Metadata
Your description is a search query in disguise
Readers rarely search for titles they don't know. They search for feelings, tropes and problems — and your description must speak that language.
Insights
How readers find books
Positioning
Choosing comparable titles that actually help
Comps aren't compliments. The right comparable titles tell retailers and readers exactly which shelf you belong on.
Categories
Why category choice outweighs cover tweaks
A book placed in an oversaturated category competes with thousands; a precise subcategory can put it in front of the right hundred.
International
One book, five markets, five positionings
The same novel can be literary in one market and commercial in another. Positioning should follow local reader expectations.
Methodology
How we research a book's visibility
We trace the paths readers take — search, browse, recommendation — and record where a book surfaces and where it disappears.
Discovery
Beyond the algorithm: libraries, clubs and communities
Retail algorithms matter, but libraries, book clubs and online communities remain powerful discovery engines.
Insights video series
Why Metadata Decides Who Finds Your Book
Educational series: how categories, keywords and descriptions drive reader discovery.
Reading International Book Markets
How positioning differs across the US, UK, European and Asian book markets.
Mapping Your Competitive Shelf
Research methodology: finding the comparable titles that define your book's position.