In my last post, I looked at what it means to implement ONIX 3.0, and came to the conclusion that it meant carrying enough “granularity” to improve metadata accuracy to support international sales. And I suggested that even ONIX files shared only within Canada will still need to implement new support in order to co-exist in a supply chain that supports international metadata. I hope that I also showed that ONIX 2.1 supports most of the same ability (even if ONIX 3.0 does it better), and that international support means everyone pulling up their meta-bootstraps.
What Does It Mean to Implement ONIX 3.0?
It’s a vexing question. I like to explain ONIX for Books by separating out the standard (what you track as metadata) from the technical side (XML, which can be thankfully ignored in this post). ONIX as a standard is a way for two companies to exchange information about books without ambiguity by using published definitions. Using the standard involves those companies agreeing between them on what level of detail they need from the ONIX data fields to support their systems and sales.
Global Ebook Domination through Better Metadata
Kobo’s Ashleigh Gardner gave an information-packed workshop at Technology Forum 2013 that covered some important tips and trends for selling ebooks internationally. In this video you’ll learn some pricing basics and how to ensure your ONIX records have all the information necessary to sell your books into as many territories as possible. And you’ll also get country-by-country pricing trends and tax structure tips that will help inform the decisions involved in selling your ebooks worldwide.
Introducing BNC's BiblioShare Webform
In keeping with the launch-happy theme we’ve got going around here these days, we have another exciting product to send your way! BookNet Canada has launched BiblioShare Webform, an easy-to-use web tool that allows small operations to create and manage book metadata, without messing around with complex ONIX files.
How Can You Single Out E-Singles?
Metadata ROI, Standards and Best Practices, A Look from Canada
The BISG just released a report on “Development, Use, and Modification of Book Product Metadata” that was jointly sponsored by BookNet Canada. Its purpose was to try to track what happens to metadata—how it’s created, how it’s transformed as it moves through the supply chain, where it works and what the problems are.
One for All? Should Different Markets or Retailers Get Different ONIX Files?
A lot of software vendors and some firms go to great lengths to prepare ONIX files tailored to markets, creating separate files by certification standards for BISG, BookNet, and BIC. And some ONIX senders tailor their output based on what a retailer requests.
At BookNet Canada, we think that so long as the ONIX file is a properly prepared XML document it shouldn’t matter. Here’s why.
Getting Data Dropped: Support and Update Your Records
BNC BiblioShare has been getting queries from publishers asking why after dropping a record from their ONIX feed it hasn’t disappeared from The 49th Shelf. BiblioShare supplies data to a lot more firms than The 49th Shelf and that list is growing, but we like that you’re paying attention and finding problems in 49thShelf.com. Here’s an explanation straight from your ONIX feed about what’s happening.
A Lesson on Metadata
Yesterday I took the second of four metadata BISG webinars. It featured our Bibliographic Manager (or, as I like to call him, our Data Czar), Tom Richardson, along side Richard Stark, Director of Product Data at Barnes & Noble.
This webinar went over the 31 key data elements in ONIX, what they mean and why you should fill them out.
Canadian Bookshelf, eh?
If you haven’t already visited, Canadian Bookshelf, I would highly recommend you take a little time to do so. The site itself looks great and there is a plethora of great (Canadian) content already there with more to come. I won’t go into all the features and functions of the site here as you can just go and try it out or read about it on their blog, but I will point out why we like this project in one word: collaboration.
