Question re: merging and ASINs

[Drace]

I know merges aren't online until after January 8th, but I had a question about the process involving them.

An ebook was added to Goodreads. When it was added, the ASIN field was left blank. Current Goodreads policy states that if a book has an ISBN-10, it should also be put in the ASIN field, but it was added in 2018 before that was common practice (I think). As part of Goodreads' inscrutable new practice of assigning random ASINs that don't exist on any Amazon listing to any random Goodreads edition the bot happens to see, it has been assigned a random alphanumeric ASIN against Goodreads policy rather than the proper ISBN-10. This ASIN does not correspond to any real Kindle or Audible edition. Unfortunately, because not even staff can remove an ASIN, getting this edition in line with Goodreads policy is nigh impossible.

If the following steps were taken:

1. Staff removing the ISBNs from the edition with the nonexistent ASIN
2. Staff creating a new edition with the ISBNs, making sure to put the ISBN-10 in the ASIN field as well
3. A Superlibrarian merging the nonexistent ASIN edition with the newly created edition with the existing ISBN-10/ISBN-13/ASIN

...would the new edition have the correct ASIN, i.e. the same as the ISBN-10? Or would the nonexistent alphanumeric ASIN somehow find its way in there?

[Dobby]

It would be far simpler to have Staff make the corrections to the existing record.

[Drace]

The problem is Staff's told me before that not even they can remove an ASIN once it's been assigned to a book, even if it's incorrect.

[Dobby]

*sigh* I have my moments when I wonder about some of the diabolic decisions foisted on us thoughtfully implemented by TPTB.

We could try the approach you outlined. I would change the procedure slightly:

[ETA: Separate faulty edition first so it's by itself]
1. Librarian creates new edition [ETA: with ISBN10 in ASIN field]
2. Librarian requests Staff move ISBNs to new edition [ETA: omit this bit: instructing them to put ISBN10 in ASIN position] - step-by-step instructions
3. Librarian merges faulty ASIN edition with new bright and shiny ISBN edition
[ETA: Combine corrected ISBN edition with its other editions]

I've found I get much better results if I provide step-by-step instructions to Staff, explaining what I need of them and what I'll be doing myself.

I'd be glad to do this if you'll provide the link to the edition you're referencing.

NOTE: Edited to add revisions

[Drace]

Thanks a bunch for your help. The edition with the faulty ASIN is here: The Luminous Dead (ISBN 9780062846914)

The correct information for the new edition should be as follows:

TITLE: The Luminous Dead
AUTHOR: Caitlin Starling
ISBN-10: 0062846914
ISBN-13: 9780062846914
ASIN: 0062846914
PUBLISHER: Harper Voyager
DATE PUBLISHED: April 2, 2019
NUMBER OF PAGES: 432
FORMAT: Ebook
DESCRIPTION:
The thrilling, atmospheric debut from the author of The Death of Jane Lawrence, a novel with the intensive drive of The Martian and Gravity and the creeping dread of Annihilation, in which a caver on a foreign planet finds herself on a terrifying psychological and emotional journey for survival.

When Gyre Price lied her way into this expedition, she thought she’d be mapping mineral deposits, and that her biggest problems would be cave collapses and gear malfunctions. She also thought that the fat paycheck—enough to get her off-planet and on the trail of her mother—meant she’d get a skilled surface team, monitoring her suit and environment, keeping her safe. Keeping her sane.

Instead, she got Em.

Em sees nothing wrong with controlling Gyre’s body with drugs or withholding critical information to “ensure the smooth operation” of her expedition. Em knows all about Gyre’s falsified credentials, and has no qualms using them as a leash—and a lash. And Em has secrets, too . . .

As Gyre descends, little inconsistencies—missing supplies, unexpected changes in the route, and, worst of all, shifts in Em’s motivations—drive her out of her depths. Lost and disoriented, Gyre finds her sense of control giving way to paranoia and anger. On her own in this mysterious, deadly place, surrounded by darkness and the unknown, Gyre must overcome more than just the dangerous terrain and the Tunneler which calls underground its home if she wants to make it out alive—she must confront the ghosts in her own head.

But how come she can’t shake the feeling she’s being followed?

EDITION LANGUAGE: English
COVER ART: https://www.harpercollins.com/cdn/sho... // https://www.harpercollins.com/product...

[Dobby]

OK, thanks. I've started setting this up but will have to wait until the Separate/Combine option comes back on line, which should be within the next 24 hours. I'll keep you updated.

