If authors have trouble setting which edition/bookcover is featured/primary/default edition

[Debbie's Spurts (D.A.)]

IN CASE IT HELPS ANY AUTHORS TRYING: An author posted a screenshot at http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1... showing the "set this book as the primary edition for this work" menu choice the directions in Author FAQs message #4 and in the help screens say to click (librarians actually can't see, only authors and gr staff).

Reminder, it's still never okay to overwrite or delete older bookcovers from the goodreads shelves/database (goodreads is not your retailer needing to list just the for-sell-right-now book; if book existed it has a right to be here no matter how out of date or out of print). Instead an alternate cover edition gets made, combined with the original book/work and then authors can set which edition/cover gets featured on their book page, series, searches, etc.

[Debbie's Spurts (D.A.)]

Helpful links to new feature/policy:

Author FAQ #4 this group: http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...

Goodreads help screens: http://www.goodreads.com/help/show/31...

[Debbie's Spurts (D.A.)]

Some tips for authors trying to set from various threads and groups:

If you [as author] set the primary/default edition correctly and it looks right on your author page and when you search by title but still shows wrong on series, giveaways or other places - be patient. Has to populate thru quite a few behind the scenes data things to catch every feature and page. If it looks correct on your page and searches correctly, it is. Patient as in could be hours or days even.

If it did not work, make sure (before editing to set primary edition) that you selected the right edition. From main book page, click on one of the edition thumbnails at right to select edition wanted then edit only once you are sure the one you are looking at on screen is the one you want. (If you can't tell from thumbnails or have loads of editions, can click "Other Editions" to see all of them listed at once with more detail).

What updates, revisions or new covers successfully uploaded to bookseller sites (like kobo, amaon, iTunes, Google Play, Barnes and Noble, etc.) or when it went live isn't something that determines what goodreads policies are—if it is or ever was a published book it has a place in the database. That your revised cover just went live is not justification for overwriting a bookcover on goodreads and damaging all the member book catalogues.

Librarians can always help with creating alternate cover or additional format editions (no image or information links from booksellers please). Only goodreads staff can help set the primary edition via contact form at http://www.goodreads.com/about/contac...

[Debbie's Spurts (D.A.)]

All information subject to change, of course, I'm not official anything much less staff. Just spotted the screenshot which really helped me so wanted to pass along.

Plus I was starting to feel like lather, rinse, repeat repeatedly posting some of the stuff above …