User:Fixer/Public/Instructions
This page contains the Frequently Asked questions about submitting the ISBNs from the Fixer/Public page.
General Issues
For issues related to:
- book eligibility
- book existence
- data quality
see Help:How to work with Records Built by Robots.
Avoiding Data Duplication
As explained in the "Avoiding Data Duplication" section of Help:How to work with Records Built by Robots, occasionally it turns out that a Fixer-built record is a duplicate of an existing publication record in the ISFDB. For this reason it's always best to check the ISFDB database first. If the record is already on file but is missing some of the data found by Fixer, create an Edit Publication submission and add the newly found data.
Choosing the Submission Type for New Books
If the ISFDB doesn't have other editions of the same book, use New Publication. If the ISFDB already has at least one other publication of the book:
- Novels: You can use either AddPub or ClonePub. ClonePub is preferred if the new record includes the same Contents titles or cover artist(s) as the one already on file.
- Chapbooks, collections, omnibus and anthologies: Use ClonePub. If the existing publication doesn't have Contents titles, it's best to add them to the existing publication first, wait for the submission to be approved and then clone.
- Magazines and fanzines. You must use AddPub or NewPub because magazines and fanzines can't be cloned at this time. Remember to come back to import Contents titles.
Publication and Title Dates
If the ISFDB has other editions of the book on file and the date of the newly identified publication is earlier than the date of the title record, make sure to update the title date.
ASINs
For ebooks, make sure to add the ASIN to the record.
Multiple Publications for the Same Title
When processing multiple Fixer records for the same book, it is best to create one submission, wait for approval and then clone the new publication record. Submit the publication with the earliest publication date first.
Handling Additional ISBNs
If you have identified other ISBNs for a book found by Fixer, you can create additional submissions manually. Alternatively, if you have a list of ISBNs that need to be added, you can ask Fixer's maintainer to create preliminary Fixer-built records for you.
Adding External Identifiers
If you have found external identifiers (OCLC, LCCN, DNB, etc) for a Fixer record, you can add them to the submission. However, make sure that the identifiers match the publication being submitted.
Other Questions about Fixer-Created Records
You can ask questions on Fixer's Talk page. The robot maintainer will try to answer them.