Goodreads Librarians Group discussion
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Book & Author Page Issues
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Please delete this book! (pt. 8)
Goodreads is not a bookstore, we're an archive. We keep all book records, even if no one can purchase the book in any form. Book covers are in the public domain, whether they're currently in print, or not. I don't think anything beyond the First Reads program is considered "promotion" from the reader's point of view.
Mod
Actually, GR started selling some ebooks a few months back, and also has a partnership with Google for its new ebooks.
rivka wrote: "mlady_rebecca wrote: "Goodreads is not a bookstore"Actually, GR started selling some ebooks a few months back, and also has a partnership with Google for its new ebooks."
Guess that's one of those things that went in one ear and out the other. *g* Your library metaphor worked better anyway. Just didn't catch your post till I refreshed the page.
Mod
I understand about keeping it archived, but this site is also a marketing tool for authors promoting themselves and their works. And yes, you can purchase some books through this site and yes, Google does list this site when a person searches for a certain author or book. Which is why I would like the books taken down from their pages and my home page. Those covers may be in the public domain, but the domain doesn't own them or their copyrights. The author or pub is putting them up as a curtesy to the reader and for promotional needs. When a company closes, the right to those covers revert back to the pub, so the author has to take them down. So all I'm asking be done is the pages with the books be taken down as well as on my home page. Keep the books in the archive, but the pages can't stay up.Kimberly
Kimberly,I don't understand. Are you talking about cover images? Or the books.
The books stay. Some members, at least one, has already read them.
We can put something in the book description field saying that the books are no longer available for sale after 12/27. Would that work?
The books can stay in the database, that's fine, but the pages for the books and on my homepage need to come down. That's all I was asking. I understood that the books couldn't be removed entirely because some members had them marked. I just need the pages for each of the three books removed and on my home page because keeping them up still promotes them.Kimberly
Kimberly,Are you the author? Each book does appear on its author's page.
It doesn't necessarily promote the books.
I think it would help if we added notes to each of them in their description fields saying they were no longer available for purchase in any format.
Many members here don't look at authors' pages or books' pages to find books to read; many are looking for books that they've read.
I assume that there are also other books in the database, listed on their pages with their authors, that are no longer available. Having them there does not mean that they are being promoted, not at all.
Some of them are by authors long dead and with no copies to be found, which I understand is different than e-books, but you get the idea.
Every book here has some author (even though sometimes that "author" is not a person's name) and has to have some author of record.
Mod
"Staying in the database" and having the "pages for the books on on my [author] page come down" are mutually exclusive. That's what it MEANS for a book to be in the GR database -- it has its own page, and appears in the list of books by that author.
Kimberly wrote: "The author or pub is putting them up as a courtesy to the reader and for promotional needs."Most books aren't added by the publisher or author, they're added automatically through Amazon or B&N, or they're added manually by readers. If you weren't involved with Goodreads as a Goodreads author, it is likely the books would still be added to the database.
By the way, most of us are speaking as volunteers, but Rivka who responded in msg 406 is a staff member. Her word carries more weight than the rest of us.
I have a couple books I've added that are long out of print and I've been the only member who's shelved them. They are obviously not in the database for promotional purposes.Kimberly, If you'd like to write a message that you'd like to appear in each book's description field, you can do that, and ask a librarian to add that to the books so that there is less likely to be any confusion.
Kimberly: Why don't you also edit your author home page to take away the promotion? And put in a comment that these books are out of print, or whatever is appropriate? That would also answer some of your questions and remove the Promotional nature of your author page.
MissJessie, I didn't even think to go to Kimberly's page. Kimberly, MissJessie's suggestion is excellent! Perfect solution.
I found a book that was listed as "Lolita by Nobokov" with no other publication data: no ISBN, no cover, no language, nothing. I got it merged into the proper Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, but apparently it still had too many reviews to be deleted by me, so I guess it needs a super.http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/65...
This one was added today, without a cover or isbn:http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10...
It's already in the database, here, with 32 editions.
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13...
Can a super please delete the one with the missing isbn? or combine it? Thanks, much!
Got it, Beth. (Any librarian could have merged it after combining the editions, though: supers are only needed when there are at least five users shelving the bad edition.)
http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/47...This person is adding "books" which are really links to football games streamed from his website.
Mod
I think I need help.... Okay, I'm sure I do.Not sure if this is the right thread. I just got librarian status and thought I could solve this problem by combining editions, and then I thought separating or editing the details of one or more editions might help... but now I'm confused and don't want to inadvertently have my books drop from people's to be read shelves...
I might need someone to walk me through this... If it's too complicated for an answer here, could an experienced librarian e-mail me at maureen@maureenmcgowan.com, please?
