Your Book Is Published. Now Audit Its Digital Footprint.

Nobody is watching every record attached to your book. You have to.

So here's what to do after publishing a book: audit every public record that describes it, on publication day, again at 30 days, again at 90 days, and once a year after that. This guide is for any author whose book is already out, traditionally published, hybrid, or self-published, and it tells you what to check, where, and in what order.

Publication day doesn't prove the publishing system worked. It just reveals what happened.

The hardcover may be live while the ebook still says preorder. The publisher page may have the final description while a retailer shows an early draft. The audiobook may be attached to another author with your name. The Library of Congress record may exist while WorldCat splits your formats into several records. A wonderful review may be live and missing from every page a buyer sees.

Here's one from my own launch. No Loose Ends ranked first in several Amazon categories during launch week. I was thrilled. Amazon did not send me a certificate, an email, or a notification of any kind, and when I went back later the rankings had moved on, as rankings do. If you want a record of a moment like that, take the screenshot yourself, with the date showing. Nobody else will.

The post-publication audit turns those surprises into a manageable list.

What is a book's digital footprint?

It's every public record that describes the book or connects it to you. That includes publisher and retailer pages, library catalogs, author profiles, reviews, awards, media coverage, search results, and your own site. The count isn't the point. What matters is whether those records agree with each other.

No single organization controls the whole footprint. That's why you need the list.

Before you begin

Have your Book Identity Sheet in front of you: exact title and subtitle, author and contributor names, publisher and imprint, publication date by format, ISBN by edition and format, price, page count or duration, description, cover files, subject codes, biographies, publicity contact, official book page, and the review and award language approved for use.

This is the standard every record gets checked against.

Publication-day audit

1. Confirm every format is live

Check whatever was promised: hardcover, paperback, ebook, audiobook, large print, special or international editions. Record the actual live URL for each one.

2. Check price and availability

Look for the correct list price and currency, available versus preorder state, shipping estimate, seller identity, geographic restrictions, and ebook and audiobook availability.

Don't treat a third-party reseller listing as the authoritative launch record.

3. Check the visible metadata

Compare title, subtitle, author and contributors, cover, publication date, format, ISBN, publisher, page count, description, categories, and age range. Capture errors with screenshots and URLs.

4. Test purchase links

Test on desktop and mobile. Make sure the hardcover button doesn't open the ebook, that international links reach the intended store, and that campaign tracking doesn't break the destination.

5. Inspect a finished copy

Check the cover and spine, barcode and price, copyright page, LCCN or CIP data, table of contents, page numbering, index, image reproduction, URLs and QR codes, binding, and jacket copy.

The physical book is part of the metadata audit because the printed record can disagree with the feed.

First-week audit

6. Check the publisher page

Journalists, librarians, retailers, databases, and search engines often treat the publisher page as the authoritative source. Check the cover, description, biography, purchase links, ISBN, publication details, reviews, endorsements, publicity contact, and downloadable images.

7. Check author profiles

Claim or update Amazon Author Central (opens in a new tab), the Goodreads Author Program (opens in a new tab), the BookBub Author Profile (opens in a new tab), and any publisher author page. Check that every edition belongs to the right person.

8. Search the author and title

Run several searches: exact title, title plus author, ISBN, author plus publisher, author plus book topic, and common misspellings. My title has two ampersands and a hyphenated phrase in it, so I search the mangled versions too.

Record incorrect high-ranking pages, duplicate identities, missing canonical pages, and outdated biographies.

9. Check social previews

Paste the official book URL into a social-preview debugger or do a test share. Verify the title, description, image, and canonical URL. If the image is a headshot from three years ago, that's a cached preview, and every platform has a tool to refresh it.

10. Check structured data

The official book page should use truthful Book structured data. Your author page may use Person data. Validate the markup with Google's current testing tools and confirm that private or unsupported claims aren't in there.

30-day audit

11. Search Google Books

Search title and ISBN. Check the cover, author, publisher, date, formats, description, page count, preview, and related editions.

Google Books says publisher partners can edit book metadata through Partner Center and that fuller metadata helps discovery. If you're traditionally published, the publisher makes the change.

Official source: Google Books metadata guidance (opens in a new tab)

12. Search WorldCat

Search every ISBN and record the WorldCat URL, OCLC number, format, edition, reported holdings, possible duplicate records, and any incorrect author or publisher data.

WorldCat is a cooperative catalog, not a complete census. Use careful language when you share holdings. I found 92 systems holding my book here, and I say "92 systems as of the date I checked," not "hundreds of libraries."

