Manual

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reach out to us using our Contact Us form. Comments about the quiz in the Librarians Group will
not be taken under consideration, and may also prevent you from being considered for librarian
status.
Our Librarians help Goodreads by making sure the data on our book and author records are correct,
so it’s important that we make sure members are committed to and knowledgeable about the site
before granting them this status. As part of this, we’ve added a quiz to our Librarian application
process. This quiz contains questions that a Librarian will need to be able to answer when
performing any changes on the site. If you’re interested in becoming a Goodreads Librarian, here's
the quiz.
This field is for such things as "2nd edition", "Film Tie-In Edition", "Large Print", "Special
Illustrated Edition" and other edition-specific data that belongs in neither the title nor
format fields.
The following should not be added to the edition field:
 information regarding alternate covers (use the description and Note fields)
 information regarding audiobook length (use the description field and see page
numbering)
 information regarding cover artists (use the description field)
 information regarding printing number (many printings of the same ISBN and/or
cover may be published)
 retailer-specific information, such as "Nook," "Kobo," "Amazon," etc.
This field is for entering the date at which the work was originally first published. For
example, if you are editing a 3rd edition of book XYZ, published in 2009, but the 1st
edition was published in 1985, the original publication date would be 1985. Determining
the original publication date can often be done by checking the copyright page of the book
and seeing when it was copyrighted.
Original publication date will populate through every edition combined with the edition you
are working on. Entering this date is important as it helps populate users' stats pages and
ensure that relevant books are featured correctly on the New Releases page.
The book settings field is for noting what location(s) the book takes place in. The book setting will
populate through every edition combined with the edition you are working on.
Here are some general guidelines for Goodreads Librarians:

 Always think twice before changing existing data. The accuracy of the information
in our database is important, and changes you make to the book data will be
reflected in members’ shelvings.
 Replacing or removing the cover of an existing edition, including the covers of
advance reader copies, is in violation of Goodreads policy. Please see information
on how to add an alternate cover edition if the book has been released with a new
cover.
 If you are unsure why something is listed the way it is, you can check the librarian
change log for the book (linked on the left side of the page, above add a librarian
note). The log will tell you what edits were previously done on the book. If no prior
edits are listed, it is likely fine to make the changes you feel necessary. If there are
other edits, you may want to read through the edits to see what was changed and, if
any of the changes contradict a change you planned to make, you can post to
the Goodreads Librarians Group to ask for help in finding a solution.
 If you are concerned about particular edits, please use the flag feature on the
book’s librarian change log. This will bring the edits you’re concerned about to
the attention of a staff member, who can take appropriate action as needed.
This is another un-editable field. It tells when the edition was added to the Goodreads database and
also when it was last edited.
This field is for noting the date the edition associated with the listed ISBN was published.
Date published can most usually be found on the copyright page of a book. That page will
tell you when the work was copyrighted – and if the book is a first edition, the copyright
date will be the same as the date published. If it is a later edition, the date will be different.
Some books, not all, will list dates for subsequent publications somewhere on the copyright
page. The last date listed is what should be used to fill in the date published. If you know
the book is a reprinting/reissue published later than the copyright date, but no other dates
are given you can (a) if the book already has a date published supplied by Ingram, leave it
as is; (b) research the publication date for the edition you have using Worldcat, Library of
Congress, the author's website or numerous other resources; or (c) use the copyright date as
the date published.
Example:
year: 2008
month: September
day: 22
Adding the month and day are optional. They should be included if known. Year is also
technically optional, but it is strongly encouraged that a year always be included.
NOTE: All publication dates must follow the Gregorian or Julian calendar.
Goodreads policy is to keep all editions, even out-of-print ones.
Authors or librarians may wish to indicate that such an edition is out of print. That is
acceptable, as long as all of the following guidelines are followed:
 The information should be listed in the description field, not the edition field or the
title field
 This information should be added to any existing description. It should not replace
it
 The information should be listed discreetly. No all-caps, italics, or bold, please
 No sales links or other external links. A link to another edition on Goodreads is fine
This section is a discussion area for the specific edition you are editing. It can be used for
Librarians to discuss any issues regarding the information available for a book and
functions similar to discussion topics in Groups.
If you have a question or a concern about available information for a specific edition, you
can click on the add a comment link and type in a comment regarding your concern or
question. The comment will then be attached to the bottom of the book page and be visible
to and available for discussion by other Librarians who go into that book's edit page.
PLEASE NOTE: Your comment will only get a response if another Librarian sees the
comment and chooses to respond to it. So if no other librarian goes to the book's edit page
for a long time, your comment will not get a quick response. If you have an urgent problem
regarding a book, it is best to post to the Goodreads Librarians Group.
Clicking on this link on the book edit page will allow you to see a page listing all previous
edits to the book and its associated editions. You may toggle between edits to all editions of
the work and those just to the edition you are editing.
Before you change existing book data on a record, be sure to check the librarian change log
to ensure that your edit is correct!
Note: If you are concerned about particular edits, please use the flag feature on the book's
librarian change log. This will bring the edits you're concerned about to the attention of a
staff member, who can take appropriate action.
To edit book or author information, navigate to the book or author's page, then click on
the edit data link in the lower right side of the box containing the book or author's
information. Please remember to be accurate in your edits, as your changes will be reflected
on anyone's shelf who has that book.
Note: Replacing or removing the cover of an existing edition is in violation of Goodreads
policy. Please see information on how to add an alternate cover edition if the book has been
released with a new cover.
If you have a Librarian request, you can feel free to post in the Librarians Group, where
our volunteer librarians will be happy to help. To do so, just join the group by clicking Join
Group under the group profile photo. From there, you can simply post a request by starting
a new discussion thread here.
Librarians can edit book and non-Goodreads Author information, as well as combine and
separate editions of books, upload cover images, and otherwise ensure the data for our book
records are complete.
The add a librarian note link is located above the Title field on the book edit page.
Clicking it will bring up a text box that will allow you to add a note to communicate
important information to other librarians about the edition. An important note may be about
an ISBN conflict, that the edition is an alternate cover edition, that the book should not be
combined with certain editions, or anything else pertinent to cataloguing the book in the
Goodreads database.
Librarian notes of this type are edition specific and will show up in a yellow box near the
top of the book edit page and also in a yellow box below the specific edition on the author's
combine page.
If a book has a Librarian Note attached when you go to edit it, please read it carefully and
keep it in mind when doing any editing or combining. If a note is unclear, you can always
post in the Goodreads Librarians Group and ask for help.
Here is an example of a book with a Librarian Note: LINK
This field is for selecting the language of the specific edition of the book you are editing was
written. For example, if the book you are editing is a German translation of a book originally
written in English, the language should be listed as German.
The change comment text box is for adding a reason about WHY you made a specific
change to a book. This is to help other librarians understand changes made to a book that
may not make sense.
If you are simply ADDING information to a book that was previously lacking it, you can
say "adding additional information" or "adding a description" or anything of the like.
However, if you are CHANGING existing information, especially information already

edited by another librarian, then it is important to state WHY you are making the changes.
For example, if you are renumbering a series or changing the series name, it is extremely
important to say why so that other librarians will understand. So if you use a series list on
an author's website to renumber a series, then state that and give a link to the website in
the change comment box. This type of information will hopefully prevent the often
encountered problems of multiple librarians changing information back and forth on books.
Remember that if you are ever in doubt of a change you are considering making on a book,
you can always post a question to the Goodreads Librarians Group and ask for help.
In this field, list the publisher of the book, such as Bantam, Jove, Berkley, etc. The name of
the publisher can often be found on the spine of the book, the back cover, and/or the
copyright or title pages.
Be sure to properly spell, punctuate, and capitalize the publisher name – it is not necessary
to use ALL CAPS for the publisher name even if that is the way it is written on the spine.
Capitalizing the first letter is best.
When there is a choice between a publisher and an imprint, the general rule is to choose the
most specific rather than more general.
Clicking this link will recalculate the statistics for a book (number of reviews, average rating). This
is helpful to do if you notice the statistics do not seem right.
Sacred texts with unknown or ambiguous authors are to be listed with the author "Anonymous".
Please list any editor(s) or translator(s) in secondary slots. Publishers should not be listed as
authors.
The characters area can be used for listing the important characters of a book. To edit this
area, click on the edit characters link. This will take you to a new page where you can
enter new characters or edit existing ones. Characters should be entered one at a time using
full names, if possible. Some characters are used through multiple books, so please be sure
to enter character names the same way for each book. Always use correct spelling,
punctuation and capitalization. If a character has a nickname, you can include the name in
"" between the first and last name.
Correct examples:
John Smith
Jane Doe
John "Mac" Smith
Incorrect examples:
John Smith & Jane Doe
John Smith and Jane Doe
John Smith / Jane Doe
Keep in mind that the characters you enter should be critical characters to the story. It is not
necessary to list every name you come across, only the ones of most importance.
Characters will populate through every edition combined with the edition you are working
on.
NOTE: be sure to save any existing edits to the book before clicking to the edit
characters link.
In some cases, a character will have only one name, like "Angel," or a very common name,
like "John Smith." Make every attempt to distinguish the character with a unique name; the
character's common name can be placed in the Alias field. If this is not possible, then add a
short version of the book or series title in parentheses to distinguish between characters
with the same name.
When adding a new character, check the list of characters to make sure that a character with
that name is not already in the database. If no character with that name already exists,
simply add the character. If a character with that name DOES exist, add the character with
the series name in parentheses. If a character appears in more than one series by the same
author, use the name of the first published series to contain the character.
Also, make sure that listing a character's name in the characters field will not spoil the plot
for those who haven't yet read the book. If the use of a character's true name will spoil the
plot, use their alias instead, and place the real name in the alias field. Make sure to indicate
that the real name might be a spoiler by adding *spoiler* in front of the character's real
name.
When you find a stray (duplicate) edition with no data except author and title, or just an
invalid ISBN:
1. If necessary and appropriate, merge authors.

