Brian O'Leary

What big issues do you see publishers thinking and talking about these days?

You can't toss a conference program without hitting someone talking about "discovery," particularly across online platforms. I wish that the conversation was a bit less driven by talk of metadata (although that matters a lot). Institutions like libraries play a critical role in discovering books, but they have been largely shut out of the digital conversation. That needs to change.

Columbus, OH, November 15, 2012 – DataCurate announces the publication of The Metadata Handbook, a one-stop guide for book publishers — large, small, and independent — offering help in understanding how metadata works and outlining the essential components of successful metadata creation and distribution.

Topics covered include:

  • How metadata for books operates in the real world
  • Metadata fundamentals & the history of metadata for books
  • Standards and best practices for creating and distributing accurate and comprehensive metadata
  • The basics of ONIX for Books, including ONIX 3.0
  • The basics of EPUB 3 metadata options
  • The latest metadata trends, including metadata for self-publishers.

The first comprehensive reference to publisher metadata, The Metadata Handbook includes a glossary of more than 150 industry and technical terms, a bibliography providing access to metadata documentation and further reading, and directories of industry organizations and vendors.

Publishers of ebooks have a dilemma: You want readers to find (and purchase) your products. But you don't want pirates making your products available for free. But is digital rights management (DRM) technology, one method publishers use (with questionable success) to combat piracy, a hindrance or even antithetical to content discovery?

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