| There are basically 3 things that we require in order to convert your books
to our format:
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| 1) |
The data must be consistently arranged in a file. (i.e. - all book
records must contain exactly the same number of fields, in exactly the same
order, each field must be separated with the same type of delimiter - if you
are using a database or spreadsheet package then this is quite easy to
accomplish).
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| 2) |
Each book record must have a unique identifier. It doesn't necessarily
have to be numeric - as long as it is unique.
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| 3) |
We must have some way of removing the books when they are sold (through
other venues). You can do this by sending a file containing only the books
you want to remove, by using a link on our Members Menu, or by adding a
status code field to your database or spreadsheet. For example: a status
field of "sold" would indicate sold books and leaving the field blank would
indicate books for sale.
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The number of fields you use and the order you arrange them are your
decision. However, once you decide on a format you must use it for all
books. For example, if you decide to use eleven fields then all book record
s must contain eleven fields even if some of the books do not contain
information for all of the fields. Book # 1002 in the above example did not
have information entered for the edition field, but the edition field's
presence was still indicated by the tilde (~).
| These are the fields we use in our database, to give you some guidelines on
setting up your own:
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| Your Book No. |
Must be unique for each book record in your file |
| Author |
We can combine first and last names if you have your data formatted
this way. The acceptable order for listing the author names is "LastName,
FirstName". We also use this field for Illustrator. |
| Title |
The title of the book |
| Publisher Info |
Can include any or all of the publisher name, place and date |
| Keywords |
To describe the subject of a book (useful for searching) |
| Catalog |
To group your books by subject/topic (a book can only appear in
one catalog); you can attach them to our list of subjects and topics for potential customers to browse |
| Pice |
A numeric value, we remove currency symbols |
| Description |
Any other pertinent information you would like to have displayed on ABE, including the
condition, and book attributes such as edition, binding or if the book is signed. It also helps to provide
a bit of information about the storyline or subject matter. Potential customers tend to choose the books
with the best descriptions. |
| Status |
Indicate whether the books is for sale or sold |