2. Combine the incorrect edition with the edition it should be merged with. If it's not
the default edition, this will mean separating it out from any others.
3. Delete (merge) the incorrect edition. This will move over any shelvings to the
edition you have combined it with. If there are more than 5, this step requires a
Super-librarian. Please start a new thread in this Goodreads Librarians
Group folder for assistance.
4. If you separated in step 2, recombine.
Work IDs are unique identification numbers that represent books in the Goodreads catalog. You can
find the Work ID of a book by clicking on All Editions in the book detail page:
The Work ID is the number that can be found in the URL of the page. For example:
This field is for the title that will be used when sorting by title so that articles like "A,"
"An," and "The" can be excluded.
Examples of sort by titles:

title: The Lawman
sort by title: lawman, the
title: The Unsung Hero (Troubleshooters, #1)
sort by title: unsung hero, the (troubleshooters, #1)
When initially manually adding a new edition to Goodreads, the system will automatically
create the sort by title – but only for articles "a," "an," and "the." For titles that start with
punctuation or for a translated title that starts with an article such as "la," the sort by
title will need to be manually set. If there is series information present in parentheses
following the title, Goodreads will change the sort by title to:
unsung hero (troubleshooters, #1), the
as opposed to:
unsung hero, the (troubleshooters, #1)

Either way is acceptable when manually editing the sort by title.
Special characters
Special characters should be excluded from the sort by title field and entered as follows:
tunel, el
casa de los espiritus, la
poema de mio cid
In the title field, they should be entered as follows:
El túnel
La casa de los espíritus
Poema de Mío Cid
Diacritics
Diacritics – tildes, ligatures, digraphs, umlauts, cedillas, and accent marks – are sorted
based on their closest Latin alphabet equivalent. The following is a list of special
characters. The first column displays correct entry in the shelf display field, and the second
column displays correct entry in the sort by field.
À-a
Á-a
Ä-a
Ææ - ae
Č-č
Ç-ç
Ðð - d
È-e
É-e
Íí - i
ñ-n
Óó - o
Ö-o
Ō-ō
Þþ - th
Úú - u
Ü-u
Ýý - y
Ž-ž
Please note that these rules apply to alphabets that primarily use Latin characters. Other
languages, including Hebrew, Greek, Cyrillic, Arabic, Farsi, and Tamil, should be left in
their native character set.
How to edit your books
As a Goodreads Author, you have the ability to manage much of your own book data. This
guide will show you the right information to put in each field of your book page. For more
information about each field listed below, click on the links to be taken to the Librarian
Manual .
Please remember to be accurate in your edits. If you’re concerned about particular edits
made to your book, please contact the Goodreads support staff here.
To edit your book, navigate to the book page and click on the edit data link. This is on the
lower right side of the box containing your book information.
Title
The title field is used for your book title. The title and subtitle should match the title shown
on the cover of the book, if that information is available. (Please note that "A Novel" is not
considered a subtitle in the Goodreads database.) If a title includes accented characters,
apostrophes, quotation marks, or punctuation, include these in the title field. The title
should be capitalized according to standard title capitalization for the language of the
edition.
Series information may be included in the title field as well, so feel free to add your series
title in. You should follow this format:
Title (Series #1)

The White Queen (The Cousins’ War #1)
However, to create a new series or edit an existing series (which will then appear on your
author profile under Series by), you’ll need help from one of our volunteer librarians or a
staff member. Post in the Goodreads Librarians Group here or reach out to the Goodreads
support staff here.
Sort by title
This field excludes articles like "A," "An," and "The" so that users can sort their list of
books alphabetically on their shelves. To enter your sort by title, just leave out any articles
at the beginning of your title. Here's an example:
title: The Lawman

sort by title: lawman, the
Author
The first author field is for entering the primary author of the book. Author names should
be entered first name last name so they will link to the appropriate author profile on
Goodreads. Only one author should be listed per author field.
Correct examples:
Suzanne Brockmann
Catherine Anderson
Incorrect examples:
Brockmann, Suzanne
Anderson Catherine
Suzanne Brockmann and Catherine Anderson
If you use initials in your name, the initials should not contain spacing between them and
should be marked with a period.
Correct example:
J.D. Robb
Incorrect examples:
JD Robb
J D Robb
J. D. Robb
JDRobb
If you use a middle name or middle initial for your published books, this should also be
included in the author name. Initials should be followed by a period.
Correct example:
Jayne Ann Krentz
Kathleen E. Woodiwiss
Authors with titles or degrees (such as Dr., Sir, Ph.D., Captain, Reverend, etc) should not
be included in the author name (unless part of a recognized pen name, such as Dr. Seuss).
When a book has multiple authors, they should be listed according to the order they show
on the cover, if possible. The order needs to be the same for all editions of the book on the
site, as this allows the editions to be combined.
Editors should only be added for records like anthologies and reference materials. Novels
and other works of fiction by a single author should not have editors listed.
ISBN/ISBN13/ASIN
An ISBN or ASIN is a number that identifies your book. When editing book data, it is
almost never necessary to alter the ISBN. If you are absolutely, positively sure there is an
error in the listed ISBN, you can post in the Goodreads Librarian Group for assistance.
If a newer edition has been published with an updated cover, the ASIN/ISBN should be
listed with a book’s most recent edition. Click here to read more about creating an alternate
cover edition. If you are unsure, you can post in the Goodreads Librarians Group for
assistance.
This field will mostly be used when manually adding a new edition to the Goodreads
database. When doing this, enter the exact ISBN/ASIN into the appropriate field.
Upload photo
Here you can upload the front cover image of your book. The only image that should be
uploaded is the specific cover associated with the ISBN of the book you are editing.
To add a photo, browse an image (.jpg or .gif format) on the top right where it says Add a
cover image for this book. Then click on upload photo. If you are adding other book data
while adding the cover image, just scroll to the bottom of the page and click on save.
Delete photo
When it comes to editions that have already been published, we can’t actually delete or
replace the existing cover images. This is because we don’t want to delete an image that a
member might have on the book they purchased. Instead, you can create an alternate cover
edition and set this as the default edition. That way, anyone visiting your author profile or
searching for your book will see this edition first.
To add an alternate cover edition of your book, you can navigate to your book page and
click on add a new edition. This will pre-populate several fields for you, and you’ll only
have to add the cover image. Or you can navigate here to add a new record of your book
and take care of entering the details.
However, since an ISBN can only be used once in the database, leave the ISBN fields on
your new edition blank unless the edition you’re adding is the most recently published. If
that is the case, you can move the ISBN or ASIN to the latest edition, as ASIN/ISBNs
should be listed with a book’s most recently published edition.
Publisher
In this field, list your book’s publisher, such as Bantam, Jove, Berkley, etc. Be sure to
properly spell, punctuate, and capitalize the publisher name – it is not necessary to use ALL
CAPS for the publisher name even if that is the way it is written on the spine. Capitalizing
the first letter is best. When there is a choice between a publisher and an imprint, the
general rule is to choose the most specific rather than more general.
Published
This field is for noting the date each specific book edition was published. If you publish a
new edition of your book, you should add the new publication date into this field when
adding your new edition to the database. The original publication date field can be listed
with the book’s original pub date. So for example, if you’re publishing a 3rd edition of your
book in 2015 that was originally published in 2009, the original publication date will be
2009 and the published date will be 2015.
Number of pages
This field is for entering the number of pages of a book. Page numbers should match the
page numbers as listed in the book, and should include all content except for
advertisements and preview chapters for other books. Included end material may include
acknowledgments, afterwords, appendices, glossaries, indexes, notes, and suggested
discussion questions. For audio books, the number of hours rounded up should be used in
lieu of number of pages.
Format
In this field the format/binding type of the book can be added (hardcover, paperback, Nook,
Kindle, etc). The format field has a drop-down box with the most common formats. Select
the one that matches the book you have. If there is not an appropriate format, click on
the other link next to the format field. The field will then turn into a text box where you
can type in the format of the book. But in most cases we should have your format available
to select right in the dropdown menu.
Edition
This field is for such things as "2nd edition", "Film Tie-In Edition", "Large Print", "Special
Illustrated Edition" and other edition-specific data that belongs in neither the title nor the
format fields.
The following should not be added to the edition field:
 information regarding alternate covers

 information regarding audiobook length
 information regarding cover artists
 information regarding printing number
 retailer-specific information, such as "Nook," "Kobo," "Amazon," etc
Description
The description field is for entering a summary of the work. This field should not include
any images, links to external sites, or reviews of your books. Generally, the best description
to enter is the one found on your book’s back cover or dust jacket. You can also enter
descriptions of your book directly from your publisher’s website, or summarize it yourself.
Primary (default) edition of a work
The primary (or default) edition of a work is automatically set as the one that has been
shelved/rated/reviewed by the most Goodreads users. You can manually set an edition as
default by clicking on Set this book as the primary edition for this work – you might
want to change the default edition if you’ve released your book with a new cover image, or
if you’re running a promotion with a specific retailer.
Refresh book rating stats
Clicking this link will recalculate the statistics for your book (number of reviews and
average rating). This is helpful to do if you notice the statistics don’t seem right, which
occurs occasionally due to book page caching.
Edition language
This field is for selecting the language for each specific edition of your book. If the book
record you’re editing is a German translation of a book originally written in English, the
language should be listed as German.

A work is a collection of books that are substantially the same piece originally created by
the author(s). This means that books representing specific editions of "Harry Potter and the
Philosopher's Stone" all belong to that single work. Direct translations are also considered
part of the same work, so "Harry Potter à L'Ecole des Sorciers" would be part of that work.
Note that sequels and other pieces in the Harry Potter series are not considered part of the
same work.
(This topic has now been broken down into subtopics for ease in using and editing.)
Original publication date

Literary awards
Characters
Series
Setting
Change comment
Librarian comment - add a comment
Refresh book rating stats
In this field the format/binding type of the book can be added – i.e. Hardcover, Paperback,
Mass Market Paperback, Audio CD, ebook, etc.
The format field has a drop-down box with the most common formats. Select the one that
matches the book you have.
Some important notes about choosing the correct format:
Kindle editions with ISBN numbers should be listed as Kindle editions (some Kindle
editions will have both an ASIN and an ISBN).
Ebooks with ASIN numbers are Kindle editions.
Audiobooks with ASIN numbers are Audible Audio editions.
Ebooks with ISBNs that begin with "294" are Nook editions.
If there is not an appropriate format, click on the other link next to the format field. The
field will then turn into a text box where you can type in the format of the book.
Please use a format from the dropdown menu whenever possible (i.e. use Hardcover instead
of manually listing Hardback, etc) – the manual write-in option should only be used
when none of the dropdown options apply. If manually adding a format, use correct
spelling, capitalization and punctuation.
Book records are maintained by Goodreads Librarians (volunteer site members who are
familiar with our catalog policies) and Goodreads staff. Goodreads members can flag a
book record for their attention. If an item does not meet Goodreads criteria for inclusion,
the record is removed from the general catalog. These records may still be visible to any
members who had already shelved, rated, or reviewed them, but are closed to further
activity.
Here are some examples of items that do not meet the Goodreads catalog guidelines:
 Magazines
 Zines
 A short story (or short stories) which have only been published in an anthology or
magazine
 Deleted scenes
 Extras which are only published at the back of a specific book edition
 Stories that are only available via subscription to a newsletter, or via a website that
requires registration
 Individual works that are only available for purchase when bundled with another
primary work
 Calendars, diaries, and blank books that do not contain additional content
If you feel that a specific record needs to be reviewed, please post in the Librarians
Group or Contact Support, and provide the book link and any relevant details.
ISBN-10 and ISBN-13

