Wikipedia:Proposed deletion (books)

Proposed deletion (books) is an extension of the proposed deletion process to cover Wikipedia Books. Its purpose is to reduce the load on the miscellany for deletion process, for cases where books are uncontestably deletable, yet fail to meet the criteria for speedy deletion. If no editor objects after 7 days, the book is deleted, but may be restored upon request.

There are three steps:

1. A book is nominated when an editor carefully reviews it and substitutes the {{book-prod}} tag ({{subst:book-prod}}).
2. If any person objects to the deletion (usually by removing the {{book-prod}} tag), the proposal is aborted and may not be re-proposed. However, the book can be sent to miscellany for deletion for further discussion.
3. The book is first checked and then deleted by an administrator 7 days after nomination. However, it may be undeleted upon request.

This process applies for both user books (usually located at User:USERNAME/Books/Booktitle) and community books (those found in the Book namespace).

If you were sent here

If you are here then it may be that a book you created or were involved with has been proposed for deletion, possibly by a bot, or already has been deleted as a result of this process. If you do not know why you were directed here, the most likely reason is that someone thought that a book you created or contributed to was a test, and that it was abandoned.

In a nutshell, "proposed deletion" means that books nominated will be deleted one week after the proposal, if no one objects (including you). If you believe a book should not be deleted, all you have to do is simply remove the proposed deletion notice and (optionally, but strongly encouraged) explain in the edit summary why you think the book should not be deleted. Likewise, if the book has been deleted while you were not around to object, simply contact the administrator who deleted the book, and politely ask him or her to undelete it.

Possible reasons for deletions

The book does not contain any articles

On Wikipedia, books are collections of articles meant to be read in print. Most often, books without articles are the results of people trying to figure out how books work.

Books which contain no articles are often created by users who are attempting to write a book from scratch. When these books are prepared for printing, however, they will appear empty, or with chapter headings only, as the software ignores all text which is not either a chapter heading or a reference to an article to be included in the book. (See Saving Books for what is recognized.)

Since empty books don't have anything to be read in print, they should be deleted.

The book contains only one article

Books with only one article are most often the result of tests by new users. It is routine procedure to propose them for deletion if the user doesn't seem to be interested in expanding the book to include at least two or three articles, as a single article can be printed directly without first placing it into a book.

The book is an attempt to write a book from scratch

On Wikipedia, books are collections of articles, not new content. If you want to write a book from scratch, you may be interested in joining Wikibooks, another Wikimedia project whose goal is to write free instructional texts. Note, however, that the goal of Wikibooks is limited to writing instructional texts, not all books: if you are interested in writing other types of books (in particular: fiction and autobiographies), you will need to look elsewhere.

The book looks like a test book

There are many more reasons why books can come across as tests, but since the exact reason can vary from book to book, it is pointless to describe every possible scenario. Creating test books is perfectly fine, so don't worry about having done something wrong. However, as they accumulate, test books begin to clutter various categories, making it difficult to locate books with useful content. As such, it is routine procedure to propose them for deletion once it appears that the author is no longer using them. If you are curious as to why the book you are here about gave that impression, simply politely ask the person who proposed its deletion.

The book does not comply with existing policies

All Wikipedia policies apply to books just as they do to articles. Books should be neutral, about notable topics, and should not be created to attack people, make political statements, or promote original research and original synthesis. Any book which violates these policies (or any other) can and probably will be deleted. See also Wikipedia is not a web host and more generally, What Wikipedia is not.

I removed the proposed deletion, but the book is being considered for deletion again!

The proposed deletion process is based on "if no one objects, then it will be deleted". It is a very low-drama process, as anyone may object for any reason. However, when someone disagrees with the reason for objection they may seek wider input, and the book is sent to miscellany for deletion. Do not panic! It does not mean that the book will be deleted, it simply means that someone thinks that there is an issue that needs to be addressed. It could simply be that the book could have a better name, or that it significantly overlaps with another existing book and could be merged or redirected to it.

I tried everything, but the book still was deleted!

Well, that happens too. The deletion discussion should tell you why that happened, and you can ask its participants for general advice on how to write books that won't get deleted in the future. Remember that Wikipedia is a collaborative effort governed by consensus, and that people generally mean well. So, if a book you were involved with was deleted despite your efforts, do not despair! Instead, try to learn from the experience, and write an even better book next time!

I didn't contest the deletion in time and the book was deleted – What do I do?

Simply contact the deleting admin and ask them to undelete the book. To find out who the deleting admin was, simply go on the book's page and there should be a red box near the top, with the date of deletion, reason for deletion, and who deleted the book. Alternatively, you can search for the book in the deletion log, placing the full name of the page (e.g. "Book:Example" or "User:Username/Books/Title") in the box marked "title", and you will have the same information.

The deleting admin should undelete the book promptly, especially if you explain why you think the book should not have been deleted. If you do not get a response after a day or two (the admin may be busy in real life, or could simply be un-cooperative) you may alternately request undeletion.

Help

If you need help with books, please check out

• Help:Books, and Help:Books/for experts: Covers the basics of books and how to edit them.
• Help:Books/Feedback: To report bugs, and give feedback about books
• Help:Books/Frequently Asked Questions, covers frequently asked questions about the book tool.
• WikiProject Wikipedia-Books: A collaborative effort by people interesting in writing and maintaining books on Wikipedia. There, you can ask for tips, advice, clarifications, and so on, as well as participate in book-related discussions.