help topic

using the book edit page: part 2

publisher

In this field, list the publisher of the book, such as Bantam, Jove, Berkley, etc. The name of the publisher can often be found on the spine of the book, the back cover, and/or the copyright or title pages.

Be sure to properly spell, punctuate, and capitalize the publisher name - it is not necessary to use ALL CAPS for the publisher name even if that is the way it is written on the spine. Capitalizing the first letter is best.


published - month - day

This field is for noting the date the edition associated with the listed ISBN was published. Date published can most usually be found on the copyright page of a book. That page will tell you when the work was copyrighted - and if the book is a first edition, the copyright date will be the same as the date published. If it is a later edition, the date will be different. Some books, not all, will list dates for subsequent publications somewhere on the copyright page. The last date listed is what should be used to fill in the date published. If you know the book is a reprinting/reissue published later than the copyright date, but no other dates are given you can A) if the book already has a date published supplied by Amazon, leave it as is; B) research the publication date for the edition you have using Google, Google Books, Worldcat, Library of Congress, the author's website or numerous other resources; or C) use the copyright date as the date published.

      Example:
      year: 2008
      month: September
      day: 22


Adding the month and day are optional. They should be included if known. Year is also technically optional, but it is strongly encouraged that a year always be included.


number of pages

This is for entering the number of pages of a book. The number of pages should include the relevant text of the book -- glossaries, appendices, author's notes, etc should be included in the page count if they are labeled with regular numbers, but not if they are labeled by Roman Numerals. Ads, book previews, author biographies, and other such unrelated text should NOT be included in the page count.

Books already in the database that were imported from Amazon often already have pages numbers, and these are often incorrect. Amazon appears to have default page numbers according to the publisher and type of book. These can be corrected, but only if you have the exact book with a matching ISBN.


format

In this field the format/binding type of the book can be added - i.e. Hardcover, Paperback, Mass Market Paperback, Audio CD, ebook, etc.

The format field has a drop-down box with the most common formats. Select the one that matches the book you have. If there is not an appropriate format, click on the "other" link next to the format field. The field will then turn into a text box where you can type in the format of the book. Please use the existing formats if possible (i.e. use Hardcover instead of manually listing Hardback, etc) and if manually adding a format, use correct spelling, capitalization and punctuation.


edition

This field is for such things as "2nd edition", "Film Tie-In Edition", "Large Print", "Special Illustrated Edition" and other edition-specific data that belongs neither in the title nor the format fields.


official URL

This field is for entering a URL officially associated with that book, such as an author or publisher's website for the book, or a page on an author's site for the book. Fan sites, reviews, book sellers, Wiki pages or other such pages should NOT be listed.

Be sure to include the entire link, including the http:// part.

      Example of an acceptable link:
      http://www.suzannebrockmann.com/breaking_point.htm

      Examples of unacceptable links:
      http://www.amazon.com/Breaking-Point-Troubleshooters-Book-9/dp/0345480139
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suzanne_Brockmann#Troubleshooter.2C_Inc._Series
      http://www.facebook.com/pages/Suzanne-Brockmann/47043285969


description

The description field is for entering a summary of the work. The best description to enter is one found on the back cover or on the dust jacket of the book. If the book does not have a summary listed anywhere on the cover or pages, you can copy a description from a different edition or you can write your own. The description can be a couple of sentences or a couple of paragraphs describing the content of the book. It should be a generic summary and should NOT include reviews or personal feelings (i.e. "This is a book about sisters. It was good. You should read it"). The summary should also NOT contain any important spoilers such as mentions of characters deaths, how the book ends, major twists or other information that would spoil the story for those who have not read it.

Descriptions copied from an outside source, such as Wikipedia, should contain a short citation stating where the summary originated from.


primary language

This field is for selecting the language of the specific edition of the book you are editing was written. For example, if the book you are editing is a German translation of a book originally written in English, the language should be listed as German.


dimensions

The dimensions area is for adding size/weight information regarding a specific edition of a book, which will later become helpful when Goodreads improves on their bookswap feature.

Measurements should be made in inches for length, width and height (thickness), and in ounces for weight.

Length = the length of the book is the measurement from the bottom of the front cover to the top of the front cover.
Width = the width of the book is the measurement from the spine of the book to the page edge.
Height (Thickness) = the height (thickness) of the book is the measurement from the front cover, across the page edges, to the back cover

Dimensions are edition specific and should only be added if you have the exact information for the specific ISBN of the book you are editing.

NOTE: some books may have dimensions imported by Amazon. These may or may not be entirely accurate. If you have the specific ISBN book and notice an inaccuracy, it is acceptable to correct it.


source

Source is an un-editable field generated by Goodreads. It tells you where the book originated from - whether it was imported from Amazon, or created by a user.


created

This is another un-editable field. It tells when the edition was added to the Goodreads database and also tells when it was last edited.