Goodreads Librarians Group discussion

I don't really have anything to say about it. I just suddenly noticed it this evening when I was disambigging some authors and wanted a place to express my surprise! :)

It looks like the list is about twice as long, now, and probably matches up better to the more popular of the shelf-based genres from books. (It still works the same, with three slots which can either take a default selection or let you enter text.)

Very cool! :)

Where is this genres list? I tried to add a genre to my book and did find none.

The genre's are added to the author profile, not the books. If you edit your profile you should see the fields towards the bottom of the page.

An interesting mix.

I'd STILL like to see something along the lines of a "Wildlife" or "Nature" genre. Someone like David Attenborough is still listed under the old "Outdoors & Nature" (which is now only a write-in!). No "Detective" but there is "ebooks", ebooks is a genre?

could be eBooks as electronic publishing? Seems a bit of a reach though. Or a mistake... :)

Surely ebooks is not a genre? Maybe they mean only published in ebook format (which still should not be a genre)?

Danielle wrote: "Where is this genres list? I tried to add a genre to my book and did find none."

@Danielle, for individual book, put it on a custom shelf with desired genre name. Shelf and genre not completely identical terms at goodreads but there's an algorithm linking for some of the more popular shelves.

Ebooks is on the list for other reasons. It may be possible to have it not be visible on this dropdown, but looking into that possibility is not an immediate priority.

rivka wrote: "Ebooks is on the list for other reasons. It may be possible to have it not be visible on this dropdown, but looking into that possibility is not an immediate priority."

I don't think that ebooks listed as a genre is a problem but I would like to see a larger assortment of genres available. No Wildlife (no animal at all), no Detective. But we do get both Biography and Memoir. Does Psychology really need a category of its own.

How about multi-level genres like the shelves use?

rivka wrote: "Ebooks is on the list for other reasons. It may be possible to have it not be visible on this dropdown, but looking into that possibility is not an immediate priority."

I don't like the Ebooks genre because it makes little sense (it's a format), I see that it's still visible.

Although you can write-in, I notice there's no "Theatre", could be added in the dropdown, and "Suspence" & "Thriller" seem to me redundant.

So long as there's an "other" write in option, I'm not sure how long a list it needs to be (what to include might start a bigger debate than the member protests over categories chosen for the goodreads awards).

I think the shaded "other" menu choice does get overlooked. (*gak* not suggesting it be made into a big green background graphic or anything that glaring.) Maybe something to point out that for genre you either choose from the brief sampling in droplist or click "other" to specify more.

Danielle wrote: "Where is this genres list? I tried to add a genre to my book and did find none."

Books get put in genres as members put on shelves; not a librarian or author edit. (Authors can create custom shelves named for their book genre and add the book to get the genre and popular shelves started for their own books.)

Debbie wrote: "I think the shaded "other" menu choice does get overlooked."

Absolutely! I discovered it only today seeing that Shakespeare had indeed "Theatre" as a genre though it wasn't on the list.

I'm going to suggest a tweak in author info over on the feedback group. Tweak to note "other" and to clarify book shelving determining book genre.

Psychology is a pretty big subject. And I think you need more genres to cover other major academic subjects. These authors are less likely to be big Goodreads Authors, but they still account for a very large number of books published and I always seem to find them when disambiguating. Even "academic" would be better than simply "non-fiction". Though I have increasingly started to write in other genres as th majority of works I'm trying to classify don't fit even in the new list.
"Literary criticism" is one I've used a lot recently to cover all sorts of Eng Lit, critical theory etc books.

Also I don't think it's right to have "Christian" as a genre separate from "Religion" when you don't have genres for other major religions. But then I am not in the U.S so not in the same sort of political climate as you guys.

Not a fan of "ebooks" as a genre either. I tend to read it as a euphemism for "self-published". Which is a designation I'd like to see used a lot more on book pages too. Perhaps an old-fashioned viewpoint on here however among readers of some genres.

Antonomasia wrote: "Also I don't think it's right to have "Christian" as a genre separate from "Religion" when you don't have genres for other major religions."

There is a huge market for Christian Fiction, so I think that's why Christian has been pulled out. I can go into a bookstore a browse shelves upon shelves for Christian Fiction and not so much for other religions.

Antonomasia wrote: "Psychology is a pretty big subject. And I think you need more genres to cover other major academic subjects. These authors are less likely to be big Goodreads Authors, but they still account for a ..."

And for Psychology subgenres, religions, religious texts, religious fiction, devotional, inspirational, ... Clicking "other" let's you be as specific as you wish.

I still don't understand ebooks as a genre (unless it means how to write, format, etc. ebooks) myself.

I suspect the list was just a quick grab at some common ones, some nonfictions, and site statistcs in some combination. Not at all intended be thorough, inclusive or to offend anyone's religious beliefs (statistically in both fiction and non-fiction books in goodreads database and in U.S. brick and mortar bookstores, "Christian" is an extremely large category).

If the starter genres don't suit the author or their publications, just click "other" and be as specific as you wish. It would be an unwieldy list if, for example, Health/Medicine/Psychology listed all the specialties and studies or Erotica genre specified all their specific terminology ...

Can list three genres so could list Psychology and two field specific categories.

Antonomasia wrote: "Psychology is a pretty big subject. And I think you need more genres to cover other major academic subjects. These authors are less likely to be big Goodreads Authors, but they still account for a ..."

I like your suggestions. Just yesterday I was looking for books on the topic of abuse, but all I got was erotica.

OMG there is erotica now in my military genre books! (headbang)It's mainly erotica! WHY: http://www.goodreads.com/genres/military

I'm sorry. I really got angry. It's so difficult for me to get recommendations since I have a very narrow taste when it comes to books and seeing all this really bugged me. Not really any of your fault.

What I was wondering how long does it take for metadata to be generated?

Just yesterday I was looking for books on the topic of abuse, but all I got was erotica.
Oh dear!

The genre categories have never seemed to me to be a helpful way to browse at all. I think that's partly because they're so dominated by very popular American books.

I think for something like that you're best with either:
Amazon or other bookstore recommendations or "other people also bought"; on here "readers who liked this also liked" in the right margin, or creating a shelf and waiting for recs to be generated. That way you should be able to narrow it down a bit to memoir / fiction / academic psychology / self-help as preferred. Bibliographies in other books may also help, especially in the more academic categories.

(BTW do have a look at my psychology shelf, and if you are interested in more literary semi-autobiographical novels on the subject I would recommend Never Mind by Edward St Aubyn & possibly The Peculiar Memories of Thomas Penman by Bruce Robinson.)

Antonomasia wrote: " Just yesterday I was looking for books on the topic of abuse, but all I got was erotica.
Oh dear!

The genre categories have never seemed to me to be a helpful way to browse at all. I think that's..."

Thank you for the suggestion. I preferred the genre since I have not much books on my shelf, but I'll have to move on mostly shelf recommendations.

I'll take a look at your book suggestions. Thanks a lot :)))

Edit: You have not allowed for non-friends to follow your reviews?

Back on to actual genres...
2 which I think you really need, which are used quite a lot by general readers as well as for academic books:

Health/Medicine
Finance/Money/Economics

Every time I disambig an author with a common name there's at least one of these, usually both.

Goodreads has those genres.

Just not in the small list you see on author profiles. To put author in those genres, just click "other" and type in.

Oh, I do already sometimes. But a lot of people don't use them and especially for disambiguation of common names it would help more if "Science" and "Non-Fiction" were broken down a little more.