Manual metadata insertion
There is a lot of talk about metadata in digital formatting, but occasionally, when creating various formats, the tools one uses has no way to insert the metadata. (Aside: In my experience with various ebook creation tools, Sigil, thus far, has the most complete, complex, and wonderful feature for inserting metadata.)
However, there is a way to do it manually in the XHTML file used to plug into the creation tools. Quite frankly, I’m not sure it translates to any particular e-reading software or devices, but it does leave a record, and recordkeeping is the whole point of metadata.
This is my header:
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC “-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1 Transitional//EN” “http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/ xhtml1-transitional.dtd”>
<html xmlns=“http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml”>
<head>
<meta http-equiv=“Content-Type” content=“application/xhtml+xml; charset=utf-8” />
<meta name=“author” content=“AUTHOR NAME” />
<meta name=“title” content=“TITLE” />
<meta name=“copyright” content=“YEAR, AUTHOR” />
<meta name=“description” content=“CATEGORY” “BISAC CODE” />
<meta name=“ISBN” content=“ISBN-13: 978-XXX” “ISBN-13: 0-XXX” />
<meta name=“formatter” content=“B10 Mediaworx” “http://b10mediaworx.com” />
<title>TITLE by Author</title>
[insert other normal header stuff]
</head>
You can add categories at will, and you should.
Going forth into the digital frontier, such information will be crucial, even if any given software or device can’t read it.
And now we’re blogging!
B10 Mediaworx is the scattered brainchild of Elizabeth Beeton. Where it will take her is anybody’s guess, as within its first year, it picked up an imprint, Peculiar Pages, headed up by Eric W Jepson.
No, I (Elizabeth) didn’t have any specific goal in mind when I started out on this project except to publish myself. Yes, yes. It’s true. I am Moriah Jovan. JOvin. Not joVAHN. I hate the name, by the way, but I’ve been going by Mojo/Mojeaux online since 1998, people call me that in real life, and I’m used to it. So I chose a name that would give me the Mo and the jo.
(I wish I’d remembered Jovan Musk cologne before I committed to it, though. I really hate musk. Plus, the packaging is just way too 1970s orange shag rug. Makes me think of swinging. Don’t ask me why. It’s a long story.)
What you need to know now is that Peculiar Pages has always had a vision, while B10 had a vague ambition beyond publishing Moriah Jovan that is now forming into something solid.
Gradually, though, with my continuing involvement in the genre romance community, early encouragement from Eva Gale (romance author), my friendships with Sabrina Darby (romance author) and RJ Keller (women’s fiction author), increasing participation in the Mormon writer scene, with Eric’s friendship and encouragement, along with Tyler Chadwick (poet) and William Morris (brand dude), I am forming up some sort of direction.
I’ll let you know what that is when I figure out how to say it.
