10 Common Questions | NetGalley Do you volunteer at your local library? Get unlimited access to our pool of fresh indie books submissions. Here are a few tips to help you optimize your NetGalley reviewer experience. . Find Titles; Become an influencer in your genre and grow your following. Now, we're taking a look at how to review our new favorite format: audiobooks! I Give Feedback on everything else. Great post, and definitely a useful tip for anyone new in NetGalley, and I think I consider myself quite a newbie there. All Rights Reserved. Step 1. You can read. does this blogger run some groups, participate in some street teams? Best Practices Archives | NetGalley So aim for quality, not quantity. As you go, make any necessary updates. ), I had no idea there was an age thing?! NetGalley is a service that provides digital advance copies aka galley proofs of books for members to read and review. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Yes, you can join I suggest clicking those links in the question and simply signing up. When a publisher looks at your Profile, they can already see all of the Categories that youve selected (under the. NetGalley reports are an incredibly useful tool for a publisher using the site. Any other information religion, marital status, professional degrees, non-book-related careers youve had dont need to be included in your profile. Member Profiles - NetGalley Client Knowledge Base Links Nicole has blogged about starting out on NetGalley before and you should also read that post for further info! Your Bio can help to give publishers insight into your role and how you can best work with them. Publishers are looking for thoughtful, professional reviewers and your Bio is the first taste of your writing that they get. NetGalley recommends a feedback ratio of 80% or above, meaning that for every 10 proofs you receive, you should give feedback on at least 8 of them. If you do have a website even if its just to host the main pieces of your portfolio add a link to that too. Here's how I've gotten the books: Author's Patreons/Facebook groups - this was how I first heard of NetGalley, an author's Patreon had a link to read an advance copy of her latest book. Your Bio can help to give publishers insight into your role and how you can best work with them. This is what Ive mentioned before!) Your email address will not be published. (LogOut/ var elem = document.querySelector('form#wpdiscuz-subscribe-form'); I love using ReadNow to find books I wouldn't have encountered otherwise, I don't mind not getting advance copies of the huge buzzy books because I know my library will buy them anyway, but ReadNow has helped me find some indie or small press authors I've really taken to. Publishers can see which genres you prefer to read and review, and by also sharing your favorite authors, you can help provide an even better understanding of the types of books within those genres you most enjoy. Taking on more titles than you can handle may cause you to miss deadlines and degrade your feedback ratio. Typos and links that arent working can be a sign of a lack of attention to detail, so be sure to give your Bio a final proofread every time you update it. If youre a bookseller whos a member of the ABA, a librarian whos a member of the ALA, someone who the publishing staff person knows professionally, the answer is obviously yes. Some publishers dont provide a lot of information either, so its been mostly guessing what they are looking for in general until my bio looked somewhat decent. Simply click Find Titles at the top of the page and youll be taken to a dashboard of recently added titles, as well as dozens of categories to choose from. Having your work on another persons blog lends you social credit that will impress people looking for reviews, especially if theyre familiar with that blogger. NetGalley built its business on authors wanting early reviews to: a) solidify their books reputations, and b) help them stand out from the pack. I saw some people saying you can just have a Goodreads account and get approved. but I have about 4 friends on there and have only been using it for reviews kind of to myself, so not exactly quality. Reading Habits Edit: putting Self or N/A under company is totally fine. That said, every book reviewer will face a familiar panic: how Trust real people, not robots, to give you book recommendations. Ive had a NetGalley account for a bitso long since I got it that I had forgotten it! Havent thought about my Netgalley bio in too long! However, you also have to fill out your company (presumably helpful if you work in publishing or for a magazine/newspaper) and your role. Basically the only place my book love exists is Goodreads, where I have like 3 friends and substandard reviews because I was only really doing it for me before. I will also be redirecting you to content where this is talked about at the end of this post, dont worry! While your Bio should be professional and succinct, your linked blog and social media channels are the best way to stand out and show off your vibrant personality. Good luck with getting book freebies! Based on that, they can decide youre ajuvenile delinquent a person who struggles with their responsibilities, and not grant your