NetGalley Reading Journal User Guide

by We Are Bookish

Welcome to the NetGalley Reading Journal User Guide. Whether you’re a digital journaling newbie or simply new to this journal, we’ll be going over everything you need to get started!

This User Guide will introduce you to two of the note-taking apps that you can use to upload and begin customizing your Reading Journal.

In this guide you’ll learn how to:
— Import your journal to a recommended note-taking app
— Upload book covers and stickers
— Duplicate review pages
— Toggle between writing and viewing mode
— And more!

Genres: Nonfiction

11 pages, ebook

Published December 18, 2023

Reviews

[SusanTalksBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

This user guide for NetGalley's digital Reading Journals is beautiful to look at and is helpful, but I think it is oriented more for iPad users and not windows laptop users - unless you are already paying for a pdf editor tool. I'm new to digital journaling, so will need to research a bit more on how to do this without investing in any more paid tools. Still love NetGalley and all they do to promote reading and authors!

[Neon · Rating 4 out of 5]

First off I would like to thank NetGalley and 'We Are Bookish' for the ARC

This guide was simple, but helpful. Best for kids, feels a bit redundant for an adult to read. It's fine if you've never seen NetGalley before, though. I found a couple tips that helped. I am going to look forward to filling in the journal if it's as good as it sounds.

Kind of a picture book version, clear concise directions and images.

[Read-n-Bloom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great User Guide for the Net Galley Reading Journal! It is very helpful in understanding how to use the Reading Journal.

[Trisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a wonderful additional the journal! I've been following so many booktokers on TikTok that are doing reading journals and this gives me the ability to make my own! I like that there are directions on how to download. I love the added sets of stickers and washi tape.

But this really is a great addition to my reading, and I love that Netgalley shared this with us readers!

[CybercrrEDU · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you for providing such lovely and professional guides for new users at NetGalley. I highly recommend reading the NetGalley Book Advocate Toolkit first before jumping into this. Its best to arm yourself with best practices and learn about potential blunders and pitfalls that newcomers may make. This is an extent of that toolkit and once you've read both you will have a better understanding on how to provide good book reviews whether you do it for a hobby like me, or professionally.

[Andrea Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

This user guide was really good. I was wondering how to edit the reading journal, and this guide explained it well!

[The Bourbon-Sipping Bibliophile · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just checked out the NetGalley Reading Journal User Guide by We Are Bookish (thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!), and I have some thoughts. I'd give it a 3 out of 5 stars. It's a helpful little guide, but it's definitely geared more towards new NetGalley users and younger readers.

Basically, it's a guide on how to use the NetGalley Reading Journal. It gives you step-by-step instructions on downloading it, using it, and customizing it. It even comes with digital stickers and washi tape, which is a cute touch.

I liked how clear and concise the directions were. It's almost like a picture book version, with lots of visuals to help you along. If you've never used NetGalley or done any digital journaling before, this guide would be pretty useful. It explains the basics really well. I even picked up a couple of helpful tips myself.

I can see how this would be especially great for people who are just getting into book journaling, especially with all the BookTok trends. It gives you a nice template to start with and helps you organize your thoughts and reviews.

However, as someone who's been using NetGalley for a while and is pretty comfortable with digital tools, I found a lot of it to be a bit redundant. It covers very basic computer tasks, like downloading apps and importing files. If you're already familiar with these things, you might not get a ton out of it.

One thing to keep in mind is that using the journal, especially if you want to customize it a lot (like finding book covers and filling in all the charts), could take up a fair amount of time. It might cut into your actual reading time, so that's something to consider.

I also think it's important to check out the NetGalley Book Advocate Toolkit first. That toolkit gives you a broader overview of NetGalley and best practices for writing reviews, which I think is more valuable for new users. This guide is more of an extension of that, focusing specifically on the journal.

Overall, the NetGalley Reading Journal User Guide is a good resource for new NetGalley users and those who are new to digital journaling. It's clear, concise, and visually appealing. However, more experienced users might find it a bit too basic. It's a nice addition, but not essential for everyone.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

The NetGalley Reading Journal User Guide contains a number of step-by-step tutorials for downloading and utilizing the Reading Journal and a general guide with tips to getting started with electronic journaling.

The folks at We Are Bookish have put together a journal, customizable pages, stickers, and more. This guide contains instructions for getting the most out of the journal and resources.

Graphically, it coordinates with the Reading Journal, and is a restful neutral palette of greens and beiges.

It is fairly simple, but readers should be comfortable with basic computer tasks, downloading apps, setting them up, importing files, and copying/customizing pages.

