2025 Update to the BISAC Subject Codes List

Join CONNIE HARBISON (Baker & Taylor), Chair of BISG’s Subject Codes Committee, for an in-depth look at the 2025 update to the BISAC Subject Code List—the industry standard for classifying book content in the North American market.

This annual webinar provides essential guidance to help you navigate and implement the new subject codes effectively. Connie will walk you through the most significant updates to the 2025 list including:

• Key changes from the 2024 edition
• Emerging trends that shaped the latest revisions
• How and why updates are made, including the collaborative committee process
• Best practices for applying the 2025 codes with confidence across your publishing, retail, and metadata workflows

Whether you're a publisher, retailer, or metadata professional, this session will help you apply the 2025 codes with confidence.

On Tuesday, November 19, BISG published a CALL FOR COMMENTS on the proposed changes to the BISAC Subject Code List. 

BISG's Subject Codes committee has prepared a summary of proposed changes to the BISAC Subject Code list. The summary is available for viewing at this link.

Comments were due by the close of business on MONDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2025. Click here to read more.

THANK YOU to the members of the BISG Subject Codes Committee for their hard work and commitment—especially under the steady leadership of Chair Connie Harbison—in preparing the proposed updates to the BISAC Subject Code list. Your dedication to reviewing categories, refining descriptions, and ensuring the BISAC list remains a vital, accurate, and widely trusted component of the publishing supply chain is deeply appreciated.

CONNIE HARBISON has been involved in the book industry for almost thirty years, starting as a trade book buyer in one of Barnes & Noble’s college bookstores. She was with RR Bowker for thirteen years, working with data integration and quality. For the past nineteen years, Connie has worked as director of quality assurance for Baker & Taylor. She has served as chairman of the BISAC Subject Committee for the past twenty years. Connie holds a BA and MA in English literature from The Catholic University of America and an MLS degree from Rutgers University.