Goodreads Librarians Group discussion
Book & Author Page Issues
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What to do about unpublished ISBNs?
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Mod
Sure. Here's one example that's already been combined with a work:http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20...
It's used in the sense that it's associated with an author and has a pub date, but the title never gets associated with it. If you do a search for "untitled" you'll get a bazillion results.
I've run across a few that when I refresh the data, it'll write over or add a cover, from which I can get the title, but most don't.
Here's another example:http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43...
When I refreshed the data, a description came in for a Robert Harris book. But nothing else (and the author didn't change), and note the publication date of 2002.
If you can find an association of the ISBN with a title, I'd say go ahead and update the book record with the title and any other information -- it was probably picked up on an initial publicity release and never updated in GR's system. If there's no title at all that can be put to the ISBN and the publication date is several years past, it's probable that the publisher changed ISBNs before releasing the book, so that should be NABbed. (I'll add that to the NAB list for the manual, in fact!)
Jessica wrote: "Here's another example:http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43...
When I refreshed the data, a description came in for a Robert Harris book. But nothing else (and the author didn't chan..."
"The second book in the stunning Roman Empire trilogy by Robert Harris" turns up Lustrum on Google, but the pub date doesn't match at all, you're right. Looks like a phantom in the works: I vote NAB.
Jessica wrote: "Sure. Here's one example that's already been combined with a work:http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20...
It's used in the sense that it's associated with an author a..."
I'm getting a number of Google hits on that ISBN linked to "Heart and Soul", and the pub dates match -- the book record should probably be updated with better edition details.
Mod
On Amazon, maybe. I found a number of UK sites where it does.
Mod
Keep in mind that Amazon is far from the only source for book data, especially for non-US editions. WorldCat, Google Books, and plain old Google can be very helpful in nailing down some of the books like these.
What's weird is I just checked out a whole bunch. I refreshed data on amazon, and either a summary or cover would show up, but the title wouldn't change. But if I googled the ISBN, the title comes up on Amazon. These are for more newer releases. So far:
If the ISBN can be linked with a title, update it with the title (which I was doing).
If refresh does not give any new information and the publication date is several years past, NAB it.
I'd like to change "Untitled" in the ones we NAB to "Unpublished" so that it will be easier to search for these puppies. What do you guys think?
Mod
If and only if you cannot find it listed elsewhere (like WorldCat, GoogleBooks, FantatsticFiction, etc.)
rivka wrote: "Jessica wrote: "If refresh does not give any new information and the publication date is several years past, NAB it."If and only if you cannot find it listed elsewhere (like WorldCat, GoogleBooks..."
Of course, my dear :) Even then I'd make sure the author info was in there, with a note saying why it was NABbed.
I'd much rather see the books updated with the correct info anyway, saving NAB only as a last resort.
Ok need some advice on this one:http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49...
Unpublished by Philippa Gregory, but a google search shows a title from the 70s called "Volcanoes."
My first thought is to change the info to match the Volcanoes book. Yes? No?
Mod
Here is one example: Edgeworks vol. 5. This was part of a planned series of the collection of Harlan Ellison's works. They published four volumes and had announced the 5th, with an ISBN, but for a variety of reasons abandoned the project.The fact of its non-publication is in the description.
Now, this ISBN does have a specific title/author associated with it, but it has never (and will never be published). So far it's been left as is, but there is part of me that thinks it should be NAB'd since it is not an actual book.
Thoughts?
Mod
Rivka's right. Maybe put before it UNPUBLISHED or NEVER PUBLISHED in front of the title? That way it's blatantly obvious.
Jessica wrote: "Rivka's right. Maybe put before it UNPUBLISHED or NEVER PUBLISHED in front of the title? That way it's blatantly obvious."Works for me too.
Ok another question. If it really looks like the Untitled edition is associated with another book, should I just go ahead and change it and put it with that book?For example (LGT combine page) this author only has a few books, the untitled one looks like it's an earlier unpublished version of another. Refreshing data does nothing, pub date is 2005, and google search comes up with nada:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/combine...
Hey, that's so weird. I saw the same thing, sort of, which was just a link, and when I clicked the link it changed to untitled. I'll change it to that.
Mod
Google is weird sometimes.
Silly google. Well, see if you can work your magic on this one (LGT again to combine): http://www.goodreads.com/book/combine...Same as last one, I think it's referring to another book (Untitled on Oil = Crude Oil?).
Mod
I'm really trying to avoid NABing, but I'd like to get these untitled books off. I think I'll put that title in, combine, but leave a note in the description saying this looks to be an unpublished version of the book. Good idea?
Hmm, here's a book that hasn't been published and isn't on Amazon or Worldcat, no ISBN. http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60...
The only evidence that it exists in a pre-published stage is this interview with the author.
http://www.failbetter.com/31/AlexieIn...
Leave as is?
I keep running across ISBNs for books that never got published. I make it a habit to refresh the data, since they sometimes get updated, but a lot of the time you can tell the book has been published, just not using that ISBN. For example, you might see "Untitled #4" and book four is out, but the ISBN goes to an audio cd or some such thing.
I don't want to convert it to the correct title, even if it's available, since technically it didn't get published under that ISBN. And often they can't get deleted, since they are still in amazon's records.
Do we have a policy for this? If we don't, could we do something like we do for NAB? I hate seeing them show up in the author's profile, but I also wouldn't want to delete that info. I don't have any bright ideas though.