What are the data fields?

Here is a list including many of the fields BIBLIO can use, starting with the five minimum required fields.  If you have any additional fields you want to include in your uploads, contact us with details so that we can make sure we are filtering that data correctly.

FIVE REQUIRED FIELDS

1. Author: Please include the author name as First Name + Last Name, or Last Name + Comma + First Name. Like so: Robert A. Heinlein or Heinlein, Robert A. Whichever you choose, please keep that consistent for all of your listings.

If an item has multiple authors, you can include multiple author fields in your uploads, and put one name in per field. Alternatively, you can include multiple authors in a single author field, separated by commas.

2. Book ID:  A unique record number assigned by the seller (sometimes referred to as an inventory number, record number, listing ID, seller SKU, SKU, dealer book ID, or item number).  You are welcome to assign your IDs according to any scheme that works for you. Assign a unique ID to each listing you offer for sale, an ID that is not assigned to any other books in your inventory, past or present. Never Re-use an inventory number! We do not recommend re-using record numbers from sold listings. Doing so can cause problems with assigning photos, processing purge files, etc. In addition to these potential difficulties, re-using SKUs can negatively impact sales. Google will sometimes ban items from feeds that re-use a SKU. We like to keep our Google feeds as strong as possible, so please keep your SKU's unique to each item.

3. Condition/Format/Description:  You only need to provide one of these to fill the minimum requirement.  Each of these can also be included in separate fields, and with as much or as little detail as you wish.  Data in this field can be as simple as a one or two-word condition indicator, such as "Very Good" or "Fine", a simple format indicator such as "Hardcover" or "Paperback", or a more detailed description of the book and its condition.

4. Price:  The selling price of the book, preferably without currency symbols and using US-style periods and commas.  26.34 or 1,234.43 are both valid prices.  The European style commas and periods can be accommodated, but please make sure that BIBLIO is informed that your uploads contain those, so we can set up your upload filter correctly.  Those values will appear with your listings in your own listing currency.  Customers in other places will see your prices converted to their home currency.

You will have indicated a listing currency when you first created your bookseller account.  You can make changes to your listing currency from your bookseller menu, under business information.

5. Title:  The title of the book, including any subtitle information if you want to include it.

OTHER RECOMMENDED FIELDS

Book Condition:  In addition to providing a detailed "Book Description", you can send a separate field containing a short condition indicator or abbreviation, such as "Good" or "F/VG" (Fine condition book, with a Very Good condition dust jacket).  Sending both a detailed description and a separate book condition field can help to optimize your listings for search results.  Please see our Book Glossary for standard book condition terms and definitions.

Book Description:  A detailed physical description of the book offered for sale, including any notes about damage or wear.   For example, "Rubbing in the lower-left corner of the cover".   You can also include condition indicators such as "Very good" or "Good +", although condition indicators may also be sent in a separate field, as detailed below under "Book Condition".  Details about the book jacket, if present, as well as any supplemental materials, can be included here.  You are welcome to include a synopsis and/or any information about the content of the book, but a detailed physical description of the book itself is the purpose of this field.

Please see our Book Glossary for standard terms and definitions.

Catalog:  Your bookseller catalog information for that listing.  If you have your books assigned to catalogs, you can upload that information to us.  This will enable customers to browse your inventory according to the catalogs you assign.  For more details about bookseller catalogs, click here.

Edition Description/Edition:   For example, "First stated American Edition", or "Sixth Edition".  A numeric value may be entered instead, such as "6".  NOTE: "Teacher's Edition" may be included in this field as well.  If you are not including an Edition field, please include "Teacher's Edition" in your Book Description field for those books.

Format or Binding:  The format or binding type, such as "softcover" or "hardcover", and/or any alternate format or binding information such as "boards" or "wraps".  Please see our Book Glossary for standard book condition terms and definitions.

Illustrator:  Please include the Illustrator name as First Name + Last Name, or Last Name + Comma + First Name.  Like so: Joseph Schindelman or Schindelman, Joseph.  Whichever you choose, please keep that consistent for all of your listings.

Image URL:  The location of your .jpg or .gif book images hosted on another internet location.  You do not have to include an image URL in order to add images of your books.  For details about adding photos of your books, click here.

ISBN:  The ISBN of the book, with or without any dashes.  Our system will remove those from the ISBN before use.  Most books have both a 10-digit and a 13-digit ISBN.  You can include either, but using the 13-digit ISBN is recommended.  Please include just one style of ISBN consistently for each listing.

Jacket (or Dust Jacket) Condition: In addition to providing a detailed "Book Jacket Description", you can send a separate field containing a short condition indicator or abbreviation, such as "Good" or "F/VG" (Fine condition book, with a Very Good condition dust jacket).  Sending both a detailed description and a separate book jacket condition field can help to optimize your listings for search results.  Please see our Book Glossary for standard book condition terms and definitions.

Jacket (or Dust Jacket) Description:  A detailed description of the dust jacket, if present, including any details about defects or wear to the dust jacket.

Keywords:  Keywords that are relevant to the book.

Language:  The language that the book is written in.

Pages:  The number of pages in the book.  This can be expressed as a number only, or as "pp 325", for example.

Publication Date:  Date this copy of the book was published, usually expressed as the year of publication, such as "1923",

Publication Place:  Place of Publication.  For example, "Atlanta, GA" or "New York, NY".

Publisher:  The publishing house that published the book.

Subtitle:  The subtitle of the book, entered as a separate field from the title.  It will be expressed as title + colon + subtitle as listed on BIBLIO.  For example:

The Jummoo and Kashmir Territories: A Geographical Account would be uploaded with "Kashmir Territories" in your title field, and "A Geographical Account" in your subtitle field.  We will add the colon, so you do not need to include one.

Quantity:  The number of copies of that listing you have for sale at that same price.

BOOLEAN FIELDS

"Boolean" simply refers to a field that contains a true or false indicator.  If you include boolean fields, it can help to optimize your listings for Advanced Search results.   Customers can checkboxes for signed, first edition, dust jacket present, and hardcover, to help narrow down their search results.  Including a boolean field for your signed books and first editions can be a good tool for directing customers to your listings.

For example, "STATUS(A=add)" is a boolean field.  In that case, "add" is the "true" value, and indicates that the listing should be active (listed as for sale).  If any other word is present in that field, such as "delete" or "sold", or if the field is left blank, then the listing would be filtered as inactive (not for sale).  If the listing is already present in your active inventory, it would be removed.  If the listing is not already present in your active inventory, it would simply be processed as an inactive listing.

If you include boolean fields which use "yes" as the true value, please note that the case does not matter.  In other words, you are welcome to upload that data as "Yes" or "No".  You can also simply use "y" or "n" as well.  Using "1" or "0" will also work.  Whichever expression you choose, please be consistent, to avoid any errors in processing your upload.  Just let us know what your "true" value is for any of your Boolean fields.

Here are some common uses for Boolean Fields:

     Book Status:  If you want to indicate the for sale or sold status of the book using a boolean field, we recommend that you include either "for sale" or "sold" in that field.

     First Edition:  If you want to indicate that the book is a first edition using a boolean field, include either "yes" or "no" in that field.

     Signed:  If you want to indicate that the book is signed by the author using a boolean field, include either "yes" or "no" for each book.

     Dust Jacket Present:  If you want to indicate that the book has its dust jacket using a boolean field, include either "yes" or "no" for each book.

     Hardcover:  You can include book format as a boolean field.  We recommend including a field called "Hardcover", with either a "yes" or "no" for each book.

Other fields will be incorporated and used where appropriate.   If you have any questions concerning your software or file upload format, please contact us at [email protected].