Where the Growth Is

■Metadata MustsCyberwolf (cyberwolf.com)ACUMEN Book is an integrated business management systembuilt on a client-server architecture. It is suitable for siteswith up to 100 concurrent users. The Product Marketing componentallows information export in a customizable format fortransmission to trading partners and publisher Web sites.Firebrand Technologies (firebrandtech.com)Firebrand offers: title management solutions that facilitatetracking titles from preacquisition through postproduction;Eloquence metadata solutions that comprise ONIX implementationand metadata distribution services; e-commercesolutions that integrate predeveloped Website architecturewith Firebrand’s title management solutionsIBS BookMaster(ibs.net/products/ibs-media/bookmaster)BookMaster is a publishing-specific integrated enterprisemanagement business software solution for print and digitalpublishers and book distributors. It comprises core distribution,financial, and supply chain management (SCM) systemswith highly functional integration to Web-based financialtransaction and business management processes.Klopotek (klopotek.de)Klopotek’s Product Planning and Management (PPM)products include: Title Management and Product Marketing,facilitating ONIX creation and distribution to multiple tradingpartners; Editorial and Production, which provides tools for managementof title planning and production activities and workflows;Contracts, Rights, and Royalties, which provides tools forcontract, royalty, and rights managementNetRead (netread.com)NetRead’s Jacketcaster offers conversion to ONIX for Books,and metadata distribution services with file formatting pertrading partner specifications.ONIXEDIT (onixedit.com)ONIXEDIT title management software is based on theONIX standard. Functionality includes the ability to readand write ONIX, export and transmit ONIX, and validateand save files in specific formats.Publishing Technology (publishingtechnology.com)Publishing Technology’s Advance Product Manager isdesigned to manage product information, production processesand schedules, and digital assets. It allows import, export, anddistribution of data in various formats, including ONIX.More Help with MetadataDetailed information about metadata and how to manageit is available via ibpa-online.org. See especially “DesperatelySeeking Good Data,” Parts 1, 2, and 3; “The Link BetweenMetadata and Sales”; and “E-Book Metadata Best Practices.”Scott Moore Ltd. (scottmoore.co.uk)Scott Moore’s Book Manager incorporates a range of business functionsincluding electronic data exchange. Book Manager has a modulethat can import, export, and manage ONIX for Books data.Stison Publishing Solutions (stison.com)Stison’s Title Manager is a Web-based bibliographic data storage,management, and distribution system that is ONIX compliant. ItsProduction Manager is a production scheduling, reporting, andworkflow management system. Other Stison modules includeRoyalty Manager, Web Manager, and E-book Manager.Virtusales (virtusales.com)Virtusales’s Biblio3 is an integrated, modular publishingmanagement system. Functionality includes productionmanagement, rights and royalties management, and bibliographicand editorial data management. Data managementcomponents include centralized storage, XML output forcatalog creation, and ONIX Wizard and feed generator.Its BiblioDAM is a digital asset management system. Whenintegrated with Biblio3, metadata from Biblio3 automaticallyfeeds into the BiblioDAM system. BiblioLIVE is an onlineversion of Biblio tools that includes backups and disasterrecovery.Whether or not you decide to work with a vendor to manageyour metadata effectively, it’s vital to keep one thing firmlyin mind. Metadata about your books is only as good as theinformation you create, provide, and update as necessary. Nomatter how good a vendor may be, your business process andorganization determine whether metadata about your booksis as good as it has to be to help those books sell. ■Renée Register’s company (datacurate.com) focuses on supporting publishers in thedevelopment of 21st century data policies, practices, and systems designed to connectreaders to content. Thad McIlroy’s consultancy (the futureofpublishing.com) is devoted tohelping publishers at the intersection of production, markets, and technology.This article is derived from their new book The Metadata Handbook: A Book Publisher’s Guideto Creating and Distributing Metadata for Print and Ebooks. To learn more: reneeregister@datacurate.com; thad@thefutureofpublishing.com; themetadatahandbook.com.44 | IBPA Independent | February 2013