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NetGalley?
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I used it for one of my books a year or two ago. It sounds as if the price has dropped somewhat - but it is still expensive.The advantages are that you do get reviews, and the site is also used by the book trade, who sometimes use it to check out books they may want to stock. The disadvantages are that you are competing with mainstream publishers, and also that the reviews tend to be harsh; I'm used to the occasional stinker, but the percentage was definitely higher. I think that is the nature of the reviewers who subscribe to the site.
If you want to go down the NetGalley road but do not want to commit several hundred pounds, authors do sometimes come together in group subscriptions.
Netgalley is a great way to get reviews. I have not used it personally, but when I looked into it, I only found how to submit books that had not been published yet. The reviews get posted approx on your release date, which can be a great boost for your book. We all know how elusive those reviews can be sometimes!Glad to hear your promo did nicely with your book, Tim :)
As of last Friday, I am listed on Netgalley as well, so we'll see what comes of it. I received 7 quick likes as to my cover in the first couple days, but none since, for whatever that is worth. I'm up to 12 Amazon reviews (4.6 average!) on my book, but I doubt any of those can be attributed to Netgalley (if they ever would be in the first place).
E.M. wrote: "As of last Friday, I am listed on Netgalley as well, so we'll see what comes of it. I received 7 quick likes as to my cover in the first couple days, but none since, for whatever that is worth. I'm..."A good point - reviews through NetGalley aren't always going to show up on Goodreads or Amazon, which are where your readers are.
I used Netgalley at the beginning of the year for two months through a co-op called Patchwork Press where you can purchase a Netgalley "slot" by the month at a fairly reasonable price (about $50 a month). Your book doesn't have to be new. I loved the experience. Here's the paragraph I wrote about my Netgalley experience on my blog: If you can afford to spend a little cash, turn to Patchwork Press’s Netgalley Co-op. Netgalley has a huge team of dedicated bloggers, librarians, and book readers who are passionate about reviewing and getting the word out about new and undiscovered books. Until recently, Netgalley was only available to the big publishers, mainly because the cost of submitting titles was so expensive. But now, Patchwork Press and several other companies have established Netgalley co-ops that make the reviewing service available to all of us on a month-to-month basis. I paid $95 for two months and ended up with 8 reviews, 3 from bloggers who featured their review of my book on their website, 1 from a librarian, and 4 from popular Goodreads reviewers. Eight reviews for $95 many not sound like many, but these were all solid reviews and my book received some great media exposure. I did get my first 2 star review, but the reviewer’s reasons for feeling less that ecstatic about To Swim were well articulated and that helped me understand her perspective. So although it was a negative review, the feedback was useful, and I’m hopeful that it will help other readers make an informed decision when they consider buying my book. I loved Netgalley and I am only sorry that I didn’t find it in time to make it part of my book launch.
I'd love to hear about other folks' experiences.
Mike wrote: "...A good point - reviews through NetGalley aren't always going to show up on Goodreads or Amazon, which are where your readers are ..."That depends on the reviewer. Provided the payment via free review copy is disclosed and publisher/auhtor/promoter listing on NetGalley didn't put unacceptable conditions (like minimum star ratings, only 5-star reviews posted before x date, ...), both Amazon and goodreads allow NetGalley reviews.
In addition to fees for individuals to list a single book on NetGalley, there are also some volume discounts. So there are some author services and group accounts that buy a block (meaning you join up and then costs less to list your book). My old lady memory is having trouble remembering some names (I'll post back if I do find some of the links again). Kind of like how authors might buy a single or small amount of ISBNs but publishers and others would buy huge blocks of ISBNs.
ETA: after replying to Mike, just read Ginger's comment. Patchwork Press was one of the co-op things I was trying. to remember.
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/... mentions Expresso Book Tours has co-op slots for NetGalley.
http://www.ibpa-online.org was the one I was trying to remember.
As a matter of fact, it was Ginger's extremely helpful post that spurred me into submitting to Netgalley through Patchwork in the first place. Thanks again, Ginger! :)
E.M. wrote: "As a matter of fact, it was Ginger's extremely helpful post that spurred me into submitting to Netgalley through Patchwork in the first place. Thanks again, Ginger! :)"I'm looking forward to your review of the services:)
Would also love to hear some first hand experience from someone who listed...