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Import a backlist

If you have a list of ISBNs, you can add many books at once. byline looks each one up, fills in what it can, and lets you review and edit every title before publishing. This page walks through it.

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  1. 1

    Open the importer

    From your account, go to Your books and choose Import from a list, beside Add a book. The importer is for adding several titles at once; a single book is quicker through Add a book.

    The Your books page with the Import from a list button beside Add a book.
    Your books → Import from a list.
  2. 2

    Paste your ISBNs, or upload a CSV

    Put one ISBN per line, or upload a CSV that has an ISBN column. ISBN-10 and ISBN-13 both work, and hyphens or spaces are ignored. If a line is not a valid ISBN, it is shown so you can fix it by hand. Then choose Resolve ISBNs.

    The intake box with a column of ISBNs pasted in and the Resolve ISBNs button.
    One ISBN per line, or a CSV with an ISBN column.
  3. 3

    Let byline look each one up

    byline checks each ISBN against Open Library and fills in what it finds: title, subtitle, publisher, page count, and release date. This is a convenience only. The lookup never overwrites anything you have already typed, and a cover is never fetched (upload covers later if you want them).

    The review table with one card per ISBN, fields prefilled, and status chips.
    One row per ISBN, every field editable.
  4. 4

    Read the status on each row

    Found means Open Library returned details. Enter details means the ISBN is valid but Open Library has nothing, so the row is empty and waiting for you (it is still selected). Check the ISBN means the line did not read as an ISBN. Repeat in list means the same ISBN appears twice. If you already have a book with that ISBN, the row says so and is unselected, so you do not publish a duplicate by accident.

  5. 5

    Review and edit before publishing

    Every field is yours to edit, and every row has a checkbox. A title is required to publish a row. Uncheck anything you do not want, and fill in any row that came back empty. Your signed record is the source of truth, so nothing is published until you say so.

  6. 6

    Choose a status, then publish

    Pick the status for the batch (Published by default, since a backlist is usually already out). Then choose Publish, and byline writes each selected, titled row to your AT Protocol repository as its own book record, the same as adding one by hand.

    The status selector and the Publish button at the bottom of the review table.
    One status for the batch; only selected, titled rows are published.
  7. 7

    Larger batches publish in waves

    byline publishes up to five books a minute. If you publish more than that, the rest wait, the button shows a short countdown, and they go out in the next minute. You can leave the tab open and let it finish.

Good to know

  • The review list lives in your browser only. If you close the tab before publishing, the list is not kept. Publishing is what writes the records.
  • Open Library is the only source, and it is text only. A miss is normal, especially for self-published titles with an Amazon ASIN and no ISBN; just fill the row in by hand.
  • You can publish a book with no ISBN, and you can edit anything that was filled in. The record in your repository is always the version you approve.

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