Title field should not have format (kindle, paperback...), publisher, file download options, etc.?

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

I did not think book titles were supposed to have format, edition, publisher, bookseller or purchase links, etc.?

I'm finding a whole lot of titles saying things like: kindle, mobi, kindle edition, paperback, epub, smashwords, smashwords edition, pdf, nook, color nook, smashwords, etc.

Too many to tackle on my own.

Plus the edition fields are having strange things like the ebook download file types and info goodreads doesn't track like epub, pdf, html, etc. (exception being if publisher or author purchased a unique isbn for each file type versus just one ebook isbn).

Publisher information like smashwords and lulu showing in edition field.

And of course, never ending promotional text or ephemeral infirmtion (free for now, drm-free, etc.).

Am I wrong about any of the above not belonging in the title? Surely setting format to be "kindle edition" is sufficient without adding to the title ...

[Lobstergirl]

Correct, those should not be in the title field. Smashwords or Lulu should not be in the edition field. Can you link to some of these? Are they imports, or user-added?

[rivka, Former Moderator]

Smashwords/Lulu belong in the publisher field. Nowhere else I can think of.

Format does not belong in the title field. However, it may appear at first glance to be there when it is not, when looking at the editions page. (e.g.: http://www.goodreads.com/work/edition...)

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

I've been editing out as I run across. One recent example (librarian change log will show original title) http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10... (that author also looks like needed some series created, did what I could make out series-wise then directed her here if she needed more).

Mostly "smashwords edition" or "lulu edition" has been showing in edition fields (not sure how to search)

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

Plus lengthy purchase explanations that belong on bookseller/publisher product pages rather than goodreads — but nothing an easy title search will fix.

[Lobstergirl]

I just found several and they were all user-added, not imports.

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

Not sure a good idea to search for just "edition" in title field, returned nearly as many pages as unknown book titles.

Saw a lot saying "Silhouette Special Edition" in title, is that okay or is it imprint info that can optionally be put in the edition field? (Search returned http://www.goodreads.com/search?utf8=...)

[rivka, Former Moderator]

That is imprint info.

[Karma♥Bites ^.~]

Debbie wrote: "... Mostly "smashwords edition" or "lulu edition" has been showing in edition fields (not sure how to search)"

Ooops... I am recently guilty of "Smashwords edition". Kept seeing it (as well as "Nook edition") and realised/thought that info was added to distinguish among several ebook editions so GR members could add their version.

Sorry.

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

ETA: soon wrote: "Debbie wrote: "... Mostly "smashwords edition" or "lulu edition" has been showing in edition fields (not sure how to search)"

Ooops... I am recently guilty of "Smashwords edition". Kept seeing it..."

It's just an issue because if, for example, several members add the smashwords-published ebook isbn 978whatever - maybe 35 loaded to their nook from the Barnes and Noble site, 18 to their overdrive app, 12 via kobo, 6 from smashwords to their ADE software, 5 to their ibooks, 13 to Sony Reader and so on for the thousands of devices and apps that read the ebook available from smashwords and other publishers...

A single isbn/asin/unique-id needed instead of trying to list thousands of site, device or app members are using to download or read.

Not just smashwords; publishers like Random House, Harper Collins, etc. usually get one isbn that you use for ebooks. Whether downloaded directly from publisher site or from various booksellers.

If author or publisher did obtain multiple isbn numbers to use for different retail sites downloading the ebook, multiple isbns for different file types (epub, pdf, mobi...) — can be more specific in book data. Otherwise - it's just "ebook" format.

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

Of course, I've been on threads with things like members heatedly arguing for one book isbn what's "correct" for the edition field and pages numbers because one had downloaded to their Palm and one to ADE software ...

[Karma♥Bites ^.~]

Sorry, I should've clarified that I *think* that I've only made specific distinction if, for example, there's an ISBN13 beginning with "29" which indicates "BN ID" (only for B&N) = Nook edition. Or I know that ebook is avilable only at SW.

Better (tho not necessarily correct)?

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

Bnid starting with bnid 294#, yup, that's format=ebook/edition=nook edition, kobo 123# format=ebook/format=kobo edition ... unique identifiers for ebook editions that will not be sold by other booksellers.

I'm not sure publisher smashwords ever has an isbn 978# sold exclusively on their publisher's website. I'm pretty sure authors have to go through some hoops not to get their standard retail distribution.

The only time I've seen a book exclusive to smashwords, no isbn was assigned (loophole to a publisher having to get separate ebook isbn is if the book is only for sell/download from publisher site).

Someone else may be more familiar with smashwords than I am.

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

If you think you have found an isbn 978# excluive to smashwords, test it at the booksellers they distribute to (even though booksellers are not acceptable for for data): their website claims "Smashwords distributes books to most of the major retailers, including the Apple iBookstore, Barnes & Noble, Sony, Kobo and the Diesel eBook Store...and library distribution network Baker & Taylor Axis360, 3M Cloud Library..."

Not sure what "secret sauce" goes into their Barnes and Noble distribution being 294 or 978; maybe it's an author choice.

[Karma♥Bites ^.~]

I usually Google or check WorldCat. Of course, that's not to say that other places won't use in future so... *shrug* Better to stop noting editions, eh?

