Publisher wants to update info on book

[Ivor]

Hi, please may someone add me (Ivor W. Hartmann) to the book https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... so I may, as the publisher, add more details to its description. Many thanks.

[Susie]

We don't add publishers as co-authors on works - only editors (for multiple-author/undefined author works), contributors, illustrators (for picture books), narrators (for audio books) and translators (when necessary). If you wish for information to be updated, you will need to request here.

I have, however, found that the book is also on Amazon. So I have updated information from there accordingly.

[Ivor]

Many thanks Susie, that's great.

Maybe that's something that could be looked into though, giving publishers access to their book's info seems like a no-brainer.

[Susie]

Ivor wrote: "Many thanks Susie, that's great.

Maybe that's something that could be looked into though, giving publishers access to their book's info seems like a no-brainer."

Well, you can apply to be a librarian, but it's mostly disliked because of "vandalism" (which includes changing information of already-published books when the information gets updated or the book gets re-released, for instance book covers, etc.). For those that don't know the GR rules and guidelines, it can cause problems for librarians and staff as they try to tidy-up the database again afterwards.

It is something you could suggest in the Feedback group, but I think it is unlikely to be taken up because of the issues I mentioned.

It's not a personal thing, it's just that there's a lot of people out there who edit the database without understanding even the basic guidelines. :)

[Cait]

Ivor wrote: "Maybe that's something that could be looked into though, giving publishers access to their book's info seems like a no-brainer."

It was tried a few years ago, but apparently it didn't work out and the publisher connections were removed again. I never heard why it failed, but maybe you could ask in the feedback group -- someone might remember it.

[Ivor]

Thanks Susie. I am a librarian, but apparently only for books that my name is stated with, and I have studied the rules closely.

Ok, thanks Cait, I'd be curious to know too.

[Susie]

Ivor wrote: "Thanks Susie. I am a librarian, but apparently only for books that my name is stated with, and I have studied the rules closely.

Ok, thanks Cait, I'd be curious to know too."

You're not a librarian but a GR author - that means that you have some (limited) editing abilities on your own books, but not on those of others.

[Ivor]

Hmm, I did apply to be one, as far as I know it was accepted, it's stated on my page somewhere when I do stuff.

[Susie]

Aha, sorry - just looked at your profile and it does state it there (#9 Top Librarians). That's odd, then. You would still have limited editing abilities of your own books, AFAIK, but it means you should be able to edit the works of others plus edit some other things. If it had been revoked, you should have been notified. You might want to check with support on that, then (unless anyone else comes along that knows a bit more about these things than me!).

[Banjomike]

Ivor wrote: "Maybe that's something that could be looked into though, giving publishers access to their book's info seems like a no-brainer."

I know of several threads where authors have asked for covers to be removed because publisher representatives have preempted the official reveal and many similar issues. The issue in most of those cases was that the publisher rep seemed to be convinced that they knew best and kept repeating the errors. On Goodreads (being a site for readers) it is readers first then authors second then nobody.

[Renske]

The '#9 Top Librarians' on your profile doesn't mean you are a librarian. Adding books to the database, which everyone can do or the edits a Goodreads author can do, those are also counted for that list. So someone can be in that list without being a librarian.