Because the edition we're working with has over 10K shelvings, Staff will have to do the merge.

[David]

If you need an ASIN moved ask send a request and ask them to escalate the issue to dev. The dev team can move ASINs, and have done this for me a number of times in the past. It does take time.

[Dobby]

Thanks, David! That's great information to have.

[Drace]

Hi Dobby,

Sorry to revive an old thread, but I figured just bringing it back would be a bit easier than typing out the entire explanation for what needs to be done to correct the issue. Here's the nutshell version of what happened this time:

- I noticed a situation where an ebook and Kindle edition were merged by the Goodreads bot's unopposed merging rampage of Autumn 2024

- I contacted Staff to remove the ebook ISBNs from the Kindle edition and create a new page for the ebook, specifically noting in bold letters that as per Goodreads policy, the ASIN needs to be the same as the ISBN-10 or else the bot is going to screw things up again

- Staff doesn't listen and leaves the ASIN field blank, and as a result, the bot immediately puts in a junk ASIN against the site's own policy

If I provide the correct information for the book in question, would you be able to carry out the steps you laid out in Message #4 of this thread?

[Dobby]

Post the specifics and I'll take a look at it. :-)

[Drace]

Edition that got the junk ASIN added to it: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

Information for the correct edition:

TITLE: Drug Cartels Do Not Exist: Narcotrafficking in US and Mexican Culture
AUTHOR: Oswaldo Zavala
TRANSLATOR: William Savinar
ISBN-10: 082650468X
ISBN-13: 9780826504685
ASIN: 082650468X
PUBLISHER: Vanderbilt University Press
DATE PUBLISHED: May 15, 2022
NUMBER OF PAGES: 206
FORMAT: Ebook
DESCRIPTION:

Through political and cultural analysis of representations of the so-called war on drugs, Oswaldo Zavala makes the case that the very terms we use to describe drug traffickers are a constructed subterfuge for the real narcos: politicians, corporations, and the military. Though Donald Trump's incendiary comments and monstrous policies on the border revealed the character of a deeply depraved leader, state violence on both sides of the border is nothing new. Immigration has endured as a prevailing news topic, but it is a fixture of modern society in the neoliberal era; the future will be one of exile brought on by state violence and the plundering of our natural resources to sate capitalist greed.

Yet the realities of violence in Mexico and along the border are obscured by the books, films, and TV series we consume. In truth, works like Sicario, The Queen of the South, and Narcos hide Mexico's political realities. Alongside these examples, Zavala discusses Charles Bowden, 2666 by Roberto Bolaño, and other important Latin American writers as examples of those who do capture the realities of the drug war.

Translated into English by William Savinar, Drug Cartels Do Not Exist will be useful for journalists, political scientists, philosophers, and writers of any kind who wish to break down the constructed barriers—physical and mental—created by those in power around the reality of the Mexican drug trade.

EDITION LANGUAGE: English
COVER ART: https://vanderbilt-university-us.imgi... // https://www.vanderbiltuniversitypress...

[Dobby]

I've asked Support to forward it to the Development Team for correction. We'll see what happens. 😏

[David]

I've now been waiting three months on a similar matter.

[Dobby]

I did get a reply from Support. No ETA on a result, though.

I've added your report to the developer ticket, so that they have as much information as possible while investigating and implementing a solution to the problem. In the meantime, I want to apologize for the inconvenience and to thank you for your patience while this is resolved.

Although, at this time we cannot give you an estimated date when this will be completely solved, everything in our power is being done to solve the problem in the best possible way. We understand that this is frustrating for you and the other users that are experiencing this issue, so we greatly appreciate your understanding and patience as we work through a resolution.

So ... it's in the queue, which I suspect is miles long. 🙄

[Drace]

Reviving this thread again because Staff pulled the same crap that I described in Post 9 to another edition I emailed them about. Great work, Staff.

Dobby, if you're still in the thread, could you please contact them like you did last time since you're a super and they'll probably listen to you a little more closely than to me?

Edition that got a junk ASIN immediately added because they didn't add a damn ASIN like the site's policy tells them to: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

Correct information:
TITLE: The Death of Jane Lawrence
AUTHOR: Caitlin Starling
NARRATOR: Mandy Weston
ISBN-10: 1250821738
ISBN-13: 9781250821737
ASIN: 1250821738
PUBLISHER: Macmillan Audio
DATE PUBLISHED: October 5, 2021
NUMBER OF PAGES: 14
FORMAT: Audiobook
DESCRIPTION:
From the Bram Stoker-nominated author of The Luminous Dead comes a gothic fantasy horror—The Death of Jane Lawrence.

