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Topic: Wish list/ISBN

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punkinema avatar
Friend of PBS-Silver medal
Subject: Wish list/ISBN
Date Posted: 7/23/2009 12:45 AM ET
Member Since: 2/9/2007
Posts: 115
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I suppose somehwere this query has been handled but I surely can't find it. No criticism intended - I just have that problem asking questions that trigger the answers I am looking for. Here is the deal: I just finished a fairly new book by one of my favorite authors. I thought perhaps that it would be on the club wish list and it was. However, the problem is that there are 7 listings (in other words, 7 ISBN numbers) and none of them has the ISBN of MY book. I entered it into the system (posted the book) but my concern is that those who are wanting this book may not know that it is available. I suspect this is true because I didn't get the little "wish-list icon" by the book after posting it.  It is none of my business, of course, but I would want to know if a book I want is available.  Does anyone know why this happens?  Is the best solution to let a tour guide and/or PBS management know about it? Thanks in advance.

steph

jubead avatar
Member of the Month medalFriend of PBS-Silver medalPBS Blog Contributor medal
Date Posted: 7/23/2009 1:21 AM ET
Member Since: 5/14/2009
Posts: 6,852
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Hi Stephanie  - I believe the member will receive an email notifying them that there is a similar book to their WL. This is only if the member opted to receive the email/notification.

What I have done is create a tag on the WL book  and enter wording such as Copies available under ISBN and enter your ISBN number.  You can also go the genre forums and there are generally red sticky or a thread that you can list the WL books with different ISBN numbers.  Hope that makes sense.

 

edit to add Help doc info:

This means that no members are currently wishing for your version of the book.   You must not Post your version using the listing with the other ISBN.  Post your book properly, using the ISBN on your book, and checking to be sure that the book information (title, author, booktype) match your book.

When you post your book properly using its ISBN:


  • All members who are Wishing for other ISBN versions of the book (and who have not opted out of getting the alert emails) will be sent an alert email by PBS.
    • The email will be titled "An item similar to your Wished-for book has been Posted.."
    • This email will contain a link that the Wishers can click to request the version you have posted.
    • If no one requests your  book, that means 
      • no one currently wishes for this version of the book = the email was sent,  but the members who got it didn't want your version
      • the wishers have chosen to "opt-out" of the similar-item emails altogether (this can be done in the Account Settings) = no email was sent to these wishing members
      • your copy is not the only copy of this alternate ISBN available, and members did respond to the email and ordered the book, but the request(s) went to members who had posted this version earlier than you did, because of FIFO (see How to Wrap a Book for an explanation of FIFO) = the email was sent, and wishing member(s) ordered the book, but did not order your copy
      • the wishers have their accounts on hold and their Wish List items are not triggering email alerts = the email was not sent to these wishing members
      • your book does not happen to be linked in the database to a Wished-for version (not all alternate titles are linked in the database; this depends on the information the publishers provide to the compiler of the database we  use, and books can't be "linked" after the fact) = no email was sent when you posted your version

If your book does not have an ISBN but its title/author is the same as one on the Club Wish List:

  • These "similar-item" email alerts are NOT sent out for non-ISBN items
  • You can advertise your book in the Book Bazaar Discussion Forum if you like
    • There is a topic in that Forum just for different versions of Wish Listed books
    • These "advertised" items often get quick requests.
    • To get to the Book Bazaar:
      • Place your cursor over Community in the toolbar at the top of the site
      • Click Discussion Forums in the menu that drops down
      • Scroll down the Discussion Forums main page to see the Book Bazaar in the list
      • Click Book Bazaar to enter that forum.

If your book has an ISBN, but it is not on the Club WIsh List, and the only items that match the title of your book on the Club Wish List are items without ISBNs (non-ISBN items are listed with  5 or -digit numbers in place of the ISBN):

  • This usually means that at some point in the past, members wishing for any version of that title clicked all UnPosted listings in the PBS database, including the listings without an ISBN.
    • They may not have realized that non-ISBN items are unique and represent ONLY that specific copy of the book posted by one member.
    • Since non-ISBN items are not linked to any other items in the PBS Database, they are not automatically removed from your Wish List when another version of that title is marked received.
    • Those Wishers have probably gotten a version of this book that has an ISBN long ago, and neglected to remove the non-ISBN version(s) from their Wish Lists manually.
    • non-ISBN items are periodically removed from the Club Wish List by the system.
  • Again, you should post your book properly, and if you want to "advertise" its availability to the membership, you can do so in the Book Bazaar, as described above.

 



Last Edited on: 7/23/09 1:24 AM ET - Total times edited: 1
JudiG avatar
Date Posted: 7/23/2009 1:27 AM ET
Member Since: 6/13/2009
Posts: 433
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I have some books from ireland/UK with different ISBNs and am experiencing the same problem.

I have done what jubead suggested and tagged the book 'Same as ISBN xxxxx'.

And if I am putting a book on my wishlist, I list all possible ISBNs because in most cases I just want the book and don't really care about the ISBN.   

punkinema avatar
Friend of PBS-Silver medal
Date Posted: 7/23/2009 1:42 AM ET
Member Since: 2/9/2007
Posts: 115
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Oh, what a great idea! Thanks much. I'll do that.  Just weird that there are 4 paperback editions of this book (mine is hardcover) with all different ISBN numbers. I had no idea that happened. You learn something every day. :)

geejay avatar
Geri (geejay) -
Member of the Month medalPBS Blog Contributor medal
Date Posted: 7/23/2009 2:37 AM ET
Member Since: 9/2/2008
Posts: 9,094
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The different ISBN's could be from differnt editions or editions that come from different countries. 

I've found that going to the genre for the book and posting in the red sticky notes that you have the book with a different ISBN is a good way to let someone know you have it.  For me that worked faster than the tag - I've done that too.

Some of the forums have "Is This On Your Wish List" threads and you can put a note there.  It might get snapped up as soon as you post it.

The third thing is to post it in the Book Bazaar.  Not as a special deal or anything like that just saying you have it and it's a different ISBN.