ONIX

ONIX for Books is an XML-based international metadata standard used to describe and exchange information about books and related media. It is maintained by EDItEUR, an international standards body for the book industry. ONIX enables publishers, distributors, retailers, and libraries to share rich, structured product data across the supply chain, reducing manual data entry and errors.

A typical ONIX record includes title, subtitle, author(s) with roles, publisher, imprint, language, publication date, edition, format, ISBNs, price, availability, and rights. It can also carry descriptions, table of contents, marketing copy, subject headings, audience, and bibliographic data, as well as collateral like cover images and related products.

ONIX messages are XML documents with a header and one or more product records. Each product contains sections such as DescriptiveDetail, CollateralDetail, PublishingDetail, and SupplyDetail to support multiple markets, formats, and rights.

Versions have included ONIX 2.1 and the ONIX 3.x series; 3.x strengthens digital metadata, multi-publisher descriptions, and granular contributor roles.

The standard is widely adopted worldwide, used to populate catalogs, feeds, and library records, and to enable consistent discovery and purchasing workflows. It interacts with other metadata standards such as ISBN, BISAC, and language tagging.