BISAC, Thema, and BIC Classification

What you will need

• My Book Showroom installed (the Classification metabox is visible to all tiers;

PRO unlocks up to 10 active codes per system and front-end display)

• At least one mbs_book post to edit
• Optional: a BISAC or Thema code reference — MBS includes a built-in

searchable code list; you can also browse the full list at bisg.org for BISAC or ns.editeur.org for Thema

Step 1 — Open the Classification metabox

Edit any book (My Book Showroom → Books → edit a book). Scroll below the main Book Editor metabox. You will see the Classification metabox. If it is not visible, click Screen Options at the top of the page and enable it.

The Classification metabox contains three code-system sections (BISAC, Thema, BIC) plus genre, audience, age/grade range, content warnings, and additional identifier fields.

Step 2 — Assign BISAC codes

BISAC (Book Industry Standards and Communications) codes are the US standard for subject classification. In the BISAC section, click inside the typeahead input and begin typing a keyword — for example, "Fantasy" or "Christian Fiction". A dropdown list of matching codes appears. Click the code you want to add it as a chip.

Repeat for each additional BISAC code you want to assign.

Tier limits for active BISAC codes:

• FREE: 1 active code. Additional codes are stored but marked "overflow —

upgrade to activate."

• PRO: up to 10 active codes per book.

Step 3 — Assign Thema codes

Thema is the international subject classification standard. In the Thema section, use the same typeahead pattern: type a keyword, select from the dropdown.

The same tier limits apply: FREE allows 1 active Thema code; PRO allows up to 10. Overflow codes are preserved the same way as BISAC overflow.

Step 4 — Assign BIC codes

BIC (Book Industry Communication) codes are the UK and EU standard. In the BIC section, use the typeahead to add codes. These are useful for publishers distributing into UK and European retail channels.

Step 5 — Set genre and sub-genre

Scroll to the Genre Picker section within the Classification metabox.

• Layer 1 — a curated list of top-level genres (Fiction, Non-Fiction, etc.).

Select the primary genre for the book.

• Layer 2 — a typeahead input for sub-genres. Begin typing your sub-genre

(for example, "Cozy Mystery" or "Romantic Suspense") and select from the matching options.

The genre you assign here powers the Filter layout's live genre chips on the front end (see Guide 10: PRO Layouts and Display Modes →).

Step 6 — Configure audience, age range, and grade range

In the Audience section:

• Target Audience — select from the dropdown (ONIX List 28): General/Adult,

Children's, Young Adult, and others.

• Age Range From / To — interest age range for children's and YA titles

(e.g. 8 to 12).

• Grade Range From / To — US school grade range, Pre-K through Grade 12.

These values are included in ONIX exports and may appear on the front-end book page depending on your display settings.

Step 7 — Add Bowker Subject Codes and an LCCN

• Bowker Subject Codes — enter up to 2 codes in the provided fields.
• LCCN — enter the Library of Congress Control Number if your book has one.

Both fields are stored as metadata and included in applicable exports.

Step 8 — Apply content warnings

The Content Warnings field is a WordPress taxonomy tag input. Click in the field and type a warning label (for example, "Violence", "Grief & Loss", "Mild Language"). Press Enter or comma to add each chip. Add as many warnings as needed.

Content warnings appear on the front-end book page and are included in ONIX exports where applicable.

Step 9 — Save and verify

Click Update to save the book. Open the front-end book page. With PRO active, you will see the assigned classification codes, genre, target audience, and content warnings rendered on the page.

In ONIX exports (Publisher license), books with active BISAC/Thema/BIC codes are exported with those subject entries in the proper ONIX subject scheme identifiers.