Additionally, depending on how much time readers wish to spend on journaling, it could come at a cost of valuable reading time (finding covers, copying them, tracking reading time, filling in charts, etc). All in all, however, it's a great resource for -using- the journal and getting the most out of figuring out how to set the journal up and how to use it for maximum effect.

Five stars. Kind of the We Are Bookish folks to provide support and tutorials to make book advocacy easier and more fun.

[Erica Robbin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good information, as I didn’t know this app, called Goodnotes, was available. I think anyone looking for a new book organization tool, namely how to integrate a new app to better organize NetGalley requests and books in genreal, will enjoy reading this one.

I would like to thank We Are Bookish for providing me with an advance readers copy via access to the galley for free through the NetGalley program.

The Story
This is an interactive book shows the features that the Goodnotes app provides which can be used to track your reading throughout the year.

It provides step-by-step instructions of how to download the note-taking app and customize it according to your TBR and read piles for books of any format.

There is mention of stickers, how to integrate outside images, and how journal pages can be shared to your social media platforms.

The Writing
The instructions are simple.

Color scheme of soft forest green, brown, charcoal, and golden rod were soothing and polished, as were the stylistic pinned messages that displayed reminders.

I appreciated the interactive menu tabs arranged on the top for easy navigation to re-reference chapters.

Blog post

[Georgia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to We Are Bookish and Netgalley for the useful resource.

I was delighted to download a copy of the Netgalley Reading Journal. It meant I could keep all my reviews in one place and monitor my reading activity and TBR list for the year. However, the journal was not as simple to use as I initially thought.

The Netgalley Reading Journal User Guide was extremely useful in that it provided suggested programmes to use to open the journal in an editable format and gave direction on downloading tthe sticker packs, best practice for using the book, and all that you would expect from a user guide. It also set me on the path to creating my own stickers to customise my journal.

Although this book points predominantly at Netgalley with the recording of specific stats, the Reading Journal and this guide is useful for any reader reviewer that opts for a digital as opposed to a physical record of their reading.

[Mary Winkler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This guide was pretty helpful in getting started, but I wish it had gone into more depth. For instance, I downloaded all the files to my IPad and added them to Goodnotes. Once they were in Goodnotes, I was able to extract the .zip files, however, for the life of me, I could not figure out how to get the stickers into the journal from there. I really still haven't. I had to re-download the files to my iPad and import them just as saved files on my iPad and insert the stickers individually as pictures. I figured this out after watching a few YouTube videos of people journaling on Goodnotes.

It is mentioned using the free version of Goodnotes, but it is no longer free.

Seems like this guide just needs a little bit of updating, but it probably works for someone who has already used the program before, just not for newbies.

[Vanity La’Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 / 5

I really appreciate NetGalley for creating a guide to help us stay organized in our reading and reviewing journey. The user guide does a solid job of explaining how to use the reading journal and walks you through how to navigate the PDF document.

It focuses specifically on apps like Goodnotes and Xodo, which is great, but I personally use Notability. While there weren’t direct instructions for that app, I still found it easy to use and navigate. As long as you’re familiar with your note-taking app and how it handles PDF forms, you’ll be fine.

Overall, a helpful tool to enhance the reading experience and keep everything in one place!

[Emma Fawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

The NetGalley Reading Journal User Guide helped walk me through the process of downloading the NetGalley Reading Journal, accessing NetGalley’s stickers, gave recommended note taking apps to import the PDF document too, tips, and more! The more helpful feature of this User Guide is that while it recommends note taking apps, the journal also supply’s a step-by-step guide on how to import the PDF file depending on the software.

With the help of this guide, I was able to learn how to access and edit a PDF like I never had realized before. This guide made the journaling process much more easy and simple, taking away any confusion or frustration that may have surfaced otherwise.

Thank you NetGalley and We Are Bookish for supplying the NetGalley Reading User Guide!

[toastie ʚ:ɞ · Rating 5 out of 5]

୨୧ NetGalley Reading Journal User Guide ୨୧
╰┈➤ [5 out of 5 ☆’s.]

❝𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐧𝐞𝐰𝐛𝐢𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥, 𝐰𝐞'𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝!❞

ʚɞ ⁺˖ ⸝⸝

NetGalley’s Reading Journal User Guide is a companion to their free 100+ page Reading Journal PDF! :) Within the pages of this User Guide — the author recommends two apps to use to edit digital journaling pages & offers tips for general journaling practices.

I’m glad that the apps that were recommended are ones that are free (or have free versions of them)! That helps makes them more obtainable for readers.

I recommend this User Guide to readers + reviewers that have been looking for some go to editing apps (and aren’t sure where to start)!

