):
Please use the drop down menu to select the language of your title.
Publication Date (mandatory field):
Please enter the date of the related Print Edition. If there isn't one, please use the same date as the Sales Start Date. If this is an eBook release of a backlist title, this date will be in the past. If this date is in the future, the eBook will not be made available for sale but may allow preorder at certain retailers. Some preorders are available with metadata and covers; some retailers require the asset to be present. Other sites do not make preorder available.
NOTE: If the file needs special handling, like an embargoed title, or if you wish to block previews, use the Preorder Sales Start Date and Preorder Preview options further along in the guide. If you have preorders that are a priority, and you want retailer promotion, please contact your client rep.
Sales Start Date (mandatory field):
Please enter the sales start date of your eBook here. This is the actual date retailers use to release titles on their storefront. This can be the same date as the publication date or can be for a future date, depending on your intended release schedule.
File Delivery Date (mandatory field IF set in the future from upload date):
Please enter the file delivery date of your eBook here. This can be an approximate date, but should be at least two weeks ahead of the eBook Publication Date.
NOTE: If the File Delivery Date precedes the date of the metadata upload, please delete the File Delivery Date as metadata can only accept one set for a future date, not a past date.
Number of Pages (mandatory field):
Please enter the number of pages of your eBook here. If digital only, we recommend estimating your page count based on the PDF or Word Doc used as your source file.
Description (mandatory field):
Enter the description/synopsis here (50 - 2,000 character limit, excluding whitespace and HTML tags if any). It must be complete and not truncated. No references to the physical edition. No pricing. No advertising for other titles. Links to eBook retailer sites will cause rejections. Any other links or site references may also be rejected by retailers. HTML is limited according to the HTML Elements tab of the bulk upload sheet.
NOTE: Please be sure to spell-check the description for spelling, grammatical errors. Improper grammar is a cause for rejection at all retailers.
KEEP IN MIND that this field is the MOST IMPORTANT SALES DRIVER you have: treat it like an ad for your book, use important keywords, and keep it impactful.
Physical Book ISBN-13 (mandatory, IF physical version exists):
If a physical version of your title exists, you must supply the physical ISBN here. Please note that this is for the PHYSICAL ISBN ONLY. The eBook ISBN is a separate unique ISBN and should be noted in its own column (as discussed above). Do NOT include any hyphens or spaces in the ISBN entry.
NOTE: If a physical version of your title exists, you must supply the actual physical book ISBN, along with the physical book format and physical book pricing for each territory in which the physical version is available.
Physical Book Format (mandatory, IF physical version exists):
Please use the drop down menu to specify the format of the current physical version. (Example: Quality Paperback)
Physical Book Pricing (mandatory, IF physical version exists):
Please list the physical price for each territory in which the physical version is sold in.
NOTE: Please select from the currency codes listed on the Currency Codes tab. Please also use the full price. e.g. GP 9.99 GBP / ROW 12.99 USD
ReleaseType (mandatory field):
We recommend leaving this blank for auto calculation, but it is possible to modify your release type manually. To do so, please specify the release type of your title to indicate whether this is a New Release, Digital Only, or Other by listing the Type Code associated to each of these options.
NOTE: For country overrides this can vary per territory. (Example: [WW] [N] / [CA] [D])
eBook Distribution Countries Opt-In (optional field):
If you have only a select few countries in which you wish to distribute your title(s), please insert them here. Please note that you must select the country code(s) listed on the Countries tab, separated by a space. If you wish for your title(s) to go worldwide, please do NOT complete this column.
NOTE: For eBook Distribution Countries Opt-In and Opt-Out, you may only complete one or the other (NOT BOTH) if you choose to Opt any retailer(s) In or Out. If you wish for your title(s) to go to all of our available retailers, both of these columns should remain blank.
eBook Distribution Countries Opt-Out (optional field):
If you have only a select few countries in which you do not want your titles distributed, please insert them here. Please note that you must select country code(s) listed on the Countries tab, separated by a space. If you wish for your title(s) to go worldwide, please do NOT complete this column.
NOTE: For eBook Distribution Service Opt-In and Opt-Out, you may only complete one or the other (NOT BOTH) if you choose to Opt any retailer(s) In or Out. If you wish for your title(s) to go to all of our available retailers, both of these columns should remain blank.
eBook Distribution Service Opt-In (optional field):
If you have only a select few services in which you wish to distribute your title(s), please insert them here. Please note that you must use the exact retailer code(s) as listed on the Retailers tab, separated by a space. If you wish for your title(s) to go to all retailers, please do not complete this column.
eBook Distribution Service Opt-Out (optional field):
If you have only a select few services in which you do not want your title(s) distributed, please insert them here. Please note that you must use the exact retailer code(s) as listed on the Retailers tab, separated by a space. If you wish for your title(s) to go to all retailers, please do not complete this column.
