I'm an expert - still can't fix this Audiobook issue

Question

This problem is killing me. I am an expert mac problem solver and have spent days resolving issues, never to be stumped. This I have been at for a week with no success. Props to anyone who can figure it out.
On my mac I have an audiobook in .m4a format. There are over a hundred files that combine to form the book. They load into my main iTunes library just fine. They play just fine. The problem arises when I select them all, hit "get info" and change the "media kind" to Audiobook. I do this so that they appear in the "Audiobooks" playlist and not with my music, obviously. It works, except for a handful of files from the middle of the book. iTunes makes these files into a second Audiobook with the same title, same author... same everything. So then what I have is two different Audiobooks (same title, same author, same cover art) one of which is the beginning and end of the book and the other which is just the middle. As you probably are aware, iTunes does not allow the user to edit Audiobooks by adding files, so I cannot combine them by simply dragging the files from one book to the other.
I have checked and rechecked the fact that all the files have identical information, i.e author, album, composer, media kind, equalizer preset, genre... everything. I did this to see if iTunes would combine them on its own once this info was the same. It did not. All the files are named properly (chapter 1.1, chapter 1.2 ...chapter 10.1 etc.), so I know they would all show up in order once placed together.
When I go into my iTunes music folder on my hard drive, the beginning/end of the book is listed in the correct place (Music/iTunes Music/Author/Book Title), whereas the middle of the book is listed by the same title under "Compliations" (Music/iTunes Music/Compilations/Book Title). In other words, in order to find the middle section of the book in the iTunes music folder, you would scroll down all the artists alphabetically until you got to "Compilations," and inside there would be the book title file containing the files that make up the middle of the book.
I have tried deleting and re-importing. I have tried physically moving the files from "Compilations" to their proper author's file then quitting and restarting iTunes, but this does nothing to combine the two Audiobooks into one single book. When I click on the files from the middle of the book to play them, the iTunes music folder undoes the work I just did, putting the files back into "Compilations" one by one as they are played.
Now I realize I could just leave the files in my main music library, organized by name, and they would all play in order. However, this should not have to be the case. I want my Audiobook in one piece, in the Audiobooks playlist so when I get to the middle of the book I wont have to open a second Audiobook (same title), play it, and then go back. Why the iTunes creators made Audiobooks so much less malleable than the other media I have no idea, but it aggravates me. Being able to click and drag would be an obviously simple fix to this problem.
If you or anyone you know has an idea for me, please do not hesitate to post. Thanks.
Message was edited by: geegn1

Answer 1

thanks 0Ari0, your suggestion of labeling all the files as part of a compilation worked. After I did this i changed the media kind to audiobook, and voila, one single book appeared in the Audiobooks submenu. The individual files aren't listed under their proper artist in the iTunes music folder, but I don't really care about that. I'm ok with having the book listed in Compilations as long as it's all in one piece.
thank you