ISBN stands for International Standard Book Number. An ISBN is a 10- or 13-digit number
that works as a unique identity number for a book. The ISBN can usually be found in
several places on a book: on the back cover by the barcode, inside the front cover, and on
the copyright page.
When editing book data, it is almost never necessary to alter the ISBN. If there is an error
in the listed ISBN, the incorrect ISBN can be merged to the correct ISBN book record. If a
newer edition has been published with an updated cover, you can move the ISBN or ASIN
to the latest edition using the Add an Alternate Cover Edition tool, as ASIN/ISBNs
should be listed with a book’s most recent edition. If you are unsure, you can post to
the Goodreads Librarians Group for assistance.
This field will mostly be used when manually adding a new edition to the Goodreads
database. When doing this, enter the exact ISBN into the appropriate 10 or 13 digit field on
the book edit page. Please be sure that the 10-digit ISBN is added to the ISBN field and the
13-digit ISBN is added to the ISBN13 field. It is best if you can list both the 10 and 13-
digit numbers, as it will aid in future searches for the book. If only one is listed on the book
itself, you can use the ISBN Converter here to retrieve whichever ISBN is missing.
If, when you save your changes to the book, a message appears telling you that the ISBN
you entered is already in the Goodreads database, there could be several causes. First,
search for the ISBN/ASIN in the search field. If the correct edition already exists on
Goodreads, you can simply close the page with the edition you were trying to add then add
the existing book to your Goodreads bookshelves.
Second, if the ISBN/ASIN is attached to the correct book but the book status has been set to
"Invalid" or "Deleted", refer to the Librarian Manual: Book Status System (“Public”,
“Invalid”, “Deleted”) article for more information about valid book records.
Finally, if the books do not match, it's usually one of two issues. First, if it is the same book
but with a different cover, then it is likely the ISBN was reused for a later/earlier reprinting.
If that is the case, it is accepted procedure to create a new edition with your cover art.
However, since an ISBN can only be used once in the database, leave the ISBN fields on
this edition blank unless it is the most recently published version of the book. If this is the
case, you can move the ISBN or ASIN using the Add an Alternate Cover Edition tool,
but please confirm it is the most recently published edition by checking Amazon or the
publisher’s site. In the Description field of the older edition, list the ISBN and state that it is
a previously published edition. You can also use the Librarian Note feature found near the
top of the book edit page to add a note to the book (this helps prevent the book from being
accidentally updated to "Deleted" status by a librarian who thinks it is a duplicate edition).
Please do not use the edition field to record information about alternate cover editions.
Here is an example of an alternate cover edition of a book: LINK
In the other case of duplicate ISBNs, it may be that an ISBN was reused on a completely
different book. This shouldn't happen because ISBNs are supposed to be unique, but
exceptions have been found. If that is the case, Superlibrarians have access to the Add a
Duplicate ISBN Edition tool, which should be used on the book page of the existing book
which shared the ISBN or ASIN. Superlibrarian assistance can be requested by posting
in this special folder in the Goodreads Librarians Group.
The Add a Duplicate ISBN Edition tool will create a new book edition, and move the
ISBN/ASIN to the newly created edition in the database. The tool will set the ISBN blank
for the existing edition in the ISBN field. The tool will set the title, author, and description
to "Placeholder", to be updated by the Superlibrarian moving the ISBN/ASIN. The tool will
also automatically add the relevant Librarian Note to the book edit page, adding a note to
the book to link the duplicate book editions (this helps prevent the book from being
accidentally deleted by a librarian who thinks it is a duplicate edition). The new edition will
be automatically associated with a new work.
Here is an example of a book where an ISBN was reused on a completely different

book: LINK
It is important never to alter an ISBN simply to get a book to save (if getting an ISBN error
when trying to save). ISBNs are specific numbers associated with specific books. Changing
those numbers can make identifying the book difficult and cause problems for the
Goodreads database. So always enter the correct ISBN. If there is a problem with the ISBN
already being used, see the above sections for other methods of adding a book when there is
an ISBN conflict, or post a message in the Goodreads Librarians Group asking for help.
PLEASE NOTE: Whenever manually adding a new edition to the Goodreads database, it
is important to fill in as much information as possible. This will help not only other users
who may want to add that specific edition to their bookshelves, but it will also help ensure
that another librarian does not delete it thinking it is an invalid entry.
ALSO NOTE: ISBNs were not used until 1966 and did not become widely used until the
early-to-mid 70's, so books published before or around that time do not have an ISBN –
though it is possible for a pre-ISBN book to become associated with an ISBN due to an
ISBN being added when/if another printing of the edition occurred after the initiation of
ISBNs. Pre-ISBN books can be added to Goodreads by manually adding a new edition,
leaving the ISBN field blank and adding a note to the description stating it is a pre-ISBN
book.
ASINs
On Goodreads, ASINs are assigned to all books that appear in the database. To add an
ASIN if not present, click on the blank ASIN field and enter the exact ASIN if known from
the matching book on Amazon.
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 ASIN for an Audible edition may be found on either Amazon or Audible, but the ASIN
field cannot be changed on an existing edition (unless you are moving an identical ASIN
from an older edition to a more recently published edition of the same book). If the ASIN
for one or the other editions is missing, please follow instructions here for manually adding
a new edition.
The book may have another identifying number such as an LCCN and that can be added to
the note as well. A note can also be added using the Librarian Note feature linked near the
top of the book edit page. An LCCN or other identifying number should never be entered
into the ISBN field, though we do allow Nook IDs to be added to this field. Nook IDs are
13 digits and begin with 294. This may generate an error message, but will update when
you click on Save Changes.
* Please note that, aside from Goodreads Librarians, only authors who have claimed their
author profile can make these changes, and only to books for which they are the first listed
author.
If you find that a book with a specific ISBN is already listed with a different cover, it is
likely the ISBN was reused for a later/earlier reprinting. If that is the case, you can
automatically (if the cover being added is the newest) or manually add a new edition to the
database that would be considered an "alternate cover edition." This policy is in place
because it is not possible to upload multiple covers of a book on a single edition, and
changing the cover of an existing edition is a violation of Goodreads policy. Some people
may have added the existing edition with that specific cover because it is the one they own.
If you want to shelve an edition with your specific cover, it is accepted procedure to create
a new edition with your cover art. However, since an ISBN can only be used once in the
database, leave the ISBN fields on your new edition blank unless the edition you’re adding
is the most recently published. If that is the case, you can move the ISBN or ASIN, as
ASIN/ISBNs should be listed with a book’s most recent edition. Please confirm that the
edition is the most recently published on Amazon or the publisher's site.
All book pages have a link to automatically create an ACE. Next to the Add a New
Edition link, we have added an option to Add an Alternate Cover Edition. Clicking this
link copies all information from the existing edition over to the newly created edition,
excluding only the cover, which you will need to add before saving. It also removes the
ASIN/ISBN from the old edition and adds it to the new edition and adds Librarian
Notes to both editions.
When creating the ACE, the current month and year will be added as the ACE publication
date. If this is not correct (ie. if the new edition with the updated cover was published
earlier than this), the date can be changed before saving the newly-created book record, or
edited after.
Manually creating ACEs is necessary if the edition you are adding is the older one. (The
tool can only be used when the cover being added is the newest.) Using the Librarian
Note feature found near the top of the book edit page, add a note to the old edition
explaining that the ISBN or ASIN is found on the latest edition (e.g., “This a previously-
published edition of ISBN XXXXXXXXXXXXX”). Including a link to the related
edition(s) is also preferable, although this is not required. You can also list the ISBN and
state that it is a previously published edition in the description field of the newest edition.
Adding this information will help prevent the book from being accidentally updated to
"Deleted" status by a librarian who thinks it is an invalid entry.
Please do not use the edition field for information about alternate cover editions.
In the other case of duplicate ISBNs, it may be that an ISBN was reused on a completely
different book. This shouldn't happen because ISBNs are supposed to be unique, but
exceptions have been found. If that is the case, Superlibrarians have access to the Add a
Duplicate ISBN Edition tool, which should be used on the book page of the existing book
which shared the ISBN or ASIN. Superlibrarian assistance can be requested by posting
in this special folder in the Goodreads Librarians Group.
The Add a Duplicate ISBN Edition tool will create a new book edition, and move the
ISBN or ASIN to the newly created edition in the database. The tool will set the ISBN
blank for the existing edition in the ISBN field. The tool will set the title, author, and
description to "Placeholder", to be updated by the Superlibrarian moving the ISBN/ASIN.
The tool will also automatically add the relevant Librarian Note to the book edit page,
adding a note to the book to link the duplicate book editions (this helps prevent the book
from being accidentally updated to "Deleted" status by a librarian who thinks it is a
duplicate edition). The new edition will be automatically associated with a new work.
Here is an example of a book where an ISBN was reused on a completely different book.
It is important never to alter an ISBN simply to get a book to save (if you’re receiving an
error message about the ISBN when trying to save after making edits). ISBNs are specific
numbers associated with specific books.
Note: The publication date for an alternate-cover edition should be the date the book was
released with the new cover, not the date the book with that ISBN or ASIN was originally
published.
Handling ARCs
Advance Readers Copies or book galleys are occasionally added to the site with the ISBN
number of the future published edition listed in the ISBN field. In this case, the Add an
Alternate Cover Edition tool may be used to move the ISBN to a new edition for the
published work. If an edition already exists, a merge may be necessary.
Audible Originals qualify for inclusion in the database if they are structured like a
conventional book. For instance, the content lends itself to print or ebook format, and
would not merely be a transcript (i.e. not an interview, a podcast, or a theatrical
production/play). This applies to the following types of Audible Originals that could
theoretically be published as a print or ebook if they were in text form:
 fiction and non fiction titles

 short stories and novellas
 memoirs
Format: Audible Originals should be classified as “Audible Audio”.
If you come across an Audible Original book record that does not qualify for inclusion in
the database, please update the book’s edition status to "Invalid" if there are any member
shelvings, ratings, or reviews, or if it is the only edition in the work. The status should be
updated to "Deleted" if it has been legitimately combined with a valid edition.
In this field you can list any literary awards the book has won. List each award in this
format:
 for awards with no categories: Name of Award (Year)

 for awards with categories: Name of Award for Category (Year)
Note that because the word "for" is a keyword indicating a category, you cannot directly
enter an award with the word "for" in it. To manage an award like this, enter any
placeholder text as the award name and then edit the new placeholder award to the correct
name.
To list an award for which the book has been nominated, use the keyword "Nominee" after
the award name.
Correct examples:
Edgar Award for New First Novel (2013)
Newbery Medal (1985)
Goodreads Choice Nominee for Young Adult Fiction (2010)
Man Booker Prize (2000)
Hammett Prize (2000)
Literary awards will populate through every edition combined with the edition you are
working on.
A literary award must be given to a book and not to an author. An award given to a single
short story or novella should appear on the book record of the standalone publication of the
story when possible.
If the story has only appeared in an anthology or similar publication, then the award can be
listed there. Place the name of the story within quotation marks in the category field.
Correct examples:
Hugo Award for Best Short Story for "Seasons of Glass and Iron" (2017)
World Fantasy Award for Best Novella for "A Small Price to Pay for Birdsong"
(2012)
An award for a short story should appear only once. An award that was entered for an
anthology or similar publication should be moved to the standalone title should the story be
subsequently published as a standalone entry.
A literary award should be presented annually by a recognized literary source such as a

writers' organization, book council, library association, publishing house, or major review
site and should be subjectively selected by that source. Bestseller lists are not subjectively
selected and should not be counted as awards.
Awards should have a clear winner; ranked lists are generally not considered awards. If an
award has a middle tier such as an honor medal or a shortlist and is an award notable
enough that other nominees are also listed, the award can be listed as two awards, one for
the winner and the longlisted nominees and another for the shortlist.
Seasonal and monthly awards, along with other non-award accomplishments such as
bestseller lists or reading list selections should be noted in book descriptions.
Note to Goodreads Authors: To add a new award or edit an existing award, you’ll need
help from one of our volunteer librarians or a staff member. Post in the Goodreads
Librarians Group here or reach out to the Goodreads support staff here.
 How does edit mode work?
Edit mode enables Goodreads Librarians to edit book information. To enter or exit edit
mode, visit the book page, then tap your profile photo and select the edit mode checkbox
beneath your name. With the checkbox selected, you’ll see an edit book details button on
the book page below the star rating, with a menu of options for adding or editing editions.
 How do I view all editions of a book?
On the book page, click book details & editions to find the more editions section. Tap the
link to view all editions.
 How do I add or combine editions of a book?
To add a new edition, add an alternate cover edition, or combine editions, tap the button
with three dots next to the edit book details button and select your choice from the menu
that appears.
 Where are ASIN, ISBN, page counts, and other book details located?
As a Librarian, you can find ASIN, ISBN, and page counts — along with other information
such as format and language — below the book synopsis and tags. If you can’t find these,
look for a book details & editions link in the same area to reveal that information.
Replacing or removing the cover of an existing edition, including the covers of advance
reader copies, is in violation of Goodreads policy. Please see information on how to add
an alternate cover edition if the book has been released with a new cover.
Acceptable sources for cover images include author and publisher websites, library sites,
and various other public archives. We cannot legally use any cover images from
booksellers, with the exception of Amazon. Since Amazon has purchased Goodreads, their
covers may now be used on Goodreads as well.
Please review our list of acceptable sources for covers and book data before adding
information to the database.
An individual user's scans or photos, taken of books they own or have in their possession,
are also an acceptable source for cover images, as are screen captures of ebook editions.

