Goodreads Librarians Group discussion

I have just corrected the formatting the book description of this book: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26...
but to me this looks more like a review than an "about the book" description. I've been trying to contact the Librarian who added this originally, but the system doesn't let me see his contact details.

I find that the "book description" is completely inappropriate, it should be something more descriptive and less subjective, for instance like the description you see on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/First-Five-Page...

What I want to do is to overwrite the original description to what can be read on Amazon, but I would like to hear what the general consensus is on this matter.

Well naturally any description that spoils the book should be removed and edited with either the correct description or a better one. I feel that the description on here should be the same that's on the back cover of the book.

No you're correct. Reviews and spoilers are not allowed in the description. I believe the librarian manual allows you to write a generic description (it does not have to be from the back cover/jacket of the book)

Exactly. That's what I'm thinking too. Thank you both for getting back to me!

Rita wrote: "...I find that the "book description" is completely inappropriate, it should be something more descriptive and less subjective, for instance like the description you see on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/First-Five-Page...

What I want to do is to overwrite the original description to what can be read on Amazon, but I would like to hear what the general consensus is on this matter."

I don't agree with the "completely inappropriate" assessment. Look at the book's title - as a brief description, that pretty much covers it, anyway.

In a more general sense, I don't see a problem with descriptions directly from the back of the book or from the inside flap of a dustcover (particularly when that fact is noted in the description). If you think about it, that information is probably all you'd have to go on if you plucked the book from a bookstore shelf (unless you created your own mental spoilers by thumbing through the pages reading things at random).

As for the back cover text being used as a description, I fail to see where this can possibly be construed as either a "review" or a "spoiler" on the particular book in question. Anyone who would have an interest in this sort of book (e.g., authors, journalists, etc.) will be happy to read a spoiler -- it's not a mystery novel, it is, as the title claims: "A Writer's Guide to Staying Out of the Rejection Pile".

~shrug~ However, if changing the description will make you happy, Rita, I'd suggest you have a go at it...

:)

James wrote: "Rita wrote: "...I find that the "book description" is completely inappropriate, it should be something more descriptive and less subjective, for instance like the description you see on Amazon: htt..."

I think she already changed it. If you look at the log, the description that was there before was definitely review-y.

Actually I didn't change it. I changed the HTML formatting that was without the "<" "/>" tags which made it very messy to read (regardless of content). You can see in the log that someone else change the content.

I think you mislinked the edition, this edition is the one that your formatting changes are linked to:

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26...

The description on that edition is definitely review-y and I think it's safe to change. Since it was originally imported by B&N, I would use the description from there website.