I thought I had the Wish List feature all figured out, but in reading a few posts here and there, I might be confused (again). :)

If I post a book, is there something that determines whether it's a "wish list book" behind the scenes? If anyone in the community has it on their wish list, it'll go into a different queue? Is there a way to see a list of wish list books (because I might have some to post)?

I understand the 48 hour hold, I believe. One of my books is on a wish list hold and I'm gathering from the info I've found that the first person on the list gets 48 hours to claim it, then it moves onto the next person in line...correct?

So if a book is a "wish list book" you can't just order it if you do a search...correct?

Sorry for all of the questions! :) (Also, is there a sticky anywhere for abbreviations for newbies?)

You can do a "search" by title (Search, Book Browser, set top to All Books), and if the book you are looking for is WL, it will show as "Post This Book".  Or you can go to Search, Book Browser, and set the tab to Wish List books, then enter your title.  If you don't see a result, there are no wishers for it and/or it's available in the system already.  If you post a WL book, it will be offered to the first person on the wish list.  If that person declines or doesn't respond within the 48hrs, it will move to the next person in line, and so on. 

If you look up a book and the button on the right hand side says "Post this Book"  it is a WL book and there are none available. You can add it to your WL but not order it.   You can also see how many members are wishing  on the right side next to the picture of the book.

Under the title of the book the authors name is in blue......I usually click on that and it gives me a list of the authors books..the ones in green are readily available and the ones in red are WL'd.  I check the ones on green to see if the title I am looking for might be available under another ISBN.

For a list of abbreviations go to the help center and type in PBS Glossary

Hope that helps a little

If I post a book, is there something that determines whether it's a "wish list book" behind the scenes?

A WL book is any book that people want but no one has on their bookshelf. Any book can be a WL book if someone wants it but there's not one up for trade at this time.

If anyone in the community has it on their wish list, it'll go into a different queue?

The WL is First Come, First Served. If there's a book you want that the site doesn't have, you can get in line behind other people who want it. As the books get posted, you move up in line until it's your turn to be offered the book. (The WL line can jump back and forth a bit, as some member come off of vacation holds, or get put back at the front of the line because they got bad books.)

Each ISBN edition of a book will have it's own line. You can get into one line for a title, or all of them if you want. (With a limit of 200 books in your WL at the moment.)

Is there a way to see a list of wish list books (because I might have some to post)?

IIRC, if you put a book in your TBR (To Be Read) file under your account the site will show you which books are WL'd, and if they're on automatic order from the next member in line. (Just remember to enter the exact ISBN number for your book. Don't list them just by cover or book name alone. Some versions of the book may be WL'd, but not others.)

Or you can go to the top, under "Search" and chose "Search Club WL" where you can sort the WL'd books by various ways.

So if a book is a "wish list book" you can't just order it if you do a search...correct?

Just click on WL to get in line for it. The site will also ask you if you want to WL other editions of the same title. If you don't care which binding/edition you want, it can increase your chances of getting one.

If you don't care if the book is a certain edition, you can play with the search names and see if someone has listed other copies in various editions, or go to the Bazaar and see if there are any unpostable WL books on offer. They may be fine to read, but they can't be posted back into the system on your bookshelf. To pass unposables along you have to offer them in the Bazaar.

A couple things to add:

1.  A book may also show up as "Post this Book" if there are no copies in the system but also no one is wishing for it.  If you click on a title to take you to the book details page it will have a line in the book information that states "Members Wishing: X" if it is a WL book. 

2.  A WL book will move down the line until it comes to the end of it, or until it is requested, whatever comes first.  So if a book only has one wisher, and they either decline the WL request or don't respond within 48 hours, then the book (rather than being offer to the next person in line since there isn't anyone else besides the one wisher) will be posted into the system for anyone to request.  Just like a normal book. 

Wow, great responses and info! Thanks so much for clarifying all of that! :)

This other Kelli thanks you all for the great responses also!

A couple more points:

1) If you use the Advanced Search method to search only wishlisted books, books sometimes do show up as haviung "number of wishers: 0".  I suspect this is due to a transaction in progress.

2) If you do your searches by title rather than by ISBN, be aware that wishes are for specific ISBN editions, so just becuase 30 people are wishing for a book with a partiticular title, it may be just that particular edition and there are 300+ copies of the edition you have in your hand - so don't get excited too quickly.