request! Not a Member? While you should try to write full book reviews for most of your NetGalley titles, you can also provide feedback in the form of an opinion or note to author/publisher, as well as information about how you might promote the book yourself. As a reader I want more of those from people reviewing from ARC's. NetGalley: The Ultimate Guide for Indie Authors - Novlr The Simple Guide to Netgalley [2022 Updated] - Tales from Absurdia , Amazing! Do you pick up the occasional shift for your local bookstore? Details About Your Member Type Plus, set a recurring reminder for yourself to update those stats on a regular basis (monthly, quarterly, etc). NetGalley provides a quick snapshot of a member's behavior on NetGalley with stats like: - Feedback Ratio calculates the percentage of feedback based on approved access to books and audiobooks (this includes Read Now, Listen Now, Widget Invites, and Wishes Granted). If youre a reviewer, clearly state where your reviews appear. Do you host any online reading events? How to Write a Short Professional Bio (Templates & Examples) (LogOut/ Book recommendations come in many forms, and its helpful for publishers to see if the books they approve you for may also end up in a listicle, Booktube video, Bookstagram picture, or more! Though its true anyone can sign up to NetGalley as a consumer reviewer, priority book selection is given to bloggers, industry pros, and traditional reviewers at least at first. If you are a bookseller, book trade professional, educator, librarian, reviewer, journalist or in the media, NetGalley is for you! Thanks so much for this! When a teacher/librarian/bookseller/reviewer etc. There are six member types on NetGalley (reviewer, book trade professional, librarian, bookseller, educator, journalist or member of the media) and publishers have different goals for working with each one. In the past, we've shared general tips for writing book reviewsand advice for writing critical book reviews. Chances are, youll want the profile youre reading to be: The list could go on, but I think this is roughly it. Utility! By sharing your favorite authors, you can help provide an even better understanding of the types of books within those Categories you most enjoy. I don't know about Netgalley but there have been several threads of people asking for Goodreads friends. YES PLEASE. Everyone has influence. This is so helpful. You can also scout out some book review blogs to see if anyones looking for freelance pieces. Your Bio can help to give publishers insight into your role and how you can best work with them. Sorry mods if this isn't allowed! Also make sure that you have the right categories in your profile. I need to update my Netgalley profile! If youre a Reviewer, clearly state where your reviews appear. Learn more about our use of cookies: Cookie Policy. Including not-as-relevant things like that may just distract a publisher from the fact that you are in fact a person who should be given an advance review copy of their book especially if theyre getting 50+ review copy requests via Netgalley every day that they then have to go through one by one. Now lets talk about whats expected of you as a reviewer. Where I promote and post my reviews are as follows: Blog: I have a book blog called BookBum, started in Jan 2017, where I review everything I read and then post to Twitter. If youre a reviewer, clearly state where your reviews appear. So there is a little bit of guidance on how to write a Netgalley bio! (My first one was from Berkley (publisher), and I love them, so I was excited.) Start with "Read Now" titles. If you want to join the #NewBloggers support chat group, just drop me a comment here or a DM on Twitter. This is especially important if youre a bookseller, librarian, or educator who also talks about and reviews books outside of your job. Check out more of our Profile dos and donts here! NetGalley reports are an incredibly useful tool for a publisher using the site. Sign In I just wanted to make a sort of follow up post after the anti-piracy thread regarding Netgalley. Yes! I actually I struggled when I first decided to get on board with netgalley because I had no idea what to put on my bio I have something similar but in a much smaller scale I still get denied a lot of times but also approved!! How to write an effective Netgalley bio - BookBum Do you host any online reading events? Now you can request books. You can also connect social accounts to your NetGalley profile, which may be a boon if youre active in the reading/publishing communities on Twitter and Instagram. