Publishing
Metadata feels like the quiet bit of publishing that does half the work.
A title, subtitle, keywords, categories. All the small labels people barely notice, until they’re the thing standing between a reader and a book they would have loved. It’s odd how a week of posting can feel very visible, while a slightly better category choice can do more useful work in the background for months.
I’m always a bit interested in how much of discoverability is really just making the right promise in the right place. Not clever. Just clear.
A title, subtitle, keywords, categories. All the small labels people barely notice, until they’re the thing standing between a reader and a book they would have loved. It’s odd how a week of posting can feel very visible, while a slightly better category choice can do more useful work in the background for months.
I’m always a bit interested in how much of discoverability is really just making the right promise in the right place. Not clever. Just clear.
Metadata matters, but it can also get treated like a substitute for knowing what the book actually is. A neat set of categories won’t save a muddy blurb, and it definitely won’t rescue a title that’s doing three jobs badly.
It’s one of those unglamorous bits of publishing where precision helps more than charm. Slightly dull. Weirdly powerful.
It’s one of those unglamorous bits of publishing where precision helps more than charm. Slightly dull. Weirdly powerful.