One book belongs to two or more series...

[LisaAlissa]

Since I'm asking questions today, thought I'd ask this one too. I searched, but didn't find an answer.

A couple of different situations.

1. Book of short stories or novellas, where one or more separate stories (sometimes by different authors) belong to different series. While I can give a book multiple tags, I can only assign a single series designation.
   
2. A novel which belongs to one or more series by the same author. Sometimes it's overlapping characters which each have its own series. Sometimes it's a sub-series inside a larger series. Again, while I can give a book multiple tags, I can only assign a single series designation.

Just like I can add multiple authors to the author field, I'd like to be able to add multiple series (and series #s) to the Series field. So then when I search by series, I'll find all books/stories which are part of the Series.

In my examples, for the first instance, I've heard suggestions that one should "take the book apart" and add each story separately entering the series & author with the story title. That of course leaves one with the question of where the book title & editor go (if you're using the story title/author for the main entries). Right now, I simply add all authors to the author list. Then the book will come up w/ any search of any of the authors on the list.

I don't like that solution for a couple of reasons:

I don't really want them separated. Then ones loses the editor's thought that they relate to one another or belong together in some fashion. And if you enter them as stories, you lose track of the book to which they belong.

If you list each one of them by the book title/cover, then you have what look like multiples of the book of short stories/novellas, but what you really have is different stories under the same title. Which looks like duplicates!

When a single novel (sometimes a collaboration of authors) is part of two separate series (whether or not by the same author), again, I wish I could list it by each series of which it is a part.

Suggestions?

Thanks!

[LisaAlissa]

Ok, I thought I'd asked about part of this before, but hadn't been able to find it. I just found the earlier (2.5 years ago) thread.

The proposed solution there (splitting things up or adding Series designations as tags) weren't really satisfactory...and I've continued to be troubled by this. So I am bringing this back up for reconsideration.

In the meantime, I've come up with additional circumstances when multiple series designations should be assigned to a single volume.

However perhaps someone wants to merge the threads? I leave it up to the mods/staff.

Thanks!

[Terisa de morgan]

For a book in multiple series, you can add new series fields (I have second and third). Not ideal, but...

[LisaAlissa]

Originally Posted by Terisa de morgan

For a book in multiple series, you can add new series fields (I have second and third). Not ideal, but...

It sounds lovely! Could you tell me how?

I know how to add custom columns, but not new series fields (with increment numbers) that will be searched with the existing series field. If there's already documentation, could you point me in that direction?

Thanks!

[kovidgoyal]

Preferences->Searching->Grouped search terms
Add as many series like custom columns as you want, then group them so you can search all of them with a single prefix.

[LisaAlissa]

Ok, but how do I add the incremented # of the series to a custom column showing the series name?

Thanks!

[kovidgoyal]

I dont understand what you are asking. You can create a custom column that behaves just like the builtin series column with both a series name and number.

[eschwartz]

One of the Custom Column types is "Text column for keeping series-like information".
You can use the Quick Create: Series option to quickly select that.

[Terisa de morgan]

Originally Posted by kovidgoyal

Preferences->Searching->Grouped search terms
Add as many series like custom columns as you want, then group them so you can search all of them with a single prefix.

Thank you, I didn't know it and it will be very useful.

[LisaAlissa]

Thank you all! This sounds like it will be "perfect"!

Now off to try it all out...

LisaAlissa