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. Try to stick to 3-5 authors to keep things simple. Make sure youre opted into receiving those emails in the Account Security section of your Profile, under Subscriptions.. Get started by signing in or joining for free. Cause Im going to cover the ways you can make your profile reflect that youre awesomesauce an amazing and responsible blogger who will surely fulfil the publishers needs! Hi everyone! You can find them by navigating to a title's Feedback page or by clicking the purple gear icon on the right-hand side of the Manage Titles page. I hope I can get that opportunity. Publishers are more likely to accept your requests if your bio shows them how youll publicise their book and increase the outreach of the novel, rather than some spiel about who you are and what you like. (I read too many books and I forget what they are haha). However, if you sign up for NetGalley with no reviewing experience whatsoever, its going to take a LOT of work to acquire the books you really want. Also does having a profile pic help? Simple, huh. Do you have a book-related twitter, Facebook, tumblr, youtube or instagram account? It doesnt even have to be book reviews! She has kindly agreed to help out our #NewBloggers group by posting one! Are you a member of an authors street team? Finally, set your reading preferences on NetGalley, i.e. You may not have a designated blog or publication that assigns you books, but you can still post literary thoughts on Twitter or Tumblr. You can find a specific publishers Approval Preferences on their Publisher page, and the information there can help to shape what you share in your Profile. Look through which Categories youve selected, check that your links are working, and reread your Bio. Yes, you can have as many books as youd like! Do you host any online reading events? I'm a Reviewer. What do you recommend for my Profile? - NetGalley Set your own deadline a week before the publication date if possible, so you wont be scrambling to write a review at the last minute. If youre picking up ten new books a week and rushing to review them, you might build up a decent reputation but youll soon find yourself hating the work, and your reviews will start to sound churned-out and dull. Also unlike NetGalley, reviewers on Discovery have the opportunity to receive monetary tips from readers though of course, its still free to sign up. Dont: Forget to update your Profile throughout the year If I DNFed, I say why. I hope this post was helpful for you, Id love to hear your thoughts! I Review everything I rate 4 or 5 stars. What You Need to Know Before You Open a NetGalley Account NetGalley Strategy Archives | NetGalley But now that I have a new iPad, I just signed up and took your tips for creating a profile! Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. I also enjoy Historical Fiction, Sci-fi, Dystopian and Short Stories.. NetGalley proudly works with publishers and authors, large and small, throughout the world. Sorry for the late response Anne! Including important stats about your platforms, such as average monthly pageviews to your blog or social media following, is very helpful for publishers. Thank you for this useful post My NG profile was long overdue and update ! But before that,if you want to find the other #NewBloggers 101 posts, just expand this list: NetGalley and Edelweiss are platforms where you can request advance reader copies of books in exchange to your honest review technically for free (you pay for it with blood, sweat and tears!) Im so glad this blog came in handy! Editing to add: I completely forgot that they ask about a company - I just checked my profile, and I just put my website link. This site uses cookies. For some reason, I get approved on Edelweiss quite a bit..? Subscribe to our monthly newsletter for book recs, interviews, and favorites from our editor. As it gets new views every day I thought it could do with a little update. Ive been using Netgalley for about a year and have been approved for about 70ish books. Congratulations to :01s New Associate Art Director, Andrew Arnold! I Review everything I rate 4 or 5 stars. We feel that everyone should love to read, and that that would make the world a better place. Books on NetGalley can receive hundreds of requests from members looking to read and review. I am retired, and live in a rural setting. I don't have hardly any social media presence but I do post reviews on goodreads. This was very helpful. Are you an OwnVoices reviewer? . How strange! the internet is wild, the book you rep is most likely just for one region, so seeing some follower regions couldnt hurt, it would be nice to see what books they typically review. The registration form is pretty standard: username, password, email, etc. Everything you could possibly want to know about using NetGalley, youll find right here in this post. Thousands of authors and publishers use NetGalley, and hundreds of thousands of reviewers. Marking that you listen to audiobooks or are a member of a book club helps ensure you get relevant promotional emailsincluding announcements of newly uploaded NetGalley books, limited time Read Now opportunities, and more. I agree with everything you mentioned here I remember when I started an account last year I was left confused by what exactly to write down in my bio. Do you run a book club? To become a NetGalley member, all you have to do is sign up. Sorry for the slow reply to this, I always just copy and paste exactly! Relevant Bookish Facts (I note that this is a really, really specific set of instructions that will definitely help you out with requesting any First Second requests; possibly not so much with other publishers, depending on their own policies.) And if you find yourself craving indie books and a little less pressure, Discovery will be waiting right here. When a publisher looks at your Profile, they can see the