I have a number of books that are very near to, but not exactly the same as, a specific requested book that shows up on the "Club Wish List."  I believe that when a volume related in some way to a book listed on the Club Wish List is posted, a notice goes to the next person on the Wish List.  But I don't know who gets such a notice and who doesn't.

Example:  I have a cookbook called "Mable Hoffman's All-New Crockery Favorites."  On the Club Wish List I found that someone had requested Mable Hoffman's prior crockpot cookbook but not this one (there are only two, in total).  I would tend to doubt that the person waiting for the prior cookbook would be automatically notified of the posting of this new one.  

Is there any way for me to find out the identity of that person and send them a PM alerting them to the similar, new book being posted?

Robert,

Unless someone has opted out, everyone who is wishing for a particular title will get an email when a book "similar" to a book on their WL is posted.  It isn't just the next person on the WL. 

To answer your question specifically, no, there is no way to find out.

Edited for poor comma use.

But the "similar to" only refers to book by the exact same title and author with a different ISBN or cover type, not books in a series or with a similar topic.

In the cookbook example if it's a seperate book the recipes and everything would be completely different so it's not the same book, if it's just a different edition of the same book like a different publishing year you can tag it "same as ISBN#". Not sure if that would help or not though unless they search again. Anyone coming to the site looking for that book for the first time would likely search by title and both books would come up. If I really want something I will occasionally look it up to see if anything similar has been listed, I think a lot of people do. 

If it's a non-ISBN listing that's on the wish list, that almost doesn't count.  Non-ISBN books (the one's with a 4 to 6 digit "ISBN") shouldn't really be added to anyone's wish list.  They're listings that apply to one copy only of the book.  Usually someone wishlisted a whole bunch of listings, the non-ISBNs included, and has already received the book.  He just forgot to take the non-ISBNs off his wish list. 

See: My books is on the Club wish list with a different/no ISBN

If a book is linked to another--same title/author, different version/ISBN--in the system, those who have opted to receive emails about it will get them. Entirely different books by the same author do not fall in that category. Nor do those that were entered without an ISBN.

There isn't a way to directly contact those people who may be wanting it--frankly, I'm glad there's not. My wish list reflects EXACTLY what I want--nothing more or less. I am not interested in other books by authors/series I have wishlisted, nor do I want a paperback if I have the hardcover wishlisted and vice versa. I would not like to be PM'd every time someone looks at my WL to let me know they have something similar on their shelf.

Cheryl