Determining if collections of scenes count as books

[Lark of The Bookwyrm's Hoard]

I'm writing on behalf of an author who has self-published a number of books through Amazon and elsewhere. This author has also written and published several free collections of what the author calls "extras" (additional scenes) through BookFunnel. The author would like me to add the collections of extras to Goodreads. The question we both have is, do they qualify as books under Goodreads' definition? I think so, and here's why:

1. The collections each contain a number of scenes relating to a single book, or to a connected set of books that share a plot arc or thread. (By "books" I mean the books the author has published and sells through online book retailers.) These additional scenes may take place before, during, or after the events of a specific book, or between books. As a collection, they may tell a story with a beginning, middle, and end, or simply provide more insight into characters and events.

2. Generally, the scenes in these collections are NOT "deleted scenes" but rather "additional scenes." In many cases, the scenes were written after the book itself. In some cases, they were written to provide a prequel for readers for a book that was in the publication process, or a bridge to events in the next book.

3. Each collection is about the same length as a novella.

4. Each collection has its own title and cover page.

5. The author publishes and distributes these collections on BookFunnel, and provides links to download them on both the author's website and the wiki site for the series/world. (In other words, the collections are publicly available.) In some cases, individual scenes were first made available to the author's newsletter or Patreon subscribers for a limited period of time, but they were later aggregated and published through BookFunnel.


So... do these collections of additional scenes count as books? I have gone through the rules on both the "Valid book records" page and the "Nonbook items" page of the Goodreads Librarian Manual, and I think so. But I am worried that my classification of them as valid books might be challenged.

Personally, I believe they are "valid book items". The collections are book-length; they're publicly available via links on the author's website. As an example of a published book, listed on Goodreads, with somewhat similar content, I offer The Bridgertons: Happily Ever After , the collection of Bridgerton epilogues published by Avon/HarperCollins in 2013. Clearly, Goodreads regards this as a valid book; so did the publisher and the retailers who sold it.

But I'm concerned that the head Librarians might view the author's collections as "deleted scenes" (even though, as I said above, they are better described as 'additional" scenes and stories written after the fact) and thus disqualify them. I don't want to lose my Librarian status by adding them to the database unless I can be sure that my interpretation of the rules holds up.

Opinions?

[Dobby]

No, they are not valid editions. In order to download a book through BookFunnel, the reader has to agree to sign up for the author's newsletter. The restriction of requiring newsletter signup makes the book invalid on Goodreads.

From the Librarian Manual:

Non-book items:
• [snip]
• Stories or books only available via subscription to a newsletter, or via a website that requires registration, with the exception of Kickstarter editions that meet the following requirements:
• [snip]

https://help.goodreads.com/s/article/...

[Lark of The Bookwyrm's Hoard]

Actually, that's not entirely true. BookFunnel has several options for authors. They can set the book's landing page up to require an email sign-up, or to verify that the person is already signed up for the author's mailing list, but authors can also choose to just make the download available without collecting an email address or other information from the reader.

The author I'm in contact with is in the process of making the free material they distribute through BookFunnel available to download without collecting any information from their readers. Once that is done, the rule you cited should no longer apply.

[Tal]

This was asked and answered 4 years ago. Bookfunnel ebook (shorts/novellas/novel length) downloads that are freely available to download without registration or newsletter signup are valid books per GR policy.

source: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

[Lark of The Bookwyrm's Hoard]

Tal wrote: "This was asked and answered 4 years ago. Bookfunnel ebook (shorts/novellas/novel length) downloads that are freely available to download without registration or newsletter signup are valid books pe..."

Thank you so much, Tal. That is very helpful to know.