list of Categories that youve chosen, which means you dont need to worry about listing them in your Bio. Both offer a standard listing and email support, and the latter includes a slot in the NetGalley newsletter, which goes out 6-7 times a month. It can also be a good opportunity for reviewers who already have a platform and want to bolster their reputation even more. I hope youre doing okay. for more insight into what you should include in your Profile based on your member type. So if you want authors and publishers to like you, make sure you cross-post your NetGalley reviews to Amazon and Goodreads! Thank you for these tips. This will help publishers to notice you when they are reviewing your requests, and to make sure you are a legitimate reviewer. Learn more about our use of cookies: Cookie Policy. . Sign up for the the First Second newsletter to receive updates and other information about Macmillan Publishers books, products, and services that may be of interest to you. Do you host any online reading events? If you dont have one handy, snap a quick shot of yourself and a favorite book! NetGalley helps publishers and authors promote digital review copies to book advocates and industry professionals. Favorite Authors Reading should still give you joy rather than it being a chore. Due to issues with my old iPad, I never signed up for a NetGalley account. People typically request copies because theyre reviewers, and they need the advance copy of the book to write a review from, or because theyre teachers or librarians or booksellers, and they need to read the advance copy to figure out how many books to buy for their classroom or library or bookstore. Now, consider youve just received 76 book requests. What Are Linkups All About? Most authors and publishers who put books on NetGalley are after one thing (well, two things): reviews on Amazon and Goodreads, where other readers actually spend their time. Think about your Profile like a resume, and keep your Bio professional and succinct. Ideally, you should review or at least give publisher feedback on why you didnt review for all your books, but 80% is still a very good ratio. I also host State of the ARC and the #NewBloggers 101 guide. First Second uses Netgalley theyre a galley service that lets people request advance digital copies of our graphic novels (and other peoples graphic novels and prose books). I also started through just posting on Goodreads, but I eventually got twitter and Instagram devoted for books. Plus sub-genre preferences. Including important stats about your platforms, such as average monthly pageviews to your blog or social media reach, is helpful for publishers. And youre done. XD (But theres the age thing where you have to be eighteen but Im not but I know some people who are younger than 18 and are still on Netgalley??? If youre a Reviewer, clearly state where your reviews appear. Librarians and booksellers order and recommend books to their patrons, media professionals interview authors, reviewers and bloggers write about books online and leave reviews on retail sites, and more. Do: Include links to all of the places you talk about books Click here to browse our publisher list. with a book publicist to learn more about the stats theyre looking for. You can also search by title, author, or ISBN to find a particular book. Conciseness! NetGalley is an incredible way to start receiving review copies of books. I need to do some updating on my profile (I am staying away from NG right now, gotta catch up on arcs and their e-arcs! Those are all things that should be included in your Netgalley profile, and which will encourage publishers to think, THIS is the kind of person I want to have reading our advance digital galleys.. You can find them by navigating to a title's Feedback page or by clicking the purple gear icon on the right-hand side of the Manage Titles page. Publishers can see which genres you prefer to read and review, and by also sharing your favorite authors, you can help provide an even better understanding of the types of books within those genres you most enjoy. To become a NetGalley member, all you have to do is sign up. I have kids so I reviewed a lot of kids books to quickly get my stats up. Update this regularly so publishers can see youre active and that all your stats are up-to-date! Best Practices Archives | NetGalley Dont: Forget to check publishers approval preferences Note, those will come to your email from the publisher directly, they've been caught in my email's overactive spam filter a few times :(. If you feel NetGalley and its (admittedly impressive) big-name titles are your jam, have at it! you can select the Categories you cover in your role as a professional reader. Do you run a book club? Im a newbie to NetGalley. I just found you! Im still new to the book blogging world so this will help me out a ton. ): The Edelweiss profile has some minor differences. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); 2010-2023 NetGalley LLC. Its also bolstered by the fact that advance reader copies, or ARCs, are like catnip to readers after all, who can resist the chance to read tons of exciting new books before anyone else? Dont: List all of your favorite genres Thank you so much for this advice! Thanks! Which is fine, I don't have a blog or even Twitter, and I have less than 100 GR friends, it makes sense. Thanks and yes, they dont really give you much of an indication of what you should put in the bio! You can read this interview with a book publicist to learn more about the stats theyre looking for. Are you a member of an authors street team? This is especially true if you find yourself requesting books from the same publishers time and again. On the note of scrambling, another separate-but-related point for reviewers is to not request too many books at once. We help book advocates and industry professionals discover and recommend books to their audiences. This isnt the best statement to lead with if youre trying to convince a publisher to give you a digital galley. Kelly Gallucci is the Executive Editor of We Are Bookish, where she oversees the editorial content, offers book recommendations, and interviews authors and NetGalley members. Which is why Im not going to just give an example of my profile. (Have you noticed theres a message at the bottom, saying that you should rather leave links in the links section than in the text? You have the option to make this email address hidden or visible to publishers. Consider making it visible so that if publishers ever have a question or want to work with you on a specific campaign, they can reach out! Include information about how you use books (and audiobooks) from NetGalley in your classroom. Thanks for this. NetGalley is technically free to join as a reader/reviewer. Inactive reviewers wont be deleted, but low activity will severely damage one's chances of picking up first-choice proofs. Social Media And Networking, What Tools Can Help Me Be An Organized Blogger? Your Bio is the perfect place to share this information with publishersas long as youre comfortable, of course! Make sure you mention where those reviews appear and any places you cross-post your NetGalley reviews. Indicate if you are a member of a professional organization, such as a state or regional teacher's association. It appears that you are stepping up the type of graphic novels you publish. They all look very good and interesting. So that should help you figure out the ins and outs of requesting books on Edelweiss, and let me talk about what you should do about your profile. Join For Free! Im so excited to start using NetGalley! I love middle grade, womens, scifi and some literary too. with a book publicist to learn more about the stats theyre looking for. Netgalley makes a big deal about the fact that having a good bio will make publishers more likely to accept your requests, however, they dont really give you a lot of support in terms of what publishers would like to see there, so youre left to your own devices to make something up. We love to read ourselves! Including important stats about your platforms, such as average monthly pageviews to your blog or social media following, is very helpful for publishers. Im in no way saying its perfect, but its worked pretty well for me with 158 books approved so far Hopefully, you can craft your own bio based on these recommendations! Any thoughts on how to get started or what to do? If youre a new reviewer whos apprehensive about the scale and competitiveness of NetGalley, wed recommend starting a bit smaller. It works just like a regular book sales platform, but instead of readers buying your books, they receive a free copy in exchange for an honest review. section of your profile, youll find the email address associated with your account. As soon as youre ready to share your thoughts, navigate back to the books NetGalley page and click on the purple Give Feedback button in the upper-right corner. Stats :). There are lots of people who request books through First Seconds Netgalley account who I dont personally know. Hey, I come from both sides of the perspective, as a reviewer and as an author who hands out ARCs on Net Galley. How to Write an Audiobook Review - Bookish There is also Edelweiss (I think that's the spelling? Think about your Profile like a resume, and keep your Bio professional and succinct. Finding Your Beauty Queen Dumplin by Julie Murphy, 5 Feel Good Books For When You Have The Lonelies, but you still want to see how many followers the blog has. A lot of the time, this is a really easy decision! I would suggest writing about your love of reading. I've been using Netgalley for a little more than a year, and I love it! Thanks for the insight! Netgalley is a book marketing platform through which authors and publishers pay to share proof copies of their latest books, prior to publication. I have a third one out I havent gotten to yet that looks promising! First Second Welcomes Editorial Assistant Kiara Valdez. And you have to handle all of these book requests, that, honesly, probably just drain the life out of you, cause honestly, there are just so many bloggers, you sometimes just feel the publishing industry is sitting on a huge anthill. Great advice as always, Zuky. And I just requested stuff and eventually got my first approval. General Member Resources | the American Booksellers Association Dont you?). Your Bio is the perfect place to share this information with publishersas long as youre comfortable, of course!