- This topic has 27 replies, 5 voices, and was last updated June 24, 2013 at 9:33 pm by
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A short time ago, Zette posted a question about site PR on the Indie board, but this implementation of part of Zette’s request is open to all site members. I have found the ability to create a form that will feed a database that will display a listing that can be printed or exported to an Excel-format spreadsheet. Site members will be able to put information about their publications, existing or upcoming, into the form to be added to the site listing, which will be publicly available in the top memu bar. I’ve built a working mockup of the proposed form on our test site. I’m trying to work out some cosmetics (this is very plain and not sexy at all, and it’s likely to be that way for quite some time) in the display software.
Before I finalize it, I want to make sure I have the fields you would expect to see. I’ve listed current fields below. Author first and last name will be the name printed on the cover of the book. Length can either be word count of type of publication (I believe anthologies will be allowed as well). The Release Date field will bring up a calendar box where you pick the date. Is there a need for a second author area (for co-authors, a primary author on an anthology, or an et al reference? The Link will [strike]not[/strike] be a live link ([strike]until/unless I can figure out how to do that[/strike]I figured out how to do that!). For genre, you’ll be able to select from a list, and you’ll be allowed to select multiple entries.
Author Info
Author Firstname
Author Lastname
FM Member Name
Book Info
Book Title
Link
Length
Genre
Price
40 Word Cover Blurb
Release DateThe genres I’ve included are listed below:
Alternative
– Literary
– Mainstream
– Contemporary
– Non-fiction
– Biography
– Memoir
– Parody
– Satire
– Humor
Children’s
Young Adult
Christian
Inspirational
Fantasy
– Urban Fantasy
Historical Fiction
Horror
Dark
Mystery
– Cozy
– Procedural
Suspense
Thriller
Romance
Science Fiction
Women’s FictonI know some are missing. Please help me fill them in.
The display will be sortable on the major fields and will begin sorted by FM member name.
I prefer not to go to sub-sub genres. I think that’s going to fragment the list too much, and the sub genres aren’t linked to the main genres in this particular way it’s coded in the list box. There may be a better way to do this field, but I don’t know it yet. (Which means you’ll want to select the main genre and sub genre at the very least when you’re putting in your entries).
Jean, I’m tired at the end of a long and busy Father’s Day so might be being a bit thick here, but I don’t understand your last post. Are you referring to my suggestions for fantasy sub genres? Because that’s what they are, not sub-sub genres. I suggested them in addition to the sub-genre of UF that you already had.
If I’m being thick, please forgive me.
Oops. ‘Twas I who was being thick! Sorry! (And it’s early in the day for me here — no excuse).
So glad you had a long and busy Father’s Day (as long as that equates to “good”).
Anything else? I have at least one niggling display problem to figure out, but everything else is coming together nicely on this form and the data display. I even figured out how to make your book links be live.
For those who want to sort by genre (or any other data field), you’ll be able to do that by either search or clicking on the header for the genre column. [strike]And, I clicked the enable mobile for the form, so you should be able to enter data more easily from your mobile device.[/strike] Sorry. Can’t do mobile forms in the free version.
Romance sub genres:
Contemporary Romance
Erotic Romance
Fantasy Romance
Historical Romance
Inspirational Romance
LGBT Romance
Multicultural Romance
Paranormal Romance
Romantic Comedy
Romantic Suspense
Science Fiction RomanceI do understand once this is live you can’t just change the fields around. Since that is so, I’m going to raise this awkward point now. Some of us may write under names which have more than a First / Last component. As an example, what if Lindsay Coates Herkness III were a member here? (He’s not, and never will be; he’s one of the victims of 9/11.) Such writers (and I think there are at least some cultures where writers might use even more names – we do have international members on here) might find the First / Last pattern awfully limiting. (Sorry to complicate your life.)
Another question which occurred to me, since we do have international members; are you assuming all works are / must be in English? If not, then it might be useful to include Language as another field.
But in terms of genres, I think it might be a good idea to keep the option open to permit anyone to request a new genre be added. (I’m assuming this would not take much time; at least, I can’t think of any software where adding a list item is a big deal.) That way, if anything is overlooked, you can add it. If a new genre is “invented” (after all, many subgenres of SF and fantasy did not exist forty years ago) you can add it.
Thank you for putting this together!
I’m a little confused by one thing — Do genres like Mainstream and Non-fiction normally get listed under Alternative? For some reason I thought Alternative was the “way out there” (can’t think of the proper term at the moment) genre, like Jack Kerouac, stream of consciousness, that sort of thing.
My turn to be a little thick.
Happy writing,
Deb Salisbury
The Mantua-Maker, Quality Historical Sewing Patterns and Books
www.mantua-maker.comThe Art of the Hoop: 1860 - 1869, Dress, Sewing, and Clothing Care Advice
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http://www.djsalisburybooks.com/Dead-Wizard-s-Loot.htmlMagic Seeker wrote:Thank you for putting this together!I’m a little confused by one thing — Do genres like Mainstream and Non-fiction normally get listed under Alternative? For some reason I thought Alternative was the “way out there” (can’t think of the proper term at the moment) genre, like Jack Kerouac, stream of consciousness, that sort of thing.
My turn to be a little thick.
Well, I must confess that confused me a bit, too. Since the genres listed aren’t the ones I spend most of my time writing or reading, I wasn’t sure if that was just me. I guess not.
I’ll add the language field.
I’m open to suggestions on the name fields. I added one for second author (for co-authors or the main author of an anthology (assuming it isn’t the FM member) — realizing that isn’t a complete solution either.
I doubt it. I took the initial listing from our Genre Boards, and that’s where I left it. For the “sub-genre”s there, I think I’ll remove the hyphens and make those their own genre for the purposes of this exercise.
And I’ve had a MAJOR glitch with the backend forms database that renders all my work useless until I figure out what’s wrong. I’m hoping it’s an “operator error” or “newby user” type thing that will be easy to resolve (like most of the other challenges have been with creating the form), but until I figure it out, this won’t see the light of day on the live site.
Because of that, I’m definitely able to continue taking your thoughtful suggestions for the foreseeable future.
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