How to upload a photo
This section of the book edit page is for uploading the front cover image of the book. The
only image that should be uploaded is the specific cover associated with the ISBN of the
book you are editing. If there is an existing cover that does not match your book, please see
the section on ISBNs regarding multiple covers for one ISBN. Existing covers should
rarely be deleted and only if you absolutely know that cover is in no way associated with
that ISBN. When in doubt, you can always post a question to the Goodreads Librarians
Group and ask for help.
Cover images uploaded should only be an image of the actual front cover (which will
typically have title and author on it), and should not be an image of the art used to later
create the book cover. A screen capture of the ebook cover for the actual edition you are
reading is also permissible.
Cover image size
Within certain ranges, the system will resize pictures that are too large. The optimal size is
700 x 933 pixels and up to 20% larger.
Placeholder cover images
There is only one exception to the rule about removing a cover from an existing edition:
any obvious placeholder covers may be removed or replaced. Most placeholders will have a
statement on them like "official cover coming soon" or "cover not yet available" or a
similar notation.
If you are unsure whether a specific cover qualifies for this exception, please start a thread
in the Librarians Group for assistance.
As comic books use the series name as their primary title, the naming convention is
different. Comic books on Goodreads are titled as follows:
Series, Vol #: Subtitle
Example: Preacher, Volume 1: Gone to Texas (Preacher)
[Note: In this case the series name appears at the end of the title in parentheses as the
comic is part of a series].
Since the series name and number/volume is listed as the primary name for comic book
records, this should not be repeated in the title field as series information. In addition, the
series page should NOT be numbered and only ordered according to the volume number.
This is to prevent confusion when a comic is included in multiple series, and to prevent
duplication as the volume number is included in the title. We encourage that the comic
ordering be added to the series description as a reference, to ascertain the position of
boxsets or volumes.
If a comic book is a standalone where the series name is the primary or only title this can be
listed as the title, as is the case with book titles on Goodreads. In these cases the series
name and number can be repeated in the title field.
E.g. The Secret of the Unicorn (Tintin #11) by Hergé.
Japanese manga follow the same naming conventions as comics and should also be titled in
the same way. This format should be used for manga translated into all languages. For
example: Attack on Titan, Vol. 1. Keep in mind our guidance on transliteration for these
titles:
If a title is given in non-roman characters (kanji, Cyrillic script, etc.) and a transliteration in
roman characters is available, the transliteration can be placed in square brackets after the
title and any subtitle; this is optional. Do not provide a translation in the title field.
Examples of transliterations:
エア・ギア 1 [Ea Gia 1]
Дверь в лето [Dverʹ v leto]
夏への扉 [Natsu e no tobira]
Valid comic book records
The following comic book formats are considered valid book records on Goodreads:
 periodicals and bound comic books with ISBNs
The following are not considered valid books records and will be removed:
 Individual comics [unless they have an ISBN or ASIN (individual Kindle editions
only)]
 Webcomics [unless published in individual volume(s) in print or as ebook(s)]
 Incomplete and in progress works (this is different from "forthcoming" works,
which are considered completed but as yet unpublished)

(This topic has now been broken down into subtopics for ease in using and editing.)
Librarian change log

Add a librarian note
Edition status
Book title
Using the sort by title field
Author field
ISBN-10, ISBN-13 and ASINS
Publisher (editing books)
Publication date (editing books)
Page numbering
Upload photo
Format
Edition
Description
Edition language
Created
Combine versus merge
While combine and merge are generally considered synonymous, Goodreads Librarians
often use the two words to mean distinctly different things.
Combining means taking two or more editions and linking them into one work. No editions
are deleted, so you have the same number of editions before and after a combine.
Merging means combining two editions that are actually duplicates, and then updating the
status of one edition to "Deleted". An edition is removed from the general catalog, so after
a merge, you will have fewer editions than before. If a merge is performed correctly, all
ratings, reviews, and shelvings of the "Deleted" edition will be moved to the edition with
which it was merged (or the default edition, if it was merged with a group of editions).
In both cases, the book page's cache may take a couple days to completely update.
How to combine editions
1. Navigate to the author’s profile page and click on Combine editions next to
author’s book list. Note: You can only combine books with the same primary
author. If a book has multiple authors make sure the primary author is consistent for
all editions so they can be combined.
2. You may wish to filter by work ID or keyword. Select the relevant radio button,
and enter two or more work IDs or a keyword common to the editions you wish to
combine. Then click the Filter works button.
3. Check the box next to the titles that need to be combined.
4. Click Combine editions.
How to merge two identical editions
Please check the librarian changelogs of both suspected duplicates before merging to
determine if either cover has been deleted/replaced against Goodreads policies. If you have
any questions about whether an edition falls into this category, please post a new thread in
the Goodreads Librarians Group.
If a particular edition is listed twice, it is appropriate to merge the two entries into one.
Please do not change the status of an edition of a book to "Deleted" just because it does not
have an ISBN. Some older books that members manually add will not have ISBNs. Please
check carefully and err on the side of not setting a book edition as "Deleted".
Note that merging duplicate editions means updating the status of the edition with no
ISBN/ASIN (or an incorrect ISBN/ASIN) to "Deleted". This automatically transfers all
shelvings, ratings, and reviews into the default edition of the work. This is different from
combining editions, which is where you can mark one version of a book as the same as
another.
When you find a duplicate and you know which edition it was meant to be, this is how to
merge that duplicate with the actual edition:
1. Separate the duplicate and its actual edition from any other editions of that book.
2. Combine them just with each other.
3. On the duplicate edition, go to the edit book page and update the edition
classification status to "Deleted", then click Save at the bottom of the page. All
member shelvings, ratings, and reviews will be transferred to the actual edition
because this is the only other edition available in that combination. Note that only
Superlibrarians can change an edition's status to "Deleted" if the edition has more
than 5 member shelvings. If this is the case, please start a new thread in this
Goodreads Librarians Group folder for assistance.
4. Monitor the librarian changelog of the public edition for the following:
a. classification: 'Public' to 'Deleted' - This indicates that the edition is queued
for merge
b. edition: Deleted edition id=[book ID] title=[book tile] primary
author=[author name], merged 0 reviews - This indicates that the merge is
now complete
5. Only after the second entry appears in the book log should you re-combine the
actual edition with the other editions of the book.
6. If the second entry doesn't appear in the changelog after 24 hours, contact Support.
How to separate editions
1. Navigate to the author's profile page and click on Combine editions next to
author’s book list. Note: You can only separate books with the same primary author.
If a book has multiple authors make sure the primary author is consistent for all
editions so they can be separated.
2. Click on Separate tool on the bottom right side of the editions that are incorrectly
combined.
3. Check the box under the "separate" column for the edition that should be separated.
4. Click on Separate editions.
* Please note that authors do not have the ability to separate editions of their books that
have already been combined. Requests can be directed to the Goodreads Librarians
Group.
This field is for entering the number of pages of a book. The number of pages in a book is
meant to include all content except for advertisements and preview chapters for other
books. Included end material may include acknowledgments, afterwords, appendices,
bibliographies, glossaries, indexes, notes, and suggested discussion questions.
Introductory material paged using roman numerals is not included in the total page count.
Books already in the database often already have page numbers, and these are occasionally
incorrect. These can be corrected, but only if you have the exact book with a matching
ISBN, or by using WorldCat or another site with reliable page numbering.
Most ebook formats do not have a fixed number of pages since the pagination adjusts for
screen size. If the publisher provides a specific page count, that number should be reflected
in our book data. For PDF-specific editions, or any other fixed page ebooks, the normal
paging rules may be used.
If the publisher does not provide a page number, you may estimate the page count using a
tool such as Calibre's Count Pages plugin. Be sure to leave a librarian note that this is an
estimate and that the page number should be changed if the publisher releases a
specific page count.
For audio books, the number of hours rounded up should be used in lieu of number of
pages, when that information is known.
Page numbers should match the page numbers as listed in the book. If a book begins on
page 6, for example, do not subtract from the final page count to determine the "actual"
number of pages – simply list the number on the last page with countable content.
There might be rare instances where page numbering restarts in different sections
within a single book (e.g. omnibus editions that contain multiple stories, each with their
own page count). In these cases, the page count should, where available, be the sum total of
the page numbers listed at the end of each section. This page count can be provided by a
member with the book in hand, or from a valid data source. As with all page counts, the
number of pages in a book is meant to include all content except for advertisements and
preview chapters for other books. Included end material may include acknowledgments,
afterwords, appendices, bibliographies, glossaries, indexes, notes, and suggested discussion
questions. Introductory material paged using roman numerals is not included in this total
page count.
The description field is for entering a generic summary of the book's contents and can be a
couple of sentences or paragraphs. The best description to enter is one found on the back
cover or on the dust jacket of the book. If the book does not have a summary listed
anywhere on the cover or pages, you can copy a description from a different edition or an
outside source, such as the publisher's website or Wikipedia. Descriptions copied from an
outside source, such as Wikipedia, should contain a short citation stating the summary's
origin. You may also write your own description; however, please avoid editing
descriptions that are already in place and summarize the work sufficiently.
A book's description should NOT include:
 Reviews or personal feelings (i.e. "This is a book about sisters. It was good. You
should read it")
 Any important spoilers such as mentions of characters’ deaths, how the book ends,
major twists or other information that would spoil the story for those who have not
read it
 Images or links to external sites
 Formatting information (e.g. printing issues)—these details can be included in the
author's own review of their book, or in an author blog post
The Book status system (replacing the "NOT A BOOK" or "NAB" process) was created to
make the long term management of the Goodreads database easier for Librarians and
provide a better experience for our members.
An edition's status can quickly and easily be set using a drop-down menu on the book's edit
page to select one of three statuses: "Public", "Invalid" or "Deleted" which replaces the
current limited "NOT A BOOK" functionality. These statuses are explained in more detail
below:
Public Books
The default status of a book in the database is "Public". Public books can be shelved, rated,
and reviewed, and appear on Goodreads anywhere a book may be shown to a member. See
below for a list of items that Goodreads considers to be valid book records.
Invalid Books
The "Invalid" status replaces the "NOT A BOOK" status. Items that don't meet Goodreads
policies as a valid book record are preserved if they have member activity. This status will
not delete member shelvings, ratings, or reviews. However, the record will no longer
appear in the general Goodreads catalog.
Invalid records cannot be shelved, rated, or reviewed once set in that status, but will still
appear on a member's shelf if they had shelved, rated or reviewed the record in the past. An
"Invalid" record will not be returned in search results, but the record can be displayed via a
direct link to the book page. See below for a list of items that Goodreads does not consider
to be valid book records.
Note: All records previously assigned the "NOT A BOOK" status have had their status set
as "Invalid".
Deleted Books
Books should only have their status set as "Deleted" if they are duplicate editions; or if
they are items that have no ISBN/ASIN, no member shelvings, and they do not meet our
criteria for being a valid book record (see below). Note: before deleting any edition, please
check the Librarian notes on the book edit page to ensure the book is not an alternate cover
edition (ACE). Aces should not be "Deleted". A "Deleted" record will not be returned in
search results, and will not be displayed when using a direct link to the book page. When a
book edition is set to the "Deleted" status, all member activity associated with that edition
will be moved to the work's default edition. If the default edition's status is set as "Deleted",
a new default edition will be chosen for the work.
Deleted Books Behavior
Deleted Books, Last/Only Edition
If the book edition is the last or only book in the work, it cannot be set as "Deleted" if there
is any member activity associated with the book (an error message will be displayed if
attempted). In these cases, the last edition of a work can only be set as "Invalid" so as not to
delete any member shelvings, ratings, or reviews associated with that work.
Deleted Books, Setting the Status Back to "Public"
If a Librarian attempts to add a book using the Add a New Book page, and the ISBN/ASIN
matches an existing ISBN13/ISBN10 or ASIN associated with a "Deleted" record, an error
message will be displayed. This message will indicate that the record already exists, along
with a link to the deleted record's edit page. If the "Deleted" status was originally set in
error, the status can be updated to "Public" to restore the deleted edition to the Goodreads
database. Note that this will not move member shelvings, ratings, or reviews, or change the
"best book" ID in the work when that edition is set back to "Public" status.
Changes related to the Author Page
On the author page, only books with "Public" status related to that author will appear.
Note: If a record's status has been set by a Goodreads administrator, it cannot be changed
by a Librarian and a message informing the Librarian of this will be displayed. If a
Librarian feels that a specific record was updated in error, please Contact Support and
provide the book link and any relevant details.
For more information on what Goodreads considers a valid or non-book item, please visit:
 Librarian Manual: Valid book records

