NetGalley - What do you think?

[Megan]

What does everyone think of NetGalley? What do you like/dislike about it?

I want to log into the website more often, browse the titles, and request some every so often. I'm just so used to reading books with actual hardcopies. I don't know if I could get used to reading books as files on the computer.

Do most authors provide ebooks? I don't want to request hard copies for every book, but not sure how I would enjoy reading long novels on the computer (or smartphone).

Also, what are some tricks to get approved for books? Should I let authors know that I will provide a review, or do they already assume a review will be done in exchange for the book?

Let me know what you think! Give me suggestions and your opinion.

[Michael]

Hi Megan

I'm currently using Netgalley as an author for the first time for my book The Goblin Child by Michael Forester.
From my point of view it's expensive and thus far without obvious payoff.
Books are uploaded as PDF or similar and when I approve a reviewer it frees them to download my book. I have the option to accept or reject a request from a reviewer. I make that judgement based on the detail they provide about themselves - occupation, blogging etc. Naturally I'm looking for reviews so yes I would say you should state explicitly that you do this.
If you would like to consider reviewing my book you can either approach me at Netgalley or alternatively I can provide you with the PDF by e