Practical, unassuming Jane Shoringfield has done the calculations, and decided that the most secure path forward is this: a husband, in a marriage of convenience, who will allow her to remain independent and occupied with meaningful work. Her first choice, the dashing but reclusive doctor Augustine Lawrence, agrees to her proposal with only one condition: that she must never visit Lindridge Hall, his crumbling family manor outside of town.

Yet on their wedding night, an accident strands her at his door in a pitch-black rainstorm, and she finds him changed. Gone is the bold, courageous surgeon, and in his place is a terrified, paranoid man—one who cannot tell reality from nightmare, and fears Jane is an apparition, come to haunt him. By morning, Augustine is himself again, but Jane knows something is deeply wrong at Lindridge Hall, and with the man she has so hastily bound her safety to.

Set in a dark-mirror version of post-war England, Caitlin Starling crafts a new kind of gothic horror from the bones of the beloved canon. This Crimson Peak-inspired story assembles, then upends, every expectation set in place by Shirley Jackson and Rebecca, and will leave readers shaken, desperate to begin again as soon as they are finished.

EDITION LANGUAGE: English
COVER ART: https://mpd-biblio-covers.imgix.net/9... // https://us.macmillan.com/books/978125...

If there's any way you can give them a swift kick in the pants friendly reminder that the Oswaldo Zavala book still has not been taken care of by them, that would be hugely appreciated as well. Thank you so much for all your help.

[David]

Aside from the ASIN, this edition seems correct. Is there anything else that needs fixing? I don’t think the ASIN is worth fretting over. I gave up on this.

[Tal]

David wrote: "Aside from the ASIN, this edition seems correct. Is there anything else that needs fixing? I don’t think the ASIN is worth fretting over. I gave up on this."

Some users & volunteers are still unaware or struggling with the policy change to assign random ASIN's to all editions regardless of format.

I try to refer to them as Amazon ASIN vs. GR ASIN and not simply ASIN.

As long as the ASIN for a non-Amazon book isn't the Amazon (marketplace) ASIN there isn't an issue. The bot is also stripping ISBN 10's from ASIN fields and replacing them with GR ASIN's anyway so I emailed support last month to ask if there was any point even entering them anymore.

[Drace]

David wrote: "Aside from the ASIN, this edition seems correct. Is there anything else that needs fixing? I don’t think the ASIN is worth fretting over. I gave up on this."

The edition is mostly correct, but it's Goodreads policy that any edition with an ISBN-10 also needs to have the ISBN-10 in the ASIN field: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Going forward, ASINs will also be assigned to physical books that appear in the database. Where possible, Goodreads will populate the ASIN for existing books in the database. (Goodreads Librarians may add the matching ASIN from Amazon if they wish, or may leave doing so up to Goodreads.)

For physical books, in many cases the ASIN and the ISBN10 will be the same. For physical books with an ISBN13 beginning with 979 (which was introduced in early 2020) the ASIN will differ from the ISBN10 (as they have no ISBN10 equivalency).

The bot adding ASINs haphazardly across the entire site is in violation of the site's own policy.

[David]

I’m not disagreeing, but this doesn’t impact usability since searching by ISBN works fine. I suggest we focus our time on more important matters.

[Drace]

Bumping this thread again because I found an edition where the Goodreads bot adding ASINs has caused a legitimate issue.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3... - This is the original Arabic-language paperback release of the book Minor Detail. You can look at the edit log and see that:

- The Goodreads bot added the Arabic Kindle edition's ASIN (B0CRH8L7MZ) to the book because the ASIN field was left blank

- It changed the format from Paperback to Kindle

- Another librarian incorrectly removed the ISBNs for some reason

- The bot gave it an ASIN that only exists on this site and doesn't correspond to any valid listing.

Would it be possible to recreate the paperback edition with the correct information, then merge this edition with it to get a valid edition for the book back on the site?

[David]

I started the merge but another librarian didn't notice it wasn't done and recombined. I left them a note about it, but there is nothing much that can be done to fix it: تفصيل ثانوي

[Drace]

Thanks for getting the proper paperback data back in place. As far as I can tell the Kindle edition is still missing/never had a page in the first place since the bot assigned its ASIN to the paperback, but I can work on getting it created/recreated with librarians in the Projects folder.

[David]

I created the Arabic Kindle: تفصيل ثانوي