Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Discussion Forums - Questions about PaperBackSwap Questions about PaperBackSwap

Topic: Keillor's THE BOOK OF GUYS isbn 0571174051

Club rule - Please, if you cannot be courteous and respectful, do not post in this forum.
  Unlock Forum posting with Annual Membership.
Leesa-Dee avatar
Standard Member medalFriend of PBS-Gold medalPrintable Postage medal
Subject: Keillor's THE BOOK OF GUYS isbn 0571174051
Date Posted: 2/8/2015 12:11 PM ET
Member Since: 3/25/2009
Posts: 281
Back To Top

Does the image for this book appear as a black box for you too?

DuskyRose avatar
Friend of PBS-Silver medal
Date Posted: 2/8/2015 12:15 PM ET
Member Since: 8/18/2005
Posts: 7,977
Back To Top

Yup. And it's black at Amazon too, which is where I think PBS gets their images.

It's just got a generic cover at Goodreads.

So it'll probably stay that way until they fix it at Amazon. There's nothing right now to replace it with.

rxrcds avatar
Friend of PBS-Gold medal
Date Posted: 2/8/2015 12:15 PM ET
Member Since: 12/3/2005
Posts: 3,434
Back To Top

Yes. Strange. Amazon has the same so that's how it imported in.
 

*edit to add: there's no way for me to change it (think I can only upload when there is no image.) But, if anyone can, there is a stock photo on abe books here: http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=7215826076&searchurl=tn%3Dbook+of+guys%26an%3Dgarrison+keillor



Last Edited on: 2/8/15 12:18 PM ET - Total times edited: 1
Leesa-Dee avatar
Standard Member medalFriend of PBS-Gold medalPrintable Postage medal
Date Posted: 2/8/2015 2:07 PM ET
Member Since: 3/25/2009
Posts: 281
Back To Top

Should I submit a new image? Or is this something that will correct itself?

classicana avatar
Standard Member medalMember of the Month medalBook Cover Image Coordinator medalBook Data Coordinator medal
Date Posted: 2/8/2015 3:58 PM ET
Member Since: 2/12/2006
Posts: 5,841
Back To Top

Gayle, if you can provide a good image, please do!  Images, other than the ones submitted by PBS members and staff, come from the database servers - as do Amazon's, so it's apparent that we use at least some of the same servers.  Once an image is on a listing, it will NOT update.  Otherwise, the old bad images would be back everytime the database is updated.  So, yes please, anytime you can provide a correct or better image, it's a big help!

ETA: to replace an existing image, from the book detail (main) page, click on More Options (beside image), scroll down the drop-down menu to Edit Book Data.  Right at the top of the edit page is the button to upload a replacement image.  If you are ONLY adding an image - just wait for it to show (replace the original thumbprint) and it's done.  Don't scroll to the bottom and hit submit - that's just for the book DATA section.  Everything below the Upload  button pertains to Data Edit - so not even a note goes to the image approvers -- only the image itself. 



Last Edited on: 2/8/15 4:05 PM ET - Total times edited: 1
BookLynx avatar
Standard Member medalMember of the Month medalBook Cover Image Coordinator medalBook Data Correction Group medal
Date Posted: 2/9/2015 12:54 AM ET
Member Since: 8/20/2007
Posts: 1,045
Back To Top

Thanks for finding an image, Melissa. Unfortunately the abebooks.com image is quite blurry and would not be approved as-is without trying to sharpen it up first, or finding a replacement image for the same cover. Usually when a really blurry or fuzzy image is uploaded, an approver will either contact the member or find a better image.  I found a much better image for this book on LibraryThing, The Book of Guys.  I'll upload it within a few minutes, but it may take a day or two before it displays on the site since the black box currently in the system is an actual image (just entirely black!). rather than a PBS blue box, and it takes longer to update and replace cached images on internet servers.



Last Edited on: 2/9/15 1:35 AM ET - Total times edited: 3
BookLynx avatar
Standard Member medalMember of the Month medalBook Cover Image Coordinator medalBook Data Correction Group medal
Date Posted: 2/9/2015 1:23 AM ET
Member Since: 8/20/2007
Posts: 1,045
Back To Top

Although PBS does import some images from Amazon, many images are also uploaded by our members. Member-uploaded images are a mixed bag, ranging from very good to very poor and everything in between.

Images that are uploaded by members go through an approval process in which the basic book data is checked (primarily title and author name, but sometimes also book type, publisher, or other information). On the other hand, images uploaded automatically by PBS from Amazon or other book data sources are not subject to approval and unfortunately sometimes these are poor or incorrect images. It is very helpful when members encounter these on the site to upload correct and good quality images when possible to replace these.

On a slow day we may have perhaps 15 to 20 member-uploaded images in the queue for approval, and on busy days we may have over 100. Due the variable volume of member-uploaded images we are not always able to approve everything within 24 hours, especially on days when a lot of poor-quality images are submitted. Sometimes even a good quality images will sit in the approval queue for a day or two days (and occasionally even longer) before we are able to get to them. Poor-quality or incorrect images slow down the entire process for everybody because approvers must take the time to contact the members about why their images weren't approved, and then either try to fix the members' images or find replacements for them, both of which can be time-consuming.