Managing Book Metadata & Details
Learn how to edit, update, and optimize your book's metadata on BookAuth — including title, synopsis, cover, pricing, and SEO fields.
After you've published a book, you'll often need to update its details — whether to refine your synopsis, swap a cover, adjust pricing, or add new tags. This guide covers every editable field and how changes propagate across the platform.
What You'll Learn
- How to access the book editor for any published or draft book
- Every field available and what it controls
- How metadata updates propagate (website, search, book pages)
- Best practices for SEO-optimized metadata
Accessing the Book Editor
- Navigate to Content > My Books from the sidebar
- Find your book in the list — use the search bar or scroll
- Click the book title or the pencil icon (✏️) to open the editor
- Make your changes and click "Save"
All changes take effect immediately — there's no approval queue. Updated metadata is reflected on:
- Your book's detail page
- Your author website book listing
- Search results and browse directories
- ARC campaign pages (if the book is attached to a campaign)
Core Metadata Fields
Title
Your book's primary display title. This is the most visible metadata on the platform.
- Maximum 200 characters
- Avoid symbols or excessive punctuation — clean titles perform better in search
- If you have a subtitle, include it in the title field separated by a colon: "The Shadow King: A Dragon Fantasy"
Synopsis (Description)
Your book's sales copy. This appears on the book detail page and in expanded search results.
- Supports rich text: bold, italic, bullet lists, links
- Aim for 150-300 words
- Write from the reader's perspective: what is the journey? What will they feel?
- Include genre-relevant keywords naturally — this content is fully searchable
Slug
- Auto-generated from your title (e.g., "the-shadow-king")
- Used in your book's URL:
/books/the-shadow-king - You can customize the slug if needed (advanced)
Cover Image
- See the dedicated "Book Cover Images" article for full specifications
- You can replace the cover at any time — upload a new image to overwrite
Pricing
- Change between Free, Paid, and Subscriber-Only at any time
- Adjusting the price does not affect existing purchases
- Free-to-Paid or Paid-to-Free transitions are instant
Status
| Status | Effect |
|---|---|
| Draft | Hidden from public views. Only you can see it |
| Published | Visible to all users. Appears in search, browse, and your website |
Genres and Tags
- Edit genres and tags from the book editor
- Changes to genres affect where your book appears in browse directories
- Updated tags improve search discoverability immediately
Extended Metadata
Content Warnings
- Add content warnings (violence, sexual content, language, etc.)
- These appear as a small accordion on the book detail page
- Helps readers make informed decisions and builds trust
Language
- Set the primary language of your book
- Books are searchable by language
Page Count
- Optional but recommended — helps readers estimate reading time
- Displayed on the book detail page
Publication Date
- Set the original publication date
- Useful for re-published or backlist titles
ISBN / ASIN
- Add external identifiers for cross-platform reference
- See the "ISBN, ASIN & External Identifiers" article for details
Metadata and SEO
Your book metadata is automatically used for SEO purposes:
| Metadata Field | SEO Application |
|---|---|
| Title | HTML <title> tag and Open Graph og:title |
| Synopsis | <meta description> and og:description |
| Cover Image | og:image for social media previews |
| Genres/Tags | Internal search ranking signals |
When someone shares your book link on social media, the title, synopsis, and cover image automatically populate the preview card.
Pro Tip: Your first 160 characters of synopsis are especially important — they appear as the meta description in search engine results. Front-load your most compelling hook.
Bulk Editing
If you need to update metadata across multiple books (e.g., updating your author name, or adding a genre to your entire backlist):
- Navigate to Content > My Books
- Select multiple books using the checkboxes
- Use the "Bulk Actions" dropdown for common operations
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: If I change my book title, does the URL change?
A: The slug (URL) is set independently from the title. Changing the title does not change the URL unless you also update the slug.
Q: Do metadata changes affect existing ARC campaigns?
A: Yes. If the book is attached to an active ARC campaign, the updated title, synopsis, and cover will be reflected on the campaign page.
Q: Can I revert to a previous version of my metadata?
A: BookAuth does not currently offer version history for metadata. Save a backup of your synopsis text locally before making major changes.
Q: How quickly do search results update?
A: Search index updates typically occur within minutes of saving your changes.
Related Articles
- Uploading Your First Book
- Book Cover Images — Requirements & Best Practices
- Genres, Tags & Content Warnings
- ISBN, ASIN & External Identifiers
- Book Status Lifecycle (Draft → Published → Archived)