 Librarian Manual: Non-book items
The title field is used for the title of the book and for the subtitle if the book has one. Other
information, such as binding, edition number, or language, should be moved out of the title
field into fields specific to that information. Series information may also be included in the
title field. This is optional, but if series information is included, it should follow standard
formatting. (See below.) If correct series information has been added to the title field,
do not remove it from the book record – the more complete the book data, the better.
title
The title should match the title shown on the cover of the book, if that information is
available. If a title includes accented characters, apostrophes, quotation marks, or
punctuation, include these in the title. Double-check the spelling! Do not remove definite or
indefinite articles such as "the" from the beginning of titles; this is handled by the sort title,
which is a different field (see Book edit page - how to use the sort by title field).
The title should be capitalized according to standard title capitalization for the language of
the edition. Preferred title capitalization in English is the use of capital letters for the
principal words. Note that many titles appear to be in all uppercase or lowercase letters on
the cover but are not otherwise capitalized this way, and that therefore the cover is used for
the words of the title but not necessarily the capitalization.
Examples of titles:
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Guards! Guards!
À la recherche du temps perdu
Der Sommer der silbernen Stute
Magazines should adhere to the following naming convention in the title field:
[Title] Magazine, Volume [number], Issue [number], [Month Year]: [Subtitle]
Magazines often do not feature all of the above information. In each case, follow the above
format and replace the square brackets with the information that is available. Irrelevant
sections can be omitted.
subtitle
The subtitle should also match the cover of the book. Bear in mind that books are
sometimes republished with different subtitles, so a subtitle for one edition should not be
assumed to be present on all editions. When a book has a subtitle, the subtitle should be
separated from the main title by a language-appropriate separator (in English or if the
separator is unknown, use a colon) and a single space. The phrase "A Novel" is not
considered a subtitle. The phrase "A Novel Of {Something}" or "A {Something} Novel",
where {something} is the book's series, should be considered a series indicator rather than a
subtitle, and so it should not be present in the title field except as part of the series (see
below for series).
Examples of subtitles:
Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl
Ghosts of Gettysburg: Spirits, Apparitions and Haunted Places of the Battlefield
Alice und das Land im Nadelöhr. Die weiteren Abenteuer von Alice im Wunderland
Birdsong: A Novel of Love and War
Not:
Among the Living: A PsyCop Novel
transliteration
If a title is given in non-roman characters (kanji, Cyrillic script, etc.) and a transliteration in
roman characters is available, the transliteration can be placed in square brackets after the
title and any subtitle; this is optional. Do not provide a translation in the title field.
エア・ギア 1 [Ea Gia 1] (Air Gear #1)
series
Series should always be created separately. (See here for more information.) Currently, the
series display is not complete across the website, and therefore series information may be
repeated in the title field; this is optional. Again, please do not remove series data from the
title field if it has already been added!
Place the series information in parentheses after the title and

any subtitle or transliteration. If the book is numbered in the series, place the number
after the series name with the # symbol in front of it. (Use the same conventions for series
numbering in titles as is used in the series object.) Previous conventions used a comma after
the series name and before the number; this is also acceptable. If formatted in this fashion,
the parenthetical part of the title will be replaced by the actual series object's name and
number on the book page as a link to the series.
Examples of series mirrored in titles:

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Harry Potter #1)
Among the Living (PsyCop #1)
An exception to this is when the series name is the primary or only title. In this case, the
title may be formatted with series name and number as the title (the number may be written
out to match the title as shown on the edition) and any additional title text as the subtitle.
Examples of books with the series as the primary title:

My Brain Hurts, Volume One
Gun Smith Cats Vol. 3
Methods of Modern Mathematical Physics, Vol. 1: Functional Analysis
Inside Microsoft SQL Server 2008: T-SQL Programming
The Best American Short Stories 2005 Amazons II
The exception of comic books
As comic books use the series name as their primary title, the naming convention is
different. Comic books on Goodreads are titled as follows:
Series, Vol #: Subtitle

Example: Preacher, Volume 1: Gone to Texas (Preacher)
[Note: In this case the series name appears at the end of the title in parentheses as the
comic is part of a series].
Since the series name and number/volume is listed as the primary name for comic book
records, this should not be repeated in the title field as series information. In addition, the
boxsets or volumes.
example: Attack on Titan, Vol. 1. Keep in mind our guidance on transliteration (mentioned
above) for these titles
omnibus/boxed sets
At times multiple books may be released as an omnibus (multiple books reprinted in one
book) or a boxed set. If multiple books have been reprinted together that are not part of a
series and the edition does not have its own title, all of the included titles should be listed in
the title field. When titles are listed, the preferred separator is a space, a forward slash, and
another space; other acceptable separators are commas and ampersands. If the edition has a
separate title, the list of included titles may be treated as a subtitle or it may be omitted (if it
is omitted, this information should be listed in the book description field). (In addition,
"Omnibus" or "Boxed Set" may be added to the edition field.)
Examples of books in omnibus/boxed set editions:

Alice in Wonderland / Black Beauty
The Neil Gaiman Audio Collection
The Scarpetta Collection: Postmortem / Body of Evidence
Goosebumps House of Horrors Boxed Set
Seeker's Bane
The Fairy Charm Collection, Vol 3
XXXHolic, Volumes 1-3
Goodreads sources its book and author details from Amazon.com, and imports all
books created by publishers via Amazon’s Vendor Central. Book records automatically
imported from Amazon.com might include some, but not all, books from Amazon
International stores or catalog. Goodreads Librarians are volunteers who help ensure the
accuracy of information about book and authors in the Goodreads catalog.
Common scenarios and how they're impacted by the Amazon.com import into
Goodreads
Librarian edits
Books set to ‘Invalid’ or ‘Deleted’ status by automated catalog imports
Author name corrections
ISBN & ASIN values
Librarian edits
Goodreads Librarian edits are not overwritten when books are imported
from Amazon.com and publisher feeds submitted to Amazon. If a Librarian has created a
book, the book status (‘Public’, ‘Invalid’ or ‘Deleted’) will not be changed by automated
catalog imports.
If book details are provided by a publisher data feed, catalog imports will update these to
reflect the most recent details provided by a publisher.
Books set to ‘Invalid’ or ‘Deleted’ status by automated catalog imports
Occasionally, Goodreads Librarians may find book records set to ‘Deleted’ or ‘Invalid’ by
automated catalog imports. These updates are made when Goodreads receives a signal that
the book record is not valid, and the book has not been shelved by a member or edited by a
Librarian.
Goodreads now prevents non-book items (e.g. blank journals) from appearing on
Goodreads by proactively setting their status to ‘Invalid’ or ‘Deleted’.
If books are identified as valid book records with the Deleted or Invalid status set in error,
Librarians can update the status to ‘Public’.
Author name corrections
Upon book record creation, Goodreads uses the provided primary author name to find the
matching Goodreads author. For common names, the book is attributed to the default
author with no additional spaces in the author name. If a book is misattributed, Librarians
can allocate this to the correct author profile.
ISBN & ASIN values
 For physical book editions, Goodreads creates the record with the physical ISBN13
and ISBN10 provided by the publisher, and includes the Amazon ASIN associated
with that edition
 For physical books with an ISBN13 beginning with 979 (introduced in early 2020),
the ASIN will differ from the ISBN10 (as they have no ISBN10 equivalency)
 Kindle book editions have an ASIN set, and may have an eISBN value if provided
by the publisher
 ISBNs and ASINs cannot be edited by Librarians.
Learn more about ISBN 10 & 13 values here.
Each author name is unique and has its own profile. Sometimes various data sources use
slightly different spellings of an author name (e.g. JK Rowling vs J.K. Rowling vs Joanne
Kathleen Rowling). To merge two author profiles, edit the data for the profile that should
be discarded, and change the name to be the exact same spelling (copy/pasting helps here)
of the profile that it should be merged into. All books will be associated with the new
author. If there is doubt as to the correct spelling, we recommend checking The Library of
Congress.
Librarians and Superlibrarians can only merge unclaimed author profiles. To merge a
Goodreads Author profile, request staff assistance by using the Contact Us link. It’s
especially important to do this when there are fans or quotes attributed to the unclaimed
author account. Renaming the author on each book page will not merge the profiles; it will
only move the book to the correct profile and leave the other profile intact on the site.
Merging the profiles will also merge quotes and fans.
Note to Goodreads Authors: To create a new series or edit an existing series (which will
then appear on your author profile under Series by), you’ll need help from one of our
volunteer librarians. Post in the Goodreads Librarians Group here.
Creating a new series:
1. Check if a series has already been created for the books in question. Please do not
add a new series for each language the books have been published in, unless the
numbering of the books differs from that of the existing series.
2. Find a book in the series.
3. From the book's edit page, scroll down to series and click add.
4. In the edit series page, put in the series name.
5. Still in the edit series page, click add book and search for the other books in the
series.
6. Add all of those books.
7. Save the series.
Note: A series is still considered valid if only a single book has been published.
Adding a book to a series that has previously been created:
1. Find a new book which should be added to the series.

