Metadata in InDesign epub

[Shepler Studios]

Hi, all,

Hopefully a quick question--

I'm exporting a fixed-layout epub in InDesign, and am unclear of what to put in the Metadata Subject field. Should that be the complete BISAC code, or just the reader friendly descriptive word? For example, should it be:

JUV0290050 JUVENILE FICTION / Science & Nature / Trees & Forests

or

Trees & Forests

I've been searching online, but haven't found a clear answer to the question.

Thanks in advance for any help or suggestions.

Missy

[Eric Dumas]

Export InDesign documents to an EPUB format (adobe.com) does not give examples, but I think it should be a short sentence to describe the publication for search tagging

[Shepler Studios]

Thanks! I started with that page when I ran into questions, then started searching online to try and find a clearer answer. Some conflicting info out there, probably due to changes over time.

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

...and the fact that no one, anywhere in the EPUB (and Kindle) game, ever takes down outdated information. Sigh.

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[Shepler Studios]

Too true! And then you have to ferret out how old the info is if the article isn't dated...

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

Nothing I've ever encountered indicates that the metadata is of any use outside of a specific archive's needs. That is, if you're an institution or company producing some large volume of EPUB docs, you can set and use the metadata to whatever end is useful for your own archiving and search needs.

Out in the larger publishing world... some repositories might pull listing info from the metadata, so it's worth putting "good faith" entries in most of the fields, but I wouldn't sweat over it.

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[Shepler Studios]

Hi, James,

That's good to know! I did find some info that echoed your thought that some places may pull listing/category info from the metadata, but that it wasn't something to stress over.  Thanks so much for your note. And I just bought the Kindle version of your "Word & InDesign to Kindle: A Professional Guide", so I'll be reading up on that, as well!

Thanks again!

[James Gifford—NitroPress · Accepted solution]

EPUB is a frustrating format. It's displaced all other contenders for general e-book format and for most intermediate formats (like getting to Kindle), but it's over a decade out of date and has been... extended by more parties with a particular idea of how it should work than it has been preserved as a standard.

I can't think of a single major player who puts much weight on the metadata, either way. Like the extensive data that can be embedded in PDF, it's "there" but has never been used in a productive way, at least not in any consistent manner.

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