Goodreads Librarians Group discussion

Hello. I'm new here, so any mistakes I make I apologise profusely in advance for.

I am a Sony Reader (PRS-500) owner and avid reader. I also listen to audio books and when I really love it - I buy the paper book. I'm nuts like that. /end intro

Is there a specific label for eBooks by format (.lit, .lrf, .pdf, etc.) or can one be created? I'm seeing eight million paperback (trade, mass) ones, but very few ebook titles. I realize that not everyone likes eBooks (or audiobooks as I've read from the threads) but they are out there and popular. They also have individual ISBNs.

While we're on the subject, Project Gutenburg - is there a .txt/tag for that as well? I've got quite a few out of print books I've read on my reader via PG - Poor Folks by Dostovesky springs to mind.

Thanks for your patience. I promise not to screw up too badly.

The binding field is freeform, so you can put whatever details you want in there -- more is good! And if a book doesn't have a subtitle in parentheses you'll actually see that as part of the title. However, since it's freeform, we can't enforce eBook formats any more than we can enforce "paperback" vs "mass market paperback", say.

As for Project Gutenberg books, I've struggled with that too. At the moment I'm just picking a random listing whose cover art I like, but at some point I'll probably go through and standardize my Project Gutenberg eBooks to link back to that site....

I realize that not everyone likes eBooks (or audiobooks as I've read from the threads) but they are out there and popular.

It really doesn't matter how popular a format is -- if it's a book in any format, Goodreads wants to list it!

That you so very much!

I wanted to make sure I wasn't stepping on any toes before I went in.

Usually when I add eBooks, I try to put a link to where it can be bought, so people can click through and see the available formats. Tbh, adding them all in is a pain!

They also have individual ISBNs.

Sometimes they do. Sometimes the e-versions all share an ISBN, and sometimes the publisher or ebookseller just uses the ISBN of a print edition.

At the moment I'm just picking a random listing whose cover art I like

That's my MO, but there's certainly no reason anyone else has to do that. Seems quite reasonable to include ebooks as separate edition(s).

Sony Connect and HarperCollins have their own ISBNs for their eBooks as well as some individual covers. Random House is a little iffy and it depends on whose the editor. It all depends on the publisher and the distributer.

As I'm adding Sony Reader eBooks, I'm adding the url to Sony Connect.

Right now, I'm starting by adding the forty some books I already own in that format. I'm finding it rather fun!

What about Kindle format? Amazon uses an ASIN for these books instead of an ISBN. Should they be added separately? What about books with the same ISBN for an electronic format? Can those be added also, with "ebook" in the binding field?