2. Memorize it (or just leave the record open in a different tab).
3. Find a different book that's already in the series.
4. Click on the series name in its title.
5. Click on edit to open the series for editing.
6. Click add book, search for the new book, and add it.
7. Save the series.
Don't do this:
1. Find a new book in the series.

2. Open its edit page, scroll down to series, and click add.
3. Put in the same series name.
4. Save the series.
This will not add the book to the existing series! You can test this by clicking on the series
name in the book title: if you don't see the other books in the series, you didn't add the book
to the existing series. If you've done this, delete the new series (click edit on the series
page, scroll to the bottom, and click delete), go to the correct series listing, and follow the
steps for adding a book to a series.
Series names
If you are unsure of the name of a series, a good first step is to check what series name is
printed on the cover art of the edition. Just as with book titles, series names should match
what is on the cover of each edition. If no series name is available, please check author or
publishers' sites to see if a series name has been allocated. If there isn't one, Librarians can
either use the main character's name or the name of the original book.
Series numbering and order
Novellas and short stories should be listed using decimals. For instance, if a series contains
five primary books (#1, #2, #3, #4, #5) and a novella was published in between Book 1 and
Book 2, it should be listed as 1.5. If there are multiple novellas or short stories between
Book 1 and Book 2, they can be numbered as 1.4 and 1.5; or 1.3, 1.5, and 1.7; and so on.
Note: These novellas should not be listed as primary, regardless of numbering used on
other sites.
Please see here for an example.
Book series that are made up entirely of novellas should be numbered with integers. Please
see here for an example.
Please place anthologies and omnibus volumes/collections, as well as any other special
works (such as individual volumes republished in multiple parts), after all primary works,
not mixed in with them.
If novellas or shorts are published individually and also included in anthologies and
omnibuses, please list the individually published novellas with decimals in the series order.
At the end of the series, list anthologies, and finally omnibus editions. Please see here for
an example.
The exception of comic books
The series name and number/volume is listed as the primary name for comic book records
and so this should not be repeated in the title field as series information. In addition, the
boxsets or volumes.
example: Attack on Titan, Vol. 1. Keep in mind our guidance on transliteration for these
titles:
If a title is given in non-roman characters (kanji, Cyrillic script, etc.) and a

transliteration in roman characters is available, the transliteration can be placed in
square brackets after the title and any subtitle; this is optional. Do not provide a
translation in the title field.
エア・ギア 1 [Ea Gia 1]
Series: Chronological order versus suggested reading order
If the chronological order or suggested reading order of a series differs from the published
numbering of a series, you can edit the description to reflect the suggested reading order.
Example: The Cousins War Series
When dealing with a larger series, you can also create a new series with the chronological
or suggested reading order.
Example: The Chronicles of Narnia Series
Imprints are not series
Imprints and other unrelated collections of works (usually by multiple authors) are not
series. They can be grouped with a Listopia list, or the collection/imprint information can
be listed in the edition field, but they should not be grouped into a series, or listed on a
book's title line.
As a general rule, a book is only part of a series if that designation would apply to all
editions of a work. To be a series, books should have characters and/or universes in
common. In the case of imprints and other non-series collections, it is common for some of
these books to be published under numerous other imprints as well.
For example, SF Masterworks would not be a series, and neither would Harlequin Blaze.
Merging whole-series placeholders
If a book series is not packaged by the publisher as one item (such as a boxed set), the
series should not be created as a fake book. Any user-created series objects should
be merged into the boxed set for the series (if available) or the first book of the series (if no
boxed set or similar publisher-created series item is available).
Goodreads Librarians are volunteers who help ensure the accuracy of information about
books and authors in the Goodreads' catalog. The Goodreads Librarians Group is the
official group for requesting additions or updates to the Goodreads catalog, including, but
not limited to:
 Adding new books or editions

 Editing book information (including covers)
 Combining and merging book editions
 Edits to page counts, quotes or awards
 Correcting author profiles for authors not in the Goodreads Author Program.
If you're a Goodreads member with a new request, click Join Group. Once you've been
added to the group, you can then post your question following this link.
Simple requests (e.g., page count updates) typically take around 48 hours depending on the
volume of requests, while more complex requests could take up to a couple of weeks (e.g.,
adding a new book to Goodreads).
Authors, if you are a member of the Goodreads Author Program, you can edit
information about your own books. Find out how in this guide.
Keep in mind that Librarians don't:
 Grant or give insights into Librarian applications or Librarian status of other

Goodreads members
 Move ISBNs or ASINs between editions
 Help with non-catalog Support questions (e.g. How do I promote my book? or How
do I reset my password?)
How can I apply to be a Librarian?
If you have been a Goodreads member for over three months and have shelved 50 books
and would like to become a Librarian, you are welcome to apply here. Authors and
publishers cannot receive Librarian status.
Quiz responses will be considered, as will previous posts and requests in the Librarians
Group and any previous book edits. Applicants who are accepted to the Goodreads
Librarian Program will be notified by email. Note that no notification is sent if an applicant
is not accepted to the program.
What is the difference between regular Librarians and Superlibrarians?
Superlibrarians can make added changes on Goodreads, such as removing and editing
specific quotes and book details.
The primary (or default) edition of a work is automatically set as the one that has been
shelved/rated/reviewed by the most Goodreads users. There is no way for a librarian to change the
primary edition of a work manually. Only Goodreads staff and authors who are members of
the Goodreads Author Program may manually set an edition as default from that edition's edit
page.
Goodreads authors who are members of the Goodreads Author Program can set the default edition
of a work following these instructions.
General Topics
About Goodreads Librarians

Some general guidelines for Librarians
Librarian Manual: How to edit your book as a Goodreads Author
Where should I discuss Librarian issues on Goodreads?
--
Valid and Invalid Sources and Records
Librarian Manual: Acceptable sources for covers and book data

Librarian Manual: Valid book records
Which types of Audible Original content can be included in the database?
Librarian Manual: Non-book items
--
Book Edit Page - Overview
Librarian Manual: How to edit book or author information

Librarian Manual: Editing books on the book page
Librarian Manual: Book edit page – an overview
Librarian Manual: Book edit page – Librarian changelog
Librarian Manual: Book edit page – adding a Librarian Note
Librarian Manual: Book Status (“Public”, “Invalid”, “Deleted”)
Librarian Manual: Book edit page – the title field
Librarian Manual: Comic book names
Librarian Manual: Book edit page – how to use the sort by title field
Librarian Manual: Author names and profiles
Librarian Manual: Sacred texts
Librarian Manual: ISBN-10, ISBN-13 and ASINS
Librarian Manual: Book edit page – publisher
Librarian Manual: Book edit page – published date
Librarian Manual: Book edit page – number of pages
Librarian Manual: Book edit page – uploading book covers
Librarian Manual: Book edit page – setting the format
Librarian Manual: Book edit page – edition
Librarian Manual: Book edit page – description
Librarian Manual: Book edit page – edition language
Librarian Manual: Book edit page – created
Librarian Manual: Out-of-print editions
--
Book edit page – work-specific data
Librarian Manual: Book edit page – work-specific data

Librarian Manual: Book edit page – original publication date
Librarian Manual: Book edit page – literary awards
Librarian Manual: Book edit page – adding characters
Librarian Manual: Adding books to a new or existing series
Librarian Manual: Book edit page – book settings
Librarian Manual: Book edit page – the change comment field
Librarian Manual: Book edit page – adding a Librarian comment
Librarian Manual: Book edit page – refresh book rating stats
--
Editions / Works
What do I do if I find multiple editions of the same book? (Goodreads Librarians Only)
Librarian Manual: Combining, merging and separating editions
What's a Work ID and where can I find it?
Librarian Manual: How do I fix stray editions with no data
Librarian Manual: Book edit page – setting the primary (default) edition of a work
Librarian Manual: Rules for combining books
Librarian Manual: Adding an alternate cover edition
--
Author Profiles
Librarian Manual: How to merge two author profiles

--
Quotes
Librarian Manual: Quotes
--
Librarian Status
Why did Goodreads change the process to apply for Librarian status?
One of the answers in the Goodreads Librarian Quiz is wrong. How can I report this?
This article details adding and editing quotes on Goodreads. Only Librarians and staff can
edit or delete the quotes on Goodreads, while all members can add new quotes. If specific
quotes are incorrect, members can request changes in the Librarians Group by clicking Join
Group under the group profile photo and posting their question in the Issues with
Quotes folder.
Included in this article:
General Guidelines for Adding Quotes on Goodreads

Adding Quotes
Editing Quotes
Deleting Quotes
Merging Quotes
General Guidelines for Adding Quotes on Goodreads
 Quotes must be from a published author or notable person. Quotes that are not from
notable persons or unknown sources will be removed.
 Quotes can be from any source, such as books, spoken words or news articles;
however, song lyrics, TV and movie quotes are not permitted.
 Quotes should be longer than a single word, and shorter than three paragraphs or
200 words in length (excerpt length).
Adding Quotes
The easiest way to add a quotes is from a specific Goodreads author page on the desktop
site:
1. Before adding a quote, search the quotes on Goodreads to avoid creating duplicates.
2. If the quote does not exist, visit the author page.
3. Select the 'Quotes by [author name]' heading.
4. Select 'Add A Quote' to the top right of the author’s quotes page.
5. The correct author name will populate under the Author field. Only a single author
can be listed for a quote.
6. Select the 'book' where the quote originates (optional).
7. Add the Quotes and any relevant tags. Tags and quotes should not include page
numbers, author or character names, or book titles.
8. Save.
If the person you are quoting does not have a Goodreads author page, you can add a quote
via the Quotes > Add page on desktop. In this case the author name will not be populated.
 Only enter the author's name in the author field (not their birthdate or which book
the quote is from). When entering author names with initials (H.G. Wells, J.K.
Rowling), don't put spaces between the initials.
 The book title field will appear after you have entered the author name in the author
field. If the right John Smith doesn't come up you may need to add more spaces
between the first and last names.
Editing Quotes
If a quote has over 500 likes, you’ll need to reach out to a Superlibrarian for help with
editing.
To edit a quote:
1. Click on 'x likes' to the bottom right of the quote.

2. Select 'Edit' at the top right of the quote’s page.
3. Edit the Quote or other field and 'Save'.
Deleting Quotes
Librarians do not delete quotes with likes; unless they were originally added against
Goodreads policy. However, Librarians can edit quotes for spelling, grammar, and other
errors.
Note:
 Quotes with 'the author listed as 'Unknown' because they are from a piece of
literature attributed to that author should not be deleted.
 A one-word quote can be removed even if there are likes.
 'Hanging words' should be removed. This is when a quoted sentence is followed by
an extra word, e.g. "A cat sat on a mat. The" — in this case 'the' can be removed
from the quote.
 General proverbs do not have a notable author and can be removed.
Merging Quotes
Duplicate quotes should be merged.
1. Visit the author page.

2. Select the 'Quotes by [author name]' heading.
3. Select 'Combine Quotes' to the top right of the author's quotes page.
4. Check the duplicate quotes and select 'combine quotes'
The rules for combining book editions are listed below, and are also posted on the right side
of the combine page for each author. These rules have been decided as a collaborative
effort between the Goodreads staff and the members in the Goodreads Librarians group
do combine:
 Different publications of the same book.

