Metadata fields in compile - what are they?

Scrivener Scrivener for Windows
1

Before I compile my fiction book as an epub I need to fill in the metadata boxes in the compiler.

I have searched the Scrivener manual and I understood absolutely nothing of what it said regarding metadata. The assumption EVERYWHERE seems to be that the reader/author already knows what it is, and I still don’t, despite googling and reading multiple blogs.

I get title and author, of course, but subject? Is that like “mystery” or “romance”? One word or phrase, or multiple ones like “mystery and romance”.

And what is “description”? The blurb I will be using on Amazon? A shorter blurb? Something else entirely?

Publisher - that’s me.

Rights - me again? Since I wrote it?

Date - the date it was compiled/uploaded to Amazon?

I missed the internet revolution by about 30 seconds. My high school taught typing on manual typewriters. :frowning:

Thanks.

2

E-book meta-data is a bit weird. On the one hand you have the designers of formats like ePub that come up with these fields, and then on the other hand you have how people actually use those fields. Okay, maybe that’s not so weird. :slight_smile: So while you could probably look up precisely what these fields should be used for by reading the ePub specifications (granted, a very dry and technical read), what is probably really going to matter to you is whether the book shows up correctly in the stores you are submitting your work to. Most of these sellers have extensive guides you can download, which should have this information for you.

3

I’m reviving this topic because I am no clearer on what the subject and description fields are for. Is the previous poster saying that if I’m publishing a Kindle ebook I need to consult Kindle instructions to find out what to put in there?

Can anyone who has published a kindle ebook give me any idea what they put in those fields?

Thanks