Goodreads Librarians Group discussion

New edition

* Title: Go Tell It on the Mountain
* Author(s) name(s): James Baldwin
* ISBN (or ASIN): 1230004634706
* Publisher:
* Publication Date Year: 2021
* Publication Date Month: March
* Publication Date Day: 18
* Page count: 295
* Format (such as paperback, hardcover, ebook, audiobook, etc): ebook
* Description:
* Language (for non-English books): English

https://cdn.thestorygraph.com/78inb7j...

1) This ISBN is invalid
2) The StoryGraph is not a site we can use as an acceptable source of information

For more details about what sources we can use for covers and other book data, please see: https://help.goodreads.com/s/article/...

This seems to be a Kobo edition, since I cannot find this ebook anywhere else besides kobo and their partners stores, and it is my understanding that I cannot publish links to the kobo store.

I was able to find the isbn: 1230004634706

That's probably the Kobo ID, not the isbn.

Diana wrote: "New edition

* Title: Go Tell It on the Mountain
* Author(s) name(s): James Baldwin
* ISBN (or ASIN): 1230004634706
* Publisher:
* Publication Date Year: 2021
* Publication Date Month: March
* Publ..."

Hi, could you provide us with a correct ISBN (no book ID) and website please? Thank you

A question to my fellow librarians. Unless policies have changed. Kobo editions are permitted on the site, though Kobo is not a valid source for covers and other book data (see here). Furthermore, I remember Kobo IDs were a valid alternative to ISBN. I can find discussions about it, but the are a decade old. Was this policy ever changed?

Eline wrote: "Diana wrote: "New edition

* Title: Go Tell It on the Mountain
* Author(s) name(s): James Baldwin
* ISBN (or ASIN): 1230004634706
* Publisher:
* Publication Date Year: 2021
* Publication Date Month..."

Hi,
Unfortunately I can only find the Kobo ID and I cannot find the book on websites that are allowed by Goodreads to be used as a source of information.

@Jaclyn - Will you answer message 6, please?

Sorry I missed this. Kobo is still permitted in the catalog.

This is kind of a deadlock.

Kobo editions are permitted, but Kobo site is not accepted as source.
How can details be verified then? With scans from OP's ebook?

Also, I don't think the Kobo ID can be entered in the ISBN field. In the past it may have been possible, but nowadays the ISBN passes through some checks when we submit the 'add book' form.

Bruno is correct. Trying to use this ID I get:
1 error prohibited this book from being saved:
Isbn13 appears invalid. Please double-check the ISBN13: "1230004634706".

It used to be that you could insist and create the book, but this no longer appears to be the case.

Diana wrote: "New edition

* Title: Go Tell It on the Mountain
* Author(s) name(s): James Baldwin
* ISBN (or ASIN): 1230004634706
* Publisher:
* Publication Date Year: 2021
* Publication Date Month: March
* Publ..."

Hi Diana,
I recommend that you copy and paste your original message into an email to support, tell them that you asked for it to be added but librarians are unsure how to add a Kobo edition, even though those books are approved to be added to the site, because Kobo isn't an approved site for book data.
If they add it, then please post the link to the book here so that librarians will understand how to add any future requests for Kobo books. Thanks!

David wrote: "Bruno is correct. Trying to use this ID I get:
1 error prohibited this book from being saved:
Isbn13 appears invalid. Please double-check the ISBN13: "1230004634706".

It used to be that you could ..."

Last I remember rivka posting about this, was to put the Kobo ID in the librarian note. I remember when it changed several years ago and you could only enter valid ISBN's going forward. I think you could still get past the invalid isbn system check back in 2019/2020 so sometime after that?

FYI ... Kobo ebooks with the Kobo internal ID vs. ISBN are self-published through their Kobo Writing Life self-publishing platform, no different than Barnes & Noble Press books with their 294XX.. and Smashwords. In those cases the Kobo book page is the publisher page, same as B &N Press books on the B&N website.

Regarding the specific ebook in the add request...pretty sure the Kobo edition is a copyright infringement since the rights holder didn't publish this on Kobo. I borrowed the book through my Kobo+ subscription to check out the copyright info and it has nothing but the copied text of the copyrighted work. Probably shouldn't be added to GR. I did send an email to the rights holder for the book with a link to the Kobo book page so they can take action if they wish.

There is a James Baldwin whose books are in the public domain but definitely not this author or book.

Closing