What is NetGalley?
In the four to six months leading up to a book’s release, publicists and marketers work to create buzz around titles and their authors. The more buzz they’re able to generate, the more data they can relay back to the sales team, which is used to determine how many books to send to booksellers. One of the primary ways publicists and marketers create buzz is by sending physical and digital galleys (uncorrected manuscript proofs) to national and regional media outlets and well-known book reviewers. If you’re an editor or reviewer at outlets like The New York Times Book Review, NPR, Slate, the Washington Post, a book blogger with a big following, and so on, the odds that you’re on a publicist or marketer’s mailing list are high.
But what if you’re not a big wig editor or book reviewer? What if you don’t have a big following yet? What if you’re a minnow in the big wide publishing ocean? Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered. When I decided I wanted to start reviewing books I did two things: I built this blog and I created a NetGalley account.
NetGalley is an excellent platform for reviewers who are just starting out, as well as established reviewers. It allows publishers to share secure digital files of e-galley to readers they approve. You can use this platform to search forthcoming titles in a variety of genres and request to review them based on your preferences.
Tips for Using NetGalley
Have a place to review. Before you create an account determine where you’re going to share your book reviews. Remember: Although you may be interested in getting your hands on an early copy of a book, a publisher’s goal is to create buzz in order to generate sales. It’s a give-take relationship!
Request often and request in bulk. It took a little while for me to get my requests approved, so if you experience something similar, don’t get discouraged, just keep requesting.
Don’t bite off more you can chew. While requesting two, three, five, seven titles at a time may increase the probability of being approved to receive an early digital copy, know your limits. NetGalley keeps track of how many titles you’ve been approved to review and how many reviews you’ve posted. And this percentage may impact whether or not you’re approved in the future.
Keep your dates straight. When I request titles, I take note of when they’re going to be published and this allows me to create a rough schedule of when I want to be finished reading, reviewing, and posting about the book. You don’t have to get crazy with it, but having a list of dates in mind may help you determine how many books you want to request at a time.
Give honest, but professional reviews. If you’re requesting a book through NetGalley, odds are you think you’re going to like it. But if this turns out not to be the case, be sure to be tactful with your criticism.
Show your work. Did you post a review on your blog, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and/or Goodreads? When you submit your review and rate the title, be sure to share where you’ve posted about it. It’s a nice gesture that shows that you’re helping to spread the word about the book. And while you may not get a pat on the back for it, as someone who’s worked in publicity, let me tell you: It means a lot!