 Different formats of the book (hardcover, paperback, audio).
 Editions/translations of the book in other languages. Even though many translations
differ significantly, we've made the decision to combine them all, and have people
note the differences in their reviews.
 Abridgements.
don't combine:
 2-in-1 books or boxed sets that include the given book.

 Previews or extracts with the completed book.
 Cliff notes or other works about the given book.
 Adaptations. The book should remain separated from its parent work, with the
adaptor listed as primary author.
 Split editions.
Adding or editing author names on a book record
The first author field is for entering the primary author of the book. Be sure to properly
spell and capitalize the name or the book will not link to the correct author profile and
become harder to find in the Goodreads database. Also, author names should be entered
first name last name so they will link to the appropriate author profile on Goodreads. Only
one author should be listed per author field.
Correct examples:
Suzanne Brockmann
Catherine Anderson
Incorrect examples:
Brockmann, Suzanne
Anderson Catherine
Suzanne Brockmann and Catherine Anderson
If an author uses initials in their name, the initials should contain NO spacing between them
and be marked with a period. No spaces within the letters of a name.
Correct example:
J.D. Robb
Incorrect examples:
JD Robb
J D Robb
J. D. Robb
JDRobb
If an author uses his or her middle name or middle initial for their publications, then this
should also be included in the author name. Initials should be followed by a period.
Example:
Jayne Ann Krentz
Kathleen E. Woodiwiss
Authors with titles or degrees (such as Dr., Sir, Ph.D., Captain, Reverend, etc.) should NOT
be included in the author name (unless necessary to avoid confusion, or if part of a
recognized pen name (e.g., Dr. Seuss).
Correct example:
Phillip C. McGraw
Incorrect Example:
Dr. Phillip C. McGraw
Authors with a relational suffix (Jr., Sr., III, etc.) SHOULD be included in the author name
separated ONLY by a space after the last name.
Correct example:
L.E. Modesitt Jr.
Incorrect example:
L.E. Modesitt, Jr.
If the book does not have a primary author, and instead has an editor, list the editor's name
in the author field and click on the add role link next to the text box and input the word
Editor (or other appropriate title).
Author roles should always be added using the add role feature next to the author name,
and not by adding it in ( ) following the author name.
For audiobooks or translated editions, this field should list the author of the original work.
Author sort-by name and shelf display name
When editing an author profile, the sort by field and shelf display field should be used so
that the author’s name is alphabetized correctly on users' bookshelves.
The sort by names should be entered in lowercase, or will be corrected to lowercase when
the page is saved:
brockmann, suzanne
The shelf display field should be entered with correct capitalization:
Brockmann, Suzanne
Multi-part surnames and generational suffixes
Authors with unhyphenated multi-part surnames and generational suffixes should be

entered as follows in the sort by field:
garcía márquez, gabriel

dubus, andre, iii
smith, john, jr.
In the shelf display field, they should be entered as follows:
García Márquez, Gabriel

Dubus III, Andre
Smith Jr., John
Special characters
Special characters should be excluded from the sort by field and entered as follows:
nemirovsky, irene
garcia marquez, gabriel
capek, karel
In the shelf display field, they should be entered as follows:

Némirovsky, Irène
García Márquez, Gabriel
Čapek, Karel
Diacritics
Diacritics – tildes, ligatures, digraphs, umlauts, cedillas, and accent marks – are sorted
based on their closest Latin alphabet equivalent. The following is a list of special
characters. The first column displays correct entry in the shelf display field, and the second
column displays correct entry in the sort by field.
À-a
Á-a
Ä-a
Ææ - ae
Č-č
Ç-ç
Ðð - d
È-e
É-e
Íí - i
ñ-n
Óó - o
Ö-o
Ō-ō
Þþ - th
Úú - u
Ü-u
Ýý - y
Ž-ž
Please note that these rules apply to alphabets that primarily use Latin characters. Other
languages, including Hebrew, Greek, Cyrillic, Arabic, Farsi, and Tamil, should be left in
their native character set.
Companies
Companies should be sorted by the first name of the company, unless the first name of the
company is an article. For example, the Walt Disney Company should be listed in the sort
by field as:
walt disney company
Titles
Authors whose titles are kept to avoid confusion should be sorted under their first name:
francis, pope
john paul i, pope
john paul ii, pope
elizabeth ii, queen
Author pseudonyms/pen names
Some authors write or have written under multiple names. When editing or adding
information for a book written by an author with multiple names, enter the author's name as
it appears on the front cover as the primary author. The author's other names may be added
in the other author fields. Additional author profiles may be linked directly from the About
Me section on the author profile.
In some cases, a book may be originally published under a pen name, but then later reissued
under the author's original name. When this happens, the author listed for any and all
editions should be the author name the book was originally published under - so the
reissued edition would need its primary author name changed to the originally published
pen name, with the additional name added as secondary for all editions with it on the cover.
Doing this will allow the various editions to be combined.
One exception to the above is in cases where a book was initially published under
Anonymous and then later published under the author’s name or pen-name. When this
happens -- if the book has either been primarily published under the name, or if the author
has requested that all editions be listed under the name that later editions have been
published under -- it’s acceptable to list the actual name (or pen name) of the author as the
primary author on all editions of the work.
Authors published in multiple languages
Authors with books published in multiple languages should have their names dealt with
similarly to those with pen names. All editions should have the primary author name as the
standard or most common Roman (that is, English-language) version of the author's name.
Editions published under another spelling of the name or the name in another language
should have that name listed as the secondary author. Additional author profiles may be
linked directly from the About Me section on the author profile.
Different editions of a book not having the same primary author can cause quite a few
distinct problems. Please keep the primary author for all editions of a work the same.
Add new author (add role)

If there are multiple authors of a book, or persons with other roles*, click on the add new
author link below the first author field and a new text box will appear. Enter in a second
author's name – or editor's, illustrator's, etc. name – being sure to use correct spelling and
formatting.
For audiobooks or translated editions this field can be used to list narrators or translators.
This includes AI narration, where the role should be narrator.
To label the role of the person listed, click the add role link to the right and input the role
of the person.
If there is a third author/editor/etc, click the add new author link again and input the
necessary information. Follow this procedure until all pertinent people are listed.
When a book has multiple authors they should be listed according to the order they show on
the cover, if possible. The order also needs to be the same for any/all editions of the same
book. This will allow for editions to be combined. If two editions of the same multi-author
book do not have the same author listed first, the books can not be combined. So it is
important to list multiple authors correctly.
Cover artists should NOT be listed in the author fields. Cover artists may be noted in
the description field.
*Please note that editors should only be added for records like anthologies and
reference materials. Novels and other works of fiction should not have editors listed.
**Also note that adaptations should not be combined with their parent work. The
adaptor’s name should be listed as the primary author.
Initials in author names

 There should be a period after each initial
 There should be no spaces between consecutive initials
 There should be one space (excepting disambiguation) between an initial and a non-
initial
Examples:
J.K. Rowling
J.R.R. Tolkien
Philip K. Dick
F. Scott Fitzgerald
George R.R. Martin
Books with multiple authors
Goodreads currently allows up to 50 authors per book. Authors should be listed in the order
they appear on the book cover. If there is no cover or covers of various editions differ, use
alphabetical order.
For compilations that include both editors and authors, please list the editors first and then
other contributors.
Please note that editors should only be added for records like anthologies and
reference materials. Novels and other works of fiction should not have editors listed.
Suffixes and prefixes for authors names

Only social suffixes are used. This includes Jr., Sr., and Roman numerals. There is no
punctuation between the name and the suffix.
Examples:
Frank B. Gilbreth Jr.
Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.
Andre Dubus III
Other suffixes and prefixes are not included with author names:
 Academic degrees (BS, MS, PhD, MD, DDS, Prof, Dr. etc.) should not be used
 Honorary degrees (KBE, LLD, Sir etc.) should not be used
 Professional (Esq, CPA, CFA etc.) should not be used
Examples:
Diana Derval (not Prof. Diana Derval)
Robert C. Atkins (not Dr. Robert C. Atkins)

The only exceptions are those where the author is known primarily by a name that includes
the honorific:
Example:
Mahatma Gandhi (not Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
Separating authors with the same name

Occasionally you may come across an author profile that encompasses two or more authors
of the same name. In order to separate these authors and their respective books you will
need to identify which books belong to which author. Once you have, leave one author
alone and for the second, go into the edit page of each of their books and add an additional
space between their first and last name.
This will create a new author profile for the second author.
If by chance there is a third author of the same name (which has happened), simply add a
third space between the author's first and last name.
Example:
CatherineÂnderson
Catherine^Ânderson
Catherine^^Ânderson
When separating authors with middle initials in their names, please place additional spaces
after the middle initial:
Example:
Catherine^H.Ânderson
Catherine^H.^Ânderson
Catherine^H.^^Ânderson
When separating single name authors, an alternative is to separate the author's books from
the default profile by adding a space followed by a period to the author name.
Example:
Catherine^.
Catherine^^.
NOTE: The ^ = 1 space and is just used to demonstrate the number of spaces.
Also please note that any new books by the authors of that name will be entered into the
main profile by default. They will have to be edited once they are added to Goodreads to
shift them to the right profile.
ALSO NOTE: If an author has a common name, they may choose to differentiate their
names from other authors in the database in other ways. Acceptable options include:
 inserting a middle initial or middle name

 lengthening a first initial to a full first name
These minor changes are accepted practice for ease of maintaining accurate book lists on
each author profile.
Combining editions with more than one author

In order to combine editions that have multiple authors listed, the editions must have the
same author listed in the first author field. Once that is done, you can then combine from
the first listed author's combine page, and ONLY the first author's combine page.
How to merge two author profiles

Each author name is unique and has its own profile. Sometimes various data sources use
slightly different spellings of an author name (eg JK Rowling vs J.K. Rowling vs Joanne
Kathleen Rowling). To merge two author profiles, edit the data for the profile that should
be discarded, and change the name to be the exact same spelling (copy/pasting helps here)
of the profile that it should be merged into. All books will be associated with the new
author. If there is doubt as to the correct spelling, we recommend checking The Library of
Congress.
Librarians can only merge unclaimed author profiles. To merge a Goodreads Author
profile, request staff assistance using the Contact Us form. It’s especially important to do
this when there are fans or quotes attributed to the unclaimed author account. Renaming the
author on each book page will not merge the profiles; it will only move the book to the
correct profile and leave the other profile intact on the site. Merging the profiles will also
merge quotes and fans.
The following is a list of items that should not be added to the database, and the addition of
which can result in Librarian status being revoked:
 18fl, 24fl, 27fl, 36fl (fl = floor display)

