diff --git a/src/calibre/gui2/custom_column_widgets.py b/src/calibre/gui2/custom_column_widgets.py
index 2c5b274d26..35d9f04e1f 100644
--- a/src/calibre/gui2/custom_column_widgets.py
+++ b/src/calibre/gui2/custom_column_widgets.py
@@ -320,7 +320,23 @@ class BulkDateTime(BulkBase, DateTime):
     pass
 
 class BulkText(BulkBase, Text):
-    pass
+
+    def initialize(self, book_ids):
+        val = self.get_initial_value(book_ids)
+        self.initial_val = val = self.normalize_db_val(val)
+        if self.col_metadata['is_multiple']:
+            self.setter(val)
+            self.widgets[1].update_tags_cache(self.all_values)
+        else:
+            idx = None
+            for i, c in enumerate(self.all_values):
+                if c == val:
+                    idx = i
+                self.widgets[1].addItem(c)
+            self.widgets[1].setEditText('')
+            if idx is not None:
+                self.widgets[1].setCurrentIndex(idx)
+
 
 bulk_widgets = {
         'bool' : BulkBool,
diff --git a/src/calibre/gui2/dialogs/metadata_bulk.py b/src/calibre/gui2/dialogs/metadata_bulk.py
index 10c7387423..788c8681a6 100644
--- a/src/calibre/gui2/dialogs/metadata_bulk.py
+++ b/src/calibre/gui2/dialogs/metadata_bulk.py
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@ __copyright__ = '2008, Kovid Goyal <kovid at kovidgoyal.net>'
 
 '''Dialog to edit metadata in bulk'''
 
-import sip
 from PyQt4.QtCore import SIGNAL, QObject
 from PyQt4.QtGui import QDialog, QGridLayout
 
@@ -54,7 +53,6 @@ class MetadataBulkDialog(QDialog, Ui_MetadataBulkDialog):
 
         self.custom_column_widgets, self.__cc_spacers = populate_bulk_metadata_page(
                 layout, self.db, self.ids, w)
-        #sip.delete(w.layout())
         w.setLayout(layout)
         self.__custom_col_layouts = [layout]
         ans = self.custom_column_widgets
@@ -154,6 +152,9 @@ class MetadataBulkDialog(QDialog, Ui_MetadataBulkDialog):
                     self.db.set_authors(id, new_authors, notify=False)
 
             self.changed = True
+        for w in getattr(self, 'custom_column_widgets', []):
+            w.commit(self.ids)
+
 
     def series_changed(self):
         self.write_series = True