[The Romance Bookery · Rating 5 out of 5]

A simple, well laid out guide to using the Netgalley Reading Journal through either the Goodnotes or Xodo apps. A must read guide if you are wanting to use the Netgalley Reading Journal on your phone or tablet. As someone who prefers an analog journal, this didn't fit my needs but I do know a lot of people who prefer to keep everything in one place and are more likely to use a journal if its easily accessible on their phone.

[Vicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a useful - and necessary - companion for the Reading Journal. I highly recommend everyone reading this before using the Journal. One caveat that irritated me - they recommend downloading and using the Goodnotes App. What they don’t tell you is that the app costs you. Okay, it’s only $9.99/year but still, I wasn’t prepared for that. Other than that a definite good thing to have if you have the journal.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wanted to use the Reading Journal but could not make head nor tail of how to actually use it until I read this guide. It gave simple, clear directions of where I should download it, what program to use it in, how to open it, etc and tips such as keep a blank copy so you've got the option of a new one each year. Very practical.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #WeAreBookish for an Advance Copy of this guide and the opportunity to review it.

HIghly recommended for Journal Users

[Mariaaa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book to teach you how to use the reading journal. Especially helpful for me, as I’ve never used one before. I have tried to make so many different documents and end up confusing myself. I love that I now have both a journal and a guide to use it. It’ll make reviewing and planning much less stressful, giving myself more time to enjoy it!

Thank you NetGalley for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for my review.

[Renee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This guide is very helpful when learning how to navigate and customize the NetGalley Journal. I am still referring back to it to set up my new 2025 journal. The explanations are broken down in easy to follow steps that any level of creator can understand and follow. I highly recommend this Guide when starting out with the NetGalley Journal so you can learn all the fabulous intricacies that We Are Bookish included in their publication.

[Merritt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A helpful guide when trying to use the digital reading journal NetGalley offers!

I was struggling to figure out how to use the tabs in my goodnotes app - turns out, I just needed to toggle one setting! Who knew!

Short and sweet. If you're thinking of getting into digital Journaling and want a template to start, check it out and definitely give the instructions a skim.

Thank you #NetGalley and We Are Bookish for providing these resources to us for free.

[Maddie Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This user guide is so helpful if you are new to using a digital tracker! It gives you all the tips and tricks from what apps to use that works best for your device and how to import pictures of the covers and even adding cute stickers! This is my first time using my IPad and notes app to track my ARCs from Netgalley and other opportunities. I think this is a super neat thing to give access to the users!

[Marie Chalupová · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have just discovered the NetGalley Reading Journal, but as a complete newbie to digital journaling, I would have to do some research to figure things out. This guide saved me some time and gave me tips as to where to get more information.

This guide, as well as the journal, are available for free on NetGalley.

[Whitney Scheibel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The NetGalley Reading Journal User Guide is straightforward and easy to understand, with clear instructions for setting up your digital reading journal. While I personally prefer using an app like Goodreads to track my books, I can see how this guide would be an excellent resource for anyone wanting to dive into creating a more personalized digital reading journal.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very good guide on how to keep a Reading Journal. It has enough information in it without being too much.
I have plans to get my reading journal going and not have it feel like it is a part time job. I like that this gives me the tools to use in my reading journey.
Thank you NetGalley and We Are Bookish. This is my personal review.

[Gina Dutton · Rating 4 out of 5]

The guide has a straightforward set-up. It goes into detail about loading on devices and how to use. The issue I had was actually getting the journal loaded on my device so I could use it correctly. Even following all the steps exactly, the journal did not want to transfer until several attempts were made.

[Sonya Loyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley for The Reading Journal User Guide. I found this guide easy to understand. As an android phone user, it instructed me how to install Xodo on to my phone. It was flawless and that is rarely how digital things go for me!

[Jeanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

NetGalley Reading Journal User Guide by We Are Bookish was a useful guide for how to get the NetGalley Reading Journal installed.

Thank you to We Are Bookish and NetGalley for the copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

[Bube Ale · Rating 4 out of 5]

This guide is a great way to use the book NetGalley reading journal. It explains every formula using the reading journal very well. I liked how it gave me suggestions for apps to use with the journal. Thanks for the opportunity, for I enjoyed this fabulous book from the NetGalley

[Jessie (Saffity) · Rating 5 out of 5]

The companion to the Reading Journal, this book helps you with how to use the journal online. The introduction to online journaling as well as suggested apps and walk throughs make using the journal easy and fun. Thank you We Are Bookish for this guide as well as the journals!

[Tee Clausell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This user guide was more than helpful and easy to understand. Its explains the basics, gives you added tips and additional sources if more information is needed. Thank you!
If you are looking into starting a reading journal NetGalley's is a perfect start.