diff --git a/journal_api_authors_test.go b/journal_api_authors_test.go
index 83a2733..046ef6e 100644
--- a/journal_api_authors_test.go
+++ b/journal_api_authors_test.go
@@ -169,6 +169,31 @@ func TestJournalAuthorProfile(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("team avatar = %v, want a URL ending in %s", data["avatar"], avatarDisk)
 	}
 
+	// Only a subtitle: the description stays an empty string and the
+	// avatar null.
+	subID := insertBackendUser(t, env, "Sub", "Title", "subonly", "sub-only", false)
+	if err := env.gdb.Exec(`UPDATE backend_users SET metadata = ? WHERE id = ?`, `{"subtitle":"Editor"}`, subID).Error; err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	data, _ = authorProfileOK(t, env, "sub-only")
+	if data["subtitle"] != "Editor" || data["description"] != "" || data["avatar"] != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("sub-only profile = %v, want subtitle Editor, an empty description and a null avatar", data)
+	}
+
+	// Metadata that is empty, JSON null, not JSON or not strings never
+	// breaks the payload: empty strings and a null avatar.
+	for i, meta := range []string{"", "null", "{not json", `{"subtitle":7,"description":["x"]}`, `{"description":null}`} {
+		slug := "odd-meta-" + strconv.Itoa(i)
+		id := insertBackendUser(t, env, "Odd", "Meta", "oddmeta"+strconv.Itoa(i), slug, false)
+		if err := env.gdb.Exec(`UPDATE backend_users SET metadata = ? WHERE id = ?`, meta, id).Error; err != nil {
+			t.Fatal(err)
+		}
+		data, _ = authorProfileOK(t, env, slug)
+		if data["subtitle"] != "" || data["description"] != "" || data["avatar"] != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("metadata %q: profile = %v, want empty subtitle and description and a null avatar", meta, data)
+		}
+	}
+
 	// A slug is an explicit opt-in: it resolves with no posts at all.
 	insertBackendUser(t, env, "Fresh", "Author", "fresh", "fresh-author", false)
 	data, _ = authorProfileOK(t, env, "fresh-author")