Issue(s):
My first two novels: Cinderella: Ninja Warrior and Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer both were due to be released by Pickwick Press in October 5, 2010 under the following ISBN's Cinderella: 1607477785 978-1607477785 Sleeping Beauty: 1607477793 978-1607477792, and with covers that have clothes (no people) on them.
BUT, Pickwick Press, an imprint of Phoenix books, closed their doors in late April, 2010. Those editions of the book did not and will never come out. BUT, unknown to me, those editions were already up on Goodreads and people were adding them to their TBR shelves.
The rights to the books were picked up by Silver Dolphin books, an imprint of Baker & Taylor Publishing Group.
They are now being released in April 1, 2011 with these ISBNs: Cinderella: 1607102522 978 1607102557 and Sleeping Beauty: 1607102560 9781607102564.
These are the "real" editions and the covers have models on the front... Girl with sword and candle, Girl in cloak with stake.
The problem is that both versions are up on Goodreads and people have put both on their shelves. PLUS, when you go to my author page, the old, non-existing, never-really-will-exist versions are what shows up on my author profile...
There's also a THIRD version of the Cinderella book listed. And to make things more complicated, it has the correct cover and ISBN but the wrong publisher, whereas the one with the correct publisher has no cover and the wrong ISBN. I don't recognize the third publisher... [I think I might have fixed this by separating it... I assume it could now be deleted, but thought I should ask questions first.]
I'd like to have just the correct versions of both books, with the correct ISBNs, correct covers, and correct descriptions up. But, if possible, I don't want the books to drop off anyone's shelf...
I've tried following the instructions for merging, but problem is, both the correct and incorrect versions of the book have been shelved more than 5 times (so I can't delete, right?). And the INCORRECT ones have been shelved more times than the correct ones. No wonder since they've been up longer AND are the ones linked to my author profile as the main versions.
I really need some help. I'd like to delete the incorrect versions, but don't want them to disappear from anyone's shelves (if that can be avoided) and don't want any existing ratings or reviews to be deleted. (Publisher has released galleys and some reviews have been done based on the galleys...)
Can anyone help?
Maureen McGowan
maureen@maureenmcgowan.com
Mod
FYI, deleting books whose ISBNs are still listed on Amazon and/or B&N is always counterproductive -- they'll just re-import. Removing ISBNs from listings is even worse, because you end up with odd duplicates (as you saw).
Asking for help in this group is generally your best bet. ;)
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55...I've found no evidence that this is an actual book so much as an extra CD-ROM that came with the magazine/graphic novel. Thank you ♥
Mod
rivka wrote: "Fixed.FYI, deleting books whose ISBNs are still listed on Amazon and/or B&N is always counterproductive -- they'll just re-import. Removing ISBNs from listings is even worse, because you end up w..."
Thanks. But there's still something wonky... The correct version of Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer shows in my profile, but it's the wrong version of Cinderella: Ninja Warrior... and then when you click on it it says it can't find that book...
Rivka, The right version is listed if I search on my name... But under my profile, the wrong book is listed. Is this because I haven't claimed it or something? Sorry to be so clueless about this. I don't usually find tech stuff so difficult.
Mod
It's gone. I can't tell if I got it or another librarian beat me to it.
Needs a super:http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/85...
the edition with right ISBN is:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/83...
Thanks! é_é
Needs a super again :((http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22...
(already reported by Caffenero, in the librarian notes)
the edition with right ISBN is:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/99...
thanks!
Mod
BTW, this is fairly useless in terms of actually getting the book fixed. Unless another librarian happens to be looking at the book's edit page, or the author's combine page, no one will see such notes. Notes are there to make sure other librarians don't edit/delete something, not to request assistance. They simply don't work very well for that purpose.
rivka wrote: "That's because author pages are cached. I forced the cache to reset (it would have by itself in a day or two)."Sorry, that should have occurred to me.
Thanks so much for your help!!
Maureen
Book prolly added before there was a definitive title:http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/85...
Not sure about this one, the only thing different is the ARC part but surely arcs come with a isbn too?
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/79...
thanks
These two editions of Smilla's Sense of Snow are the same, but one has all the information. I separated them out from the others temporarily.http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/68...
Could a super librarian delete the one without the info?
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Think of the book page as an entry in a library database. Just because a book is out of print doesn't mean the library removes its entry, or removes the book from its shelves. GR is closer to a library than a bookstore, although in actuality it is a bit of both (and quite a few other things).
Books -- ebooks or otherwise -- are never deleted just because they are out of print. They are deleted if they were NEVER released (this happens rarely) or were duplicates entered in error.