What is Webform?

Webform is an easy-to-use online tool that allows you to create and manage book metadata, without messing around with little used complex metadata structures that other markets/special cases and trading partners might require from ONIX files. Before you get started, make sure to sign up to set up a publisher account and get your username/password details.

Who Webform is for

Webform is for small presses, unconventional publishers, museums, universities, self-published authors... in short, anyone who wants to provide clean, accurate metadata about their books to the supply chain through BiblioShare, but doesn't have the resources to create complex ONIX files from scratch.

Do you already have access to BNC BiblioShare?

Yes!

Awesome! Once you have a Webform username/password, you'll be able to pull your titles from BiblioShare and edit them in the Webform. You'll also be able to export all the titles you create and edit in the Webform to BiblioShare in one quick step. Win-win.

No (sad)

No problem, you will automatically be signed up for BiblioShare! BNC BiblioShare is a free service that makes the ONIX files uploaded by you available to other data aggregators, including retailers, websites like 49thShelf.com, and other BNC products like CataList. BiblioShare can help make your books easier to find, market and sell in Canada. You will see an "Export to BiblioShare" option in Webform that you can use to easily upload your data to BiblioShare.

What Webform can do

Webform provides a clear and intuitive way to create, update, manage, and export key metadata elements for your books through a simple online interface.  

What Webform can't do

Webform covers the most common sales and marketing metadata elements required by retailers and other trading partners, but in the interest of being easy to use, uncluttered, and precise, Webform doesn't provide all possible ONIX fields. If you need to specify elements that aren't present in the Webform, you can export your records as an XML file and build on it in an XML editor for a more robust record. For more information about ONIX data for books visit our handy guide to ONIX for Books or contact us at webform@booknetcanada.ca.