Book Information Form

Help readers to find your eBook

This information is your metadata. Key details will be embedded within your eBook files. If we are distributing your eBook files, we need detailed information for the retailers, distributors and ISBN agencies.

Accurate metadata helps your eBook to be discovered by potential readers searching for books by author, genre, subject matter, and other standard information fields. It can also help your eBook to be included in the important recommendation lists which are created using review information, and search terms or words.

Before you complete the form carefully read these notes

• Book description
  – This is embedded within your eBook files and used on the sales page on the retailer websites.
  – The description can be up to 4000 characters, but we recommend that you craft a description that sells your book in couple of paragraphs, followed by any recommendations, endorsements etc.
• Keywords
  – List the seven most important  key words/phrases first. Great guide here.
  – Read this: How to make your book more discoverable with Amazon.
• Short description
  – If we are allocating an ISBN for you, please add a short description of the book with a  maximum of 350 characters (not words).
• About the Author
  – We recommend 200-300 words. Do not write in the first person. See this post from BookBub which has 10 excellent examples 
• Category codes (BISAC and BIC)
  – Retailers, libraries and subscription services need accurate category codes, to ensure that your eBook is listed on the correct ‘virtual’ bookshelves.
  – You can select up to three BISAC codes from this list (required in all cases) and one BIC code from this list (only if you are listing with Gardners or we are allocating you an ISBN)
  – AMAZON guidelines for categories, this page has some very useful information.Take some time to explore the different categories as there are many to choose from.
• Recommended Selling Price
  – Read this: Important notes about pricing your book.
  – Research eBook prices in your category to see what is a comfortable pricing point for your prospective readers.
  – You will need to decide on the price of the eBook in $. You can also provide a £ and € price too if you wish.
  – Your price may impact the level of royalties that you receive from the retailers. There is some key information about retailer royalty rates here. See also this page from Amazon, detailing royalty rates for sales in different territories.
• If you enrol in Amazon’s KDP Select program you can list your title for free for 5 days during a 90 day period. Otherwise you cannot list your book for free on Amazon. They may price match down to 0.00 if other retailers list the price as free, but this happens less frequently now. Amazon are also more inclined to threaten to withdraw your book from listings if you offer the book cheaper elsewhere.

Using our Distribution Service

If you are using our eBook Distribution Service  you must tick ‘yes’ to the question ‘Are you using our Distribution Service?‘. This will load further questions so you  can provide us with additional information that we require to send your eBook files to the various distribution channels. We cannot distribute your eBook until we have the additional details.

Terms & Conditions

Please read our  Terms and Conditions before completing the form, as you will need to agree to these before you can submit the form.

All of the retailers, subscription services and distributors (Ingram, Gardners etc) have terms and conditions that we agree to when submitting your titles via our accounts.

You can find the terms and conditions at each of the websites, please let me know if you are unable to locate the T’s & Cs for any of the channels that we are uploading to on your behalf.

This is a very good post from author Roger Packer, which gives an overview of Amazon terms and conditions, and is worth reading: ‘What do Amazon’s new Kindle Direct Publishing terms and conditions mean for authors?’

Check and double check your information before submission

We use information submitted exactly as provided by you on this form. Therefore it is vital that you check that everything is correct before you submit the form – this is your responsibility.

Titles and sub-titles should be written in title case. This means only using capital letters for the principal words. Articles, conjunctions, and prepositions do not need capital letters unless they start the title/sub-title.

If incorrect information (submitted by you) is distributed when we send your eBook files to the retailers, we will need to schedule time to make subsequent changes. There may be a charge  of £15/$20 to correct any errors and re-distribute your metadata.