 'All books by an author' or 'all books in a series' where no published collection of
these works exists
 Audible Originals that do not meet the following criteria
 Awbc
 Board games
 Bookmarks
 Calendars (unless containing additional content)
 Clip strip
 Counterpack, counter pack, cpack, c/pack, counter display
 Decks of cards (including Tarot)
 Diaries and blank books (unless containing additional content)
 Dumpbin, dump bin, dumpb, dumpbi, dumpbn, dbin, d/bin
 DVDs of lectures and any accompanying transcripts/coursebooks, as they are an
accessory to the DVD
 Easel
 File hosted on a personal file sharing service (even if the content would otherwise
qualify as a book)
 Floor display, floordisplay, floor disp, fd, f/d
 >header
 Incomplete and in progress works, with the exception of Kindle Vella stories with a
valid ASIN. Note: These differ from pre-release or forthcoming works which are
considered complete but unpublished, and which are permitted on Goodreads.
 Individual comics, unless they have an ISBN or ASIN (individual Kindle editions
only)
 Magazines, with the exception of:
 Periodicals and bound comic books with ISBNs (including literary
magazines, regardless of binding)
 Periodicals without ISBNs but substantially similar to books, defined
as literary magazines valuably contributing or dedicated to literature,
regardless of binding
 Single-issue literary magazines with an ASIN (Kindle format)
 Mixed bin, mixed copy, copy bin, mxd
 Movies (DVD or VHS)
 Multi-packs of the same book
 Music, especially soundtracks (note that bound sheet music is allowed)
 Mxfl
 Plaques (inspirational, or otherwise)
 Podcasts discussing books
 Posters
 Prepak, ppk, stockpack, stock pack
 Promo materials (displays, etc.)
 Puzzles (as opposed to puzzle books)
 Rulebooks or sourcebooks sold as part of game kits
 Rumored or unconfirmed releases, this includes publishers’ hints of a new release
 School yearbooks
 Shorts:
 Blog posts
 Deleted scenes
 Extras only published at the back of a specific book edition
 Individual works that are only available for purchase as bundled with another,
primary work
 Podcasts of shorts that have not been published separately
 Short fiction only published in an anthology, collection or magazine
Note: See Valid book records for more information on which shorts belong in
the catalog
 Shrinkwrap, shrink wrap, s/wrap, swrap
 Stationery
 Stickers
 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:
 The Kickstarter is complete and a member confirms having received their
edition;
 there are more than 50 copies being distributed; and
 the book details are publicly available on Kickstarter.
 Story bundles
 Stuffed animals/dolls
 Television episodes
 Theatrical production recordings
 Toys
 Tshirts
 Unbound maps (as opposed to bound maps in an atlas)
 Untitled books where no verifiable publication information about the book exists
(often these are titled "Untitled #3" and represent placeholder ISBNs that were
never used)
 Video games (including visual novels)
 Webcomics (unless published in individual volume(s) in print or as ebook(s))
 x12, x24, x36, x48, 12c, 24c, 36c, 48c, 12cc, 24cc, 36cc, 48cc, 60cc
 Zines
Please note that items that do not meet Goodreads policies for inclusion in the database
may be deleted without warning.
For more details, please see the Book Status section of the Librarian Manual.
You can find a list of items not considered as valid books records here.
Goodreads considers the following to be valid book records:
 Advanced reader copies (ARCs)

 Atlases
 Audible Originals that meet the following criteria
 Audio productions of books, not recordings of theatrical productions (the format
should be "audiobook" or "Audible Audio" if the record has an ASIN)
 'Blank' books with additional text or collectible artwork
 Book group discussion guides
 Book-length fanfiction which is complete (no WIPs, please), and self-
published. Note that we do remove fanfiction at the author's request
 Books withdrawn from publishing if enough information was ever provided to make
a book record a useful resource
 Bound sheet music, scores, librettos, etc.
 Boxed sets (sold as a boxed set with one ISBN)
 Calendars or something-a-day books with additional content
 Chapbooks (defined as a type of small-press, limited release book)
 Coloring books
 F&C Sheets
 Forthcoming books with only partial information. This does not include rumored or
unconfirmed releases, which should not be added to the catalog even if the publisher
hints at a new release
 Kickstarter editions that meet the following requirements:
 The Kickstarter is complete and a member confirms having received their
edition;
 there are more than 50 copies being distributed; and
 the book details are publicly available on Kickstarter.
 Kindle Vella stories (incomplete or complete) with a valid ASIN. Kindle Vella
episodes are not permitted
 Multiple distinct volumes (sold together as a set with one ISBN)
 Periodicals and bound comic books with ISBNs (including literary magazines,
regardless of binding)
 Periodicals without ISBNs but substantially similar to books, defined as literary
magazines valuably contributing or dedicated to literature, regardless of binding
 Podcasts that are a reading/narration of a book's content
 Print-on-demand (POD) books with valid ISBNs
 Recorded lectures (such as The Great Courses) with associated ISBNs or ASINs in
the following formats:
 Audible
 Audio book
 Audio CD
Note: Any related transcripts/coursebooks in hardcover, paperback or ebook
format with their own ISBN/ASIN
 Reference books (including books on CD-ROM)
 Repacks
 RPG manuals, rulebooks, or handbooks
 Serialized, web-only editions that have been subsequently published as completed
works
 Short fiction published online (the format should be "ebook"). Shorts that belong
meet all of the following requirements:
 Complete, i.e. not in-progress works
 Published online as specified short fiction (i.e. not a 'bonus'), including
standalones shorts published on the author's own website
 Published separately (i.e. not part of an online anthology / collection)
Note: Valid short stories may only be added in their language of publication.
I.e. If a valid short story only exists in Spanish, then an English version may
not be added until it is published in a valid form.
 Single-issue literary magazines with an ASIN (Kindle format)
 Workbooks
Acceptable sources for book covers and other book data:
Official Author Websites

Publisher Websites (such as Random House and Smashwords)
AbeBooks
Amazon
Audible
Book Depository
Archive.org
Gutenberg.org
National Libraries of the World: http://www.publiclibraries.com/world.htm

Use this site to find non-US libraries, some even have English based sites in addition to the
native language, so this would be a good resource for librarians rescuing non-English
books.
WorldCat: http://worldcat.org
Please note that WorldCat is a permissible source for book data; however, it may not be
used as a source for cover images.
NetGalley: https://www.netgalley.com/
Please note that NetGalley is a permissible source for cover images; however, it may not
be used as a source for book data.
Argentinian
http://www.isbn.org.ar/web/busqueda-simple.php
Australian
http://trove.nla.gov.au/book
Danish
http://bibliotek.dk/
Dutch
http://zoeken.bibliotheek.be/
http://www.kbr.be/catalogues/catalogues_nl.html
http://www.kb.nl/
http://www.debezigebij.nl
http://www.boekerij.nl
http://www.degeus.nl
http://www.uitgeverijcargo.nl (is an imprint of De Bezige Bij)
http://www.uitgeverijathenaeum.nl
English (UK)
https://www.nls.uk/home
English Publishers
http://www.persephonebooks.co.uk
Finnish
https://kansalliskirjasto.finna.fi/?lng=en-gb (National library database)
http://www.helmet.fi/ (Database of capital area libraries)
http://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luokka:S... (List of Finnish publishers)
Finnish publishers
http://www.tammi.fi/
http://www.otava.fi/
http://wsoy.fi/yk/
http://www.soderstrom.fi/ (publishes books in Swedish)
http://www.karisto.fi/
http://www.teos.fi/fi/etusivu/index.php
http://www.like.fi/
German
German National Library/Deutsche Nationalbibliothek: http://www.d-nb.de/
German Manga Publishers

http://www.carlsen.de/web/manga/
EMA/ Egmont Manga & Anime: http://www.manganet.de
Panini comics/ Panini manga: http://www.paninicomics.de
Tokyopop Germany: http://www.tokyopop.de (click Bücher)
Italian
Bibliotecha Nazionale Centrale di Roma: http://www.bncrm.beniculturali.it/
Internet Culturale: https://www.internetculturale.it/
Italian Publishers
http://www.einaudi.it/
http://www.librimondadori.it/web/mond...
http://www.astrolabio-ubaldini.com/
http://rizzoli.rcslibri.corriere.it/
http://www.adelphi.it
http://www.feltrinellieditore.it/
http://www.minimumfax.com/
http://www.elliotedizioni.com
http://www.laterza.it
http://www.guanda.it
http://www.neripozza.it
http://www.polilloeditore.it
http://www.mulino.it
http://www.sellerio.it
http://www.skira.net
http://www.fandango.it
http://www.meridianozero.it
http://www.garzantilibri.it
http://www.iperborea.com
http://www.fanucci.it
Japan
Kodansha and Shueisha are a couple of the big publishers in Japan.
http://www.kodansha.co.jp/
http://www.shueisha.co.jp/
Norway
http://samsok.no/
Spanish
http://www.laeditorialupr.com/catalog...
Sweden
http://libris.kb.se
http://www.kb.se/isbn-centralen/svenska-forlag
UK
The British Library: http://explore.bl.uk/
Rare, Old & Out of Print Books

http://archive.org (Multi-Lingual)
SC University Libraries Rare Books & Special
Collections: http://library.sc.edu/spcoll/rarebook...
Specialty
RPG Game Index: http://index.rpg.net/ (for tabletop RPG gaming books)
Other valid cover sources

An individual user's scans or photos, taken of books they own or have in their possession
A screen capture of an ebook cover for that specific edition
Sites that are not acceptable to use:

Alibris
Apple Books
Baker & Taylor
Barnes & Noble
Bol.com: http://www.bol.com/nl/index.html
Google Books
Indiebound
Kobo (although Kobo editions are permitted on the site, Kobo is not a valid source for
covers and other book data)
Library Thing
Powells
Shelfari
All other (non-publisher) bookseller sites
Please find instructions for uploading cover images to book records here.

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We’d love to hear any feedback that you have about our Librarian Quiz.

Please feel welcome to

The following should not be added to the edition field:

Here are some general guidelines for Goodreads Librarians:

Here is an example of a book with a Librarian Note: LINK

However, if you are CHANGING existing information, especially information already

1. If necessary and appropriate, merge authors.

Examples of sort by titles:

unsung hero (troubleshooters, #1), the

unsung hero, the (troubleshooters, #1)

In the title field, they should be entered as follows:

Title (Series #1)

title: The Lawman

The following should not be added to the edition field:

 information regarding alternate covers

Primary (default) edition of a work

Note: Replacing or removing the cover of an existing edition is in violation of Goodreads

Original publication date

ISBN-10 and ISBN-13

Here is an example of an alternate cover edition of a book: LINK

Here is an example of a book where an ISBN was reused on a completely different

 fiction and non fiction titles

Format: Audible Originals should be classified as “Audible Audio”.

 for awards with no categories: Name of Award (Year)

A literary award should be presented annually by a recognized literary source such as a

 How does edit mode work?

Note: Replacing or removing the cover of an existing edition is in violation of Goodreads

How to upload a photo

Cover image size

Placeholder cover images

Valid comic book records

 periodicals and bound comic books with ISBNs

Note: Replacing or removing the cover of an existing edition is in violation of Goodreads

Librarian change log

Combine versus merge

How to combine editions

How to merge two identical editions

How to separate editions

A book's description should NOT include:

Deleted Books Behavior

Deleted Books, Last/Only Edition

Deleted Books, Setting the Status Back to "Public"

Changes related to the Author Page

 Librarian Manual: Valid book records

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

[Title] Magazine, Volume [number], Issue [number], [Month Year]: [Subtitle]

Place the series information in parentheses after the title and

Examples of series mirrored in titles:

Examples of books with the series as the primary title:

The exception of comic books

Series, Vol #: Subtitle

E.g. The Secret of the Unicorn (Tintin #11) by Hergé.

Examples of books in omnibus/boxed set editions:

Books set to ‘Invalid’ or ‘Deleted’ status by automated catalog imports

Author name corrections

ISBN & ASIN values

Learn more about ISBN 10 & 13 values here.

Creating a new series:

Adding a book to a series that has previously been created:

1. Find a new book which should be added to the series.

1. Find a new book in the series.

Series numbering and order

Please see here for an example.

The exception of comic books