Jayson > Status Update

Background:
What's happening: Goodreads is changing comic book titles so that series names and volume numbers are removed, and only the subtitle remains. See status updates below for more info.

March 17, 2022: https://www.goodreads.com/user_status...
October 12, 2022: https://www.goodreads.com/user_status...

How to Help:
If you would like to lend a hand in pushing back against this illogical and destructive policy, please send a complaint to Goodreads Support: https://www.goodreads.com/about/conta...

You will get a form letter back. That's expected. If they don't say that they're forwarding your message to the relevant department, insist that they do.

It's a numbers game. We need as many people as possible to flood their inbox to say we, the comic book community, will not tolerate their desecration of our pastime because people who don't read comics think they know what's best for comics. We can do this! Sending them a compliant can help tip the scales!

They hear us now! Keep on the pressure and perhaps we can get them to listen to us!

Goodreads' Logic:
As you may be aware, it's Goodreads' policy to put the series name and sequence number in parentheses after the title. When done for comic books, this causes an information duplication, where the series name and volume number is present in both the title and the parenthesis after the title.

This duplication is regarded as intolerable by GR higher-ups. Rather than remove the parenthesis, which would be the logical solution, they decided to remove the series name and volume number from the title, leaving only the subtitle!

So, for example, Batman, Volume 9: Bloom is now just Bloom.

I like being a pessimist, because sometimes it feels you're pleasantly surprised. Let's keep at it.

Glad to hear its working:)

Wrote in!!!!

Juho wrote: "I like being a pessimist, because sometimes it feels you're pleasantly surprised. Let's keep at it."

Yes, we can't let to them feel like this will die away. Keep the pressure on 😁👍

TL wrote: "Glad to hear its working:)"

Yes, fingers crossed that it continues that way 😁🤞

Ashley wrote: "Wrote in!!!!"

Thanks so much, Ashley!

Jayson wrote: "TL wrote: "Glad to hear its working:)"

Yes, fingers crossed that it continues that way 😁🤞"

Crossing fingers !

TL wrote: "Crossing fingers !"

😁👍

The community support around this challenge is heartening. I want to believe that things will get better.

Mike "true male feminist cuck" wrote: "The community support around this challenge is heartening. I want to believe that things will get better."

Yes, it's been overwhelming. If anything, GR is well-aware now that what they're pushing is unpopular. They've stayed obstinate about unpopular things before, but the response to this one is making waves.

Everyone helping out by taking the time to send a message to goodreads help about this is amazing! It just goes to show that even if you’re a non-comic reader you can understand the struggles caused by this and I love seeing what a supportive reading community we have! Let’s keep sending messages in until we see a change👏🏻

This really is the best news we could get right now!

Kadi wrote: "Everyone helping out by taking the time to send a message to goodreads help about this is amazing! It just goes to show that even if you’re a non-comic reader you can understand the struggles cause..."

Yes, I'm honestly shocked and also heartened seeing so many non-comic readers taking up the cause and taking time out of their lives to write in. Just goes to show how unified everyone is, and that you don't have to read comics to understand how awful this policy is.

Anne wrote: "This really is the best news we could get right now!"

Yes, very good news. It's proof they're aware of amount of complaints, proof that it's become difficult to handle, and that they've had discussions internally of how to address future messages.

Here's hoping we're moving in the right direction

Adam wrote: "Here's hoping we're moving in the right direction"

We've got momentum, and any direction away from the mess we've got now, if ever difficult or tiring, is a road worth taking.

Excellent! Persistence pays sometimes

Jayson, check it out.
Aarann actually got a 'fix' instead of the canned response.
https://www.goodreads.com/user_status...

Do you think it's a one-off by someone who didn't realize what they were doing, or...?

BAM the enigma wrote: "Excellent! Persistence pays sometimes"

Yes, absolutely! Still a long row to hoe, but certainly cause for optimism.

Anne wrote: "Jayson, check it out.
Aarann actually got a 'fix' instead of the canned response.
https://www.goodreads.com/user_status...

Do you think it's a one-o..."

Sadly, I think it's a one-off by someone who isn't aware of the policy. It's the same as that time you got them to change the title of the first volume of Preacher for you. In that instance they changed it from their personal librarian account rather than the official one, and even then didn't get the title correct.

Every so often you'll get lucky, and deal with someone who didn't get the memo. It also depends on how the question was phrased and the specific example they used. I mean, right now I'm messaging GR about a separate issue, and the tech I'm dealing with doesn't even understand basic rules.

On the bright side, even their employees are admitting, on the face of it, that the policy makes no sense and are "fixing" it without consultation.

I agree with you, but this is the email he got back. And I love how he mentions that the titles should be the same on the GR and Amazon website. LOL

Hi Aarann,

Thanks for writing in. The tittle has to be the same in Goodreads and the Amazon website, I went ahead and change the title for: "Batman Vol. 9: Bloom (The New 52)" . Changes may take up to a few hours to be reflected in the website, please check the links below:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

If there's anything else I can assist with, please let me know. In the future, I can also recommend searching for any issue you might be experiencing on Goodreads Help, where our community is often able to assist or offer insights.

Best,
Charles

CHECK THIS OUT.
https://www.goodreads.com/series/1302...
I'm dying. And I think you know why.

Anne wrote: "I agree with you, but this is the email he got back. And I love how he mentions that the titles should be the same on the GR and Amazon website. LOL

Hi Aarann,

Thanks for writing in. The tittle h..."

LOL They are totally contradicting themselves! If only a certain obsessive librarian landed Charles when he appealed to Support, we could have avoided this mess!

There's an OCD meltdown on the way when you look at Snyder's run. Volume 9 sticks out like a sore thumb.

Anne wrote: "There's an OCD meltdown on the way when you look at Snyder's run. Volume 9 sticks out like a sore thumb."

Indeed. The only complication is that Charles made the change from his personal librarian account instead of the official GR account. Had it been the official account making the change, you'd really see a failure to compute from "Mr. Goodreads-is-always-right." 😅

Anne wrote: "CHECK THIS OUT.
https://www.goodreads.com/series/1302...
I'm dying. And I think you know why."

Oh, the consternation if a certain someone sends a message to admonish Charles about this, only to find out he's a Goodreads Employee 😉

So far I keep getting told it’s Goodreads policy to name the comics the crappy way. :(
But I’ll keep pushing. And Ive been keeping an eye on a couple of my fave seriesto make sure they aren’t changed, and if they are perhaps they end up changed back…

Mel (Epic Reading) wrote: "So far I keep getting told it’s Goodreads policy to name the comics the crappy way. :(
But I’ll keep pushing. And Ive been keeping an eye on a couple of my fave seriesto make sure they aren’t chan..."

Happy to hear that, Mel! Not the crappy policy part, but the pushing and keeping an eye out. All the effort's greatly appreciated 😁👍

Amazing news!! *dances*

Whitney wrote: "Amazing news!! *dances*"

Yes! We're still the underdogs here, but it's definitely an encouraging sign 😁👍