EPUB metadata editing is not complete when new text appears in a settings form. Verify title, author, publisher, and language in the package document, and verify publication history and version in the generated colophon. In the executed sample, dc:date recorded export time rather than the configured publication date. Those dates must not be reported as one field.
Preserve the old edition
The old edition used “Harbor Anthology—Old Edition,” author “Kai Sato,” publisher “Blue Light Press,” language ja, version 1.0, and horizontal writing. Its publication history included August 28, 2026. Preserve that EPUB, its OPF, colophon, and artifact hash as the comparison source.
Separate changes from invariants
The revision changed the title to “Harbor Anthology—Revised Edition,” author to “Shio Sato,” publisher to “New Light Press,” configured publication date to September 1, 2026, and version to 1.1. Language ja, horizontal writing, left-to-right progression, and four-chapter order were invariants.
For a real request, edit only the requested fields. A changed/invariant list makes accidental side effects visible.
Read the package document
The revised OPF stored the new title in dc:title, author in dc:creator, and publisher in dc:publisher. dc:language remained ja; the book remained horizontal-tb with left-to-right page progression.
The observed dc:date was the fixed export timestamp 2026-08-28T12:00:00+09:00. It was not the configured September 1 publication date. Treat it as the timestamp of this generated artifact, not proof that the volume date was copied into OPF.
Read publication history in the colophon
The generated colophon showed publication-history entries for September 1 and August 28, and it included version 1.1. A workflow that retains earlier history may display more than the latest line. Read the actual rows and decide whether that history is intended.
If a publication date or version is wrong, return to volume information. If title, author, or publisher is stale, return to series information. Do not patch generated XHTML because the next export will overwrite it.
Keep date roles separate
The volume’s publication date, the EPUB export timestamp, and a store release schedule are three different values. This test verified publication history in the colophon and export time in dc:date; it did not test a marketplace schedule.
Metadata changes also do not rewrite words baked into cover pixels or every mention in body text. Inspect the cover and search the manuscript separately.
Completion means the OPF contains the intended title, author, publisher, and language; the colophon contains the intended publication history and version; and writing direction, chapter order, and body-image structure remain stable. ISBN assignment, store listing fields, and contracts are outside this workflow. Checking each value at its real destination prevents a publication date from being confused with an export timestamp.