NOTE: For advanced pricing per Country, per Retailer, see Price Campaigns sheet
Pricing (mandatory field):
Please insert the price tier at which you wish to set your eBook title(s) here. The price tier will extrapolate the prices for all distributed territories if you don’t call out any specific pricing per territory. You will find price tiers and their equivalency per primary territories on the Price Tiers tab.
NOTE: The example below illustrates the price tier for all Opted In countries, for price per territory and advanced pricing see column header. Advanced pricing must be set in the separate Price Campaigns sheet.
Important: EU is not a country code. For EU please apply the following codes with their own specific pricing. e.g., BE 4.99 USD / BG 4.99 USD / CZ 4.99 USD / DE 4.99 USD / EE 4.99 USD / IE 4.99 USD / GR 4.99 USD / ES 4.99 USD / FR 4.99 USD / IT 4.99 USD / CY 4.99 USD / LV 4.99 USD / LT 4.99 USD / LU 4.99 USD / HU 4.99 USD / MT 4.99 USD / NL 4.99 USD / AT 4.99 USD / PL 4.99 USD / PT 4.99 USD / RO 4.99 USD / SI 4.99 USD / SK 4.99 USD / FI 4.99 USD
Also, UK is not a valid code, for UK please use GB.
DRM Required (mandatory field):
Please use the drop down menu to select whether or not you wish to have DRM (digital rights management software) applied to your title.
Pre-order Sales Start Date (optional field):
Please insert the Pre-order sales start date of your title. The Pre-order sales start date ONLY dictates the date when a title appears as a Pre-order on a retailers' website. If you want the title to go up for Pre-order as soon as the metadata is sent, leave this blank. Filling this out delays the title's appearance; leaving it blank allows Pre-order more quickly.
NOTE: This is primarily for embargoed titles.
Pre-order Preview (mandatory field ONLY if Pre-order Sales Start Date is being used):
Please use the drop down menu to select whether or not you wish to have your Pre-order previewed ONLY if you have called out a street date for Pre-order viewing in the previous column. This allows or disallows the ability to download a sample or view inside the book.
NOTE: This is primarily for embargoed titles.
NOTE: The following columns are important for various retailers. Please be as accurate as possible.
Audience Type (mandatory field):
Please use the drop down menu to indicate the intended audience for your title. e.g. General/trade
Youngest Age of Reader Appropriate for Title (optional field):
Please list the Youngest age that is appropriate for reading your title. e.g. 6
NOTE: This is required for any titles with Juvenile BISAC codes.
Oldest Age of Reader Appropriate for Title (optional field):
Please list the Oldest age that is appropriate for reading your title. e.g. 10
NOTE: This is required for any titles with Juvenile BISAC codes.
Price Campaign Sheet
Ebook ISBN-13 (mandatory field):
Insert your eBook ISBN here. Please ensure this is the 13-digit eISBN affiliated with this title during its original upload, and is NOT the same as the physical title’s ISBN. Do NOT include any hyphens or spaces in the eISBN entry.
BookPublisher (mandatory field):
Insert your publisher name here, as it is seen on the product page at retailers.
Title (mandatory field):
Insert the title of your book here.
Subtitle (optional field):
Insert a subtitle if available.
Series (optional field):
Insert your title’s series name if available.
Authors (optional field):
Insert the primary author here
WholesalePrice Tier (mandatory field):
Please insert the original price tier of your title here (the price that is currently live at retailers).
WholesalePromoPriceTier (mandatory field):
Please insert the price tier at which you wish to set your eBook title(s) here.
Countries (optional field):
Please insert the country or countries you wish to set a specific price point for. We encourage you to use worldwide pricing, however should you wish to set prices per country, please enter each country code(s) as listed on the Countries tab separated by a space. e.g. GB CA US Leave blank for ALL.
Retailers (mandatory field):
Please insert the retailer(s) for which you wish to set a specific price point. We encourage you to use set the same price for all retailers as retailers will want to price match. In this case, you may leave this field ‘blank’ to indicate ALL retailers.
CampaignStart (mandatory field):
Please insert the start date of your price campaign here. If you have selected specific pricing per retailer, you will need to enter the start date for each of those per row.
Campaign End (mandatory field):
Please insert the end date of your price campaign here. If you have selected specific pricing per retailer, you will need to enter the end date for each of those per row.