13. Check major library catalogs

If a system reports owning the book, open its local catalog. One system holding can be many branches and copies. Record the system, branches, copies, format, availability, stable catalog URL, and date checked.

14. Review distribution promises

Confirm the book can actually be found through the promised channels: Ingram, whichever library wholesaler each library you care about uses now, academic acquisition platforms where relevant, ebook and audiobook library channels, and international distributors. Ask the publisher or distributor when the record isn't publicly searchable. Distribution channels change: Baker & Taylor, long the largest library wholesaler in the United States, closed in January 2026, so an old channel list is worth re-checking rather than trusting.

15. Reconcile reviews

Keep separate lists for trade reviews, paid professional reviews, reader reviews, media reviews, and endorsements. For each, save the source, date, link, permitted excerpt, and where you've used it.

Don't call an endorsement a review, or a paid review an editorial selection.

90-day audit

16. Follow every unresolved correction

Review the date reported, ticket or confirmation number, controlling party, expected response, and the current live result. Mark a correction Verified only after the public record changes.

17. Check edition relationships

Retailers and databases can wrongly combine or divide hardcover and paperback, ebook and print, audiobook and text, revised editions, international editions, translations, and books by authors with the same name. Check the customer-facing grouping and the underlying identifiers.

18. Update the media kit

Add published reviews, awards, interviews, media appearances, library reach described accurately, an updated biography, and new event photos or clips. Remove the preorder language.

19. Review award eligibility

Several awards accept books based on publication or copyright year and close after launch. Others may already be closed. For each likely award, record eligibility, category, who submits, deadline, fee, copies required, result date, and how you'd use a win.

Use the current official rules. Don't add a year to last year's deadline and assume it's right.

20. Review the outreach evidence

Look at what happened, not just what was sent. Which pitches got responses? Which audiences turned into sales, events, coverage, or library acquisitions? Which messages were ignored? Which links got traffic? Which requests need a follow-up? Which channels should stop?

Your record of that outreach should make the next campaign smarter.

Annual audit

21. Recheck the core metadata

Titles, prices, descriptions, formats, and profile links drift long after the launch team moves on.

22. Review new formats and rights

Add any new paperback, audiobook, translation, large print, revised edition, territory, distributor, or ISBN. Each new edition deserves its own audit.

23. Update author identity records

Search Amazon Author Central, Goodreads, BookBub, ISNI, Library of Congress Authorities, VIAF, the publisher author page, and your own website. Correct the source record rather than creating duplicate identities.

24. Check links and files

Test purchase links, media links, review links, award links, the downloadable media kit, your contact email, QR codes, discussion guides, and bonus resources. Archive important third-party evidence when permitted, because websites change and screenshots don't.

25. Export the book record

Keep a durable copy of identifiers, listings, corrections, reviews, awards, library records, media, outreach, rights and editions, and key files. Don't let years of work exist only inside one platform. That includes this one.

A simple audit table

What to do when you find an error

1. Confirm the exact edition.
2. Save the affected URL and a screenshot.
3. State the wrong information and the correct information plainly.
4. Identify who controls the source.
5. Send one focused correction request.
6. Save the confirmation or ticket.
7. Set a follow-up date.
8. Verify the public result.
9. Check whether the same error appears elsewhere.

When No Loose Ends won an award, step 4 was "Wiley," because Wiley maintains the book's product listing and sends its metadata to retailers. I maintain my Author Central page, and it cannot change a product listing. I emailed them, they updated it, and I went back later to confirm. That loop is the whole audit in miniature.

Frequently asked questions

Why does the same error appear on several websites?

Those sites likely receive metadata from the same publisher, distributor, wholesaler, or data supplier. Correct the upstream record where possible.

Can an author change a traditionally published book's listing?

Some author-profile fields can be changed directly. Core product metadata is usually controlled by the publisher, distributor, or retailer. Document the issue and contact whoever controls it.

When should the first audit happen?

Begin when preorder records appear. Run the full audit on publication day, at 30 days, at 90 days, and annually.

Should every review be added everywhere?

No. Use meaningful reviews where they serve the audience, where the platform permits them, and where you're clear on quotation rights.

When is the book's digital footprint finished?

Never, entirely. New records, editions, holdings, reviews, awards, and errors keep appearing for the life of the book.

Keep the record after launch

Use the free Launch and Ongoing Maintenance checklist, or create a free Author Profile and add your book, one payment, to keep the work in one place.

Sources

• Google Books metadata guidance (opens in a new tab)
• OCLC information for authors (opens in a new tab)
• U.S. ISBN Agency (opens in a new tab)
• Library of Congress Authorities (opens in a new tab)
• ISNI (opens in a new tab)
• VIAF (opens in a new tab)