As for the "secret sauce" re: B&N, *lol* definitely not author's choice b/c some have asked me what that # is for their books. ^_^

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

ETA: soon wrote: "I usually Google or check WorldCat. Of course, that's not to say that other places won't use in future so... *shrug* Better to stop noting editions, eh?

As for the "secret sauce" re: B&N, *lol* d..."

Worldcat doesn't seem to list a lot of indie ebooks (well neither do most of the ebook distribution portals to libraries so makes sense.)

As to smashwords authors needing their B&N number, they should be able to find it on Barnes and Noble site by title search — if not a 294 number it will be the exact same isbn978 as smashwords' book page uses.

[Cait]

Smashwords is a publisher, so you'd think people would list "Smashwords" in the publisher field if they're concerned about people not being able to locate the book for sale, but Smashwords apparently allows (encourages?) its authors to list their own names in the publisher field instead of "Smashwords". (If I see that an edition is published via Smashwords and there's no publisher set at all, I'll put Smashwords in as the publisher, but I won't replace the author's name as the publisher if that's the way they've chosen to do it.) The publisher's name really doesn't belong in the edition field, though.

[rivka, Former Moderator]

Cait wrote: "Smashwords is a publisher, so you'd think people would list "Smashwords" in the publisher field if they're concerned about people not being able to locate the book for sale, but Smashwords apparently allows (encourages?) its authors to list their own names in the publisher field instead of "Smashwords". (If I see that an edition is published via Smashwords and there's no publisher set at all, I'll put Smashwords in as the publisher, but I won't replace the author's name as the publisher if that's the way they've chosen to do it.) The publisher's name really doesn't belong in the edition field, though."

I agree, with one difference: If the publisher is listed as the author, I will replace it with Smashwords. If the publisher is listed as one of the multitude of mini "publishing houses" that publish on Smashwords, I leave it be.

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

Provided it's in the publisher field (or in the official url), I'm happy to see some non-bookseller indie ebook publishers noted. Gives me an acceptable source for looking up ebook data.

I just don't want to get in a loop of editions getting changed because publisher/author obtained one isbn978# for all their ebook flavors and members post that that isbn ebook is a Palm edition, iBooks edition, nook edition ... and so on back and forth as members reading on a device think their device name should be in edition field. Luckily most members used to buying ebooks directly from publishers tend to get it (if not can always link them to the growing list of devices, other than kindle as usual, that read the same ebook file).

[Karma♥Bites ^.~]

rivka wrote: "...I agree, with one difference: If the publisher is listed as the author, I will replace it with Smashwords. If the publisher is listed as one of the multitude of mini "publishing houses" that publish on Smashwords, I leave it be."

Ah, this was my initial hesitancy―replacing the author with SW. Thank you.

But for clarification so I know going forward, what if the author is listed as publisher on the SW page (instead of just blank)?

[rivka, Former Moderator]

I could see going either way, in that case.

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

I've seen some veh-ry veh-ry smashwords — smashwords in publisher field, in edition field, and linked in official url (haven't seen one with all that plus in the detailed promotional and purchasing how to's some authors try to put for the book synopsis; early in the day though.)

Off to finish the "Dr V" in author field searches (I started with "Dr A" so am seeing the finish line before the next little list of searches I've made myself).

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

"Kindle edition, kindle edition" is now my new fave.

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

I'm crying uncle on cleaning up "smashwords edition" in edition field; not going to be back for a couple of weeks for any decent amount of time.

I only got thru the first page of a search engine search that was doing a good job finding (outside of goodreads in most browsers or search engines including google):

"smashwords edition" site:goodreads.com/book
Click links search finds, then on goodreads book page "Other Editions" "expand details" and have a looksee.

It's so extremely unlikely that an ebook with isbn-13 978#### number is exclusive to smashwords. Likely author not distributed at every bookseller smashwords uses to distribute that one isbn (foreign rights issues prevent); but, their whole business model is that authors do not have to be exclusive or sign away book rights.

Watchout for editions specifying product/purchase page specific infirmstion like which file types sites selling the book will download in. (I had a mess cleanig up A Petition to Magic which had more than a half dozen editions of the one isbn). Very likely have kindle and nook editions that need to be added as well if you spot those missing.

In the process, fixed a couple of unknown books (yay!).

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

If it hadn't taken so long, was going to continue on with these searches as well (the periods next to number are min/max codes). Click link,search finds then on goodreads book page "Other Editions" "expand details" and have a looksee.

epub site:goodreads.com/book
(finds books mentioning epub which is not always accurate but definitely not tracked by gr unless ebook has multiple isbns forevery file type; I stopped page 6)

9780000000000.. +"nook edition" site:goodreads.com/book
(Finds isbn 978#### numbers marked as nook editions when only bnid294### numbers are nook editions. Catches some where nook edition wording too close; (I stopped page 15)

Not sure how frequently the search engine cache updates.

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

Here's an example of an ebook that actually is a smashwords edition (versus an ebook with a single isbn that is being sold at several booksellers and at publisher Smashwords site): http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17... (smashwords page http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/... ).

(Smashwords in this instance using the loophole that if only selling directly from their site no isbn required to separate ebook from print edition; author is using createspace for print copy under an isbn)

[rivka, Former Moderator]

Nonetheless, there's no reason to include a notation that it is a Smashwords edition. The link to Smashwords is fine, but they should be in the publisher field, not the edition field.

Edited.