Goodreads Librarians Group discussion
Questions (not edit requests)
>
Deleting duplicate editions question
date
newest »
newest »
One edition has an ISBN so that probably isn't a Kindle edition, probably an ebook. The Kindle ASIN is B00GH4GCQ4. That looks like two editions. Is the author saying there is only one?Edit: the first thing you always do when receiving 'requests' direct from an author, is check everything.
Edit 2: the authors own website includes the option to buy softback editions. That would be three editions.
I did double check everything. That's one reason why I'm confused. The softbacks for sale you cannot buy through Amazon (I believe the author orders those on her own), so I don't know why that would matter for these two editions. The book listed with the info from Amazon says it's a Kindle edition, just like the original one I entered before publication. I'm double checking but I believe the author bought her own ISBN for the book, therefore she WOULD have an ISBN and NOT an ASIN. In other words, I still think this is a duplicate.
Lindsay wrote: "II did double check everything. That's one reason why I'm confused. The softbacks for sale you cannot buy through Amazon (I believe the author orders those on her own), so I don't know why that would matter for these two editions. The book listed with the info from Amazon says it's a Kindle edition, just like the original one I entered before publication. I'm double checking but I believe the author bought her own ISBN for the book, therefore she WOULD have an ISBN and NOT an ASIN. In other words, I still think this is a duplicate. "It doesn't matter where you can buy an edition, only that the edition exists. If the author makes an edition available then we can assume that it exists:
http://kristineraymond.com/here-to-st...
The book that says it is a Kindle edition should have the ASIN B00GH4GCQ4. Amazon sells kindle books with an ASIN not an ISBN. Like this:
http://www.amazon.com/Here-Hidden-Spr...
The ISBN must, therefore, belong to another edition, perhaps this one:
http://www.bookwire.com/book/Here-to-...
which is listed by a different publisher so might be an older edition. It could even be a Kindle edition sold by some other company but since it clearly doesn't use the ASIN we would keep it anyway.
Goodreads keeps ALL editions, not just current ones.
Hi, I am Kristine Raymond, the author that Lindsay is referring to. I have 2 editions of my book for sale, one e-book and one paperback. I bought 2 different ISBNs from Bowker, one for the e-book and one for the paperback.
I only have 2 editions available, the e-book on Amazon and the paperback that I sell through my website. Kristine Raymond is my pen name, I am listed as the publisher on bookwire under my real name. There have only ever been the 2 editions of Here to Stay.
I understand that Goodreads keeps all editions. I also understand that a paperback version would be a separate edition.However, my question was based on the 2 editions listed here at Goodreads. There is not a paperback edition listed, nor is there a non-kindle edition listed.
The 2 "editions" are both Kindle books. The author confirmed that she choose to use her own ISBN for the KINDLE edition (which is the same ISBN you found on Bowkers site and the same ISBN listed in the 2nd edition here on Goodreads that is FROM Amazon's data) and she declined Amazon's ASIN. I have no idea why Amazon now has an ASIN listed.
I will leave this edition alone if you insist that it is correct. But if that's the case, why did Goodreads automatically pull data from Amazon and why is that data not match Amazon's own site (i.e. why does the pulled data list an ISBN while the site lists an ASIN)?
OK, this edition is the Kindle for sale on Amazonhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
http://www.amazon.com/Here-Hidden-Spr...
So it needs the ASIN B00GH4GCQ4 because that is what Amazon are showing NOT the ISBN13 9780991137107 (see my comment below).
The other edition that is listed in the original post is this one:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
and it isn't a duplicate because we have a missing edition (the paperback) which would give you two editions on Goodreads so I suggest that we make this edition into the paperback expecially since the non-kindle edition is the popular one. Merging the popular edition is a pain.
Kristine, does the paperback use an ISBN?
Lindsay, I didn't use the Bowker site. Amazon will have Kristine's ISBN buried in their systems so that people can search on it but if you buy a copy of that book it will be using the ASIN and that is what owners of that book will see. That is most likely what members will search using if they see the book on Amazon and want to read reviews on Goodreads. I don't insist that anything is correct but I don't see the need to delete one of those books. There are whole threads about the oddities that the Amazon imports are adding to Goodreads at the moment and this might be one of them since it has added the ISBN which is not visible on the Amazon page and ignored the ASIN which is.
Yes, the ISBN for the paperback is 978-0-9911371-1-4The ISBN assigned to my electronic book text is 978-0-9911371-0-7
How do I prevent this from happening in the future? I am getting ready to release my second book on December 26th exclusively to Amazon and I will have print editions available through my website. I have purchased two additional ISBNs to assign to these editions.
Kristine wrote: "Yes, the ISBN for the paperback is 978-0-9911371-1-4The ISBN assigned to my electronic book text is 978-0-9911371-0-7
How do I prevent this from happening in the future? I am getting ready to release my second book on December 26th exclusively to Amazon and I will have print editions available through my website. I have purchased two additional ISBNs to assign to these editions. "
I don't have much author-type experience in the way Amazon does things but on principle I would say you should use the ASIN that Amazon suggest if you are selling the book on Amazon. The Goodreads importer could be checking to see if there is an ISBN before it checks to see if there is an ASIN. Since a book on Goodreads CANNOT have both it probably won't bother getting the ASIN if there is an ISBN buried in the data. But ASINs are what people expect to find and use on Amazon. Keep the ISBN but use them on print editions or other non-Amazon products. That would be my plan. Whether it is a workable plan...
This is the paperback with ISBN:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
and the Kindle with ASIN:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
The paperback is currently the default edition but you can change it to default to the Kindle like this:
This is the procedure for setting the default edition of a book:
i) Go to the book page of the edition you wish to become the default/primary edition.
ii) Click "edit details" below the book's description.
iii) On the right side of the page about halfway down, click "Set this book as the primary edition for this work".
iv) Click "Save Changes"
Thank you. Amazon does ask if you have your own ISBN when you upload your book. In fact, it offers several options for getting one, including paying for one through Amazon. I will continue to use an ISBN even for my digital editions.
Thank you for that information. Before posting this question I did try to search for how the importer was supposed to work, but I didn't find anything. So it's good to know that there are some problems and it probably wasn't something either of us did.
Kristine wrote: "Thank you. Amazon does ask if you have your own ISBN when you upload your book. In fact, it offers several options for getting one, including paying for one through Amazon. I will continue to use an ISBN even for my digital editions. "
It would be interesting to know why Amazon still put the ASIN on the book but don't show the ISBN. Logically, they ask for the existing ISBN so that their search engine can use it to find their book page which only uses the ASIN so if you are only selling the Kindle edition through Amazon and nowhere else you are wasting the ISBN (and whatever it costs you to get it).
My understanding from authors is that if you use your own ISBN then *you* get to be or specify the publisher name. If you use Amazon's, then they are officially the publisher. That's why many authors use their own ISBNs. But you're right, I too am confused why Amazon is showing the ASIN but not the ISBN.
I had added a book for an author before publication so there was no ASIN yet (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...)
Once the book was published, it seems to have also pulled the info from Amazon creating a duplicate copy (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...).
The author has asked me to merge and delete one edition. I tried to merge via instructions, but all the pulled info from Amazon such as the ASIN etc. isn't showing up on the other edition, which is the one that everyone has rated and shelved. So I hesitate to delete either one (and which one should I delete anyway?).
Am I doing something wrong? I would love some instruction so that I know how to do it properly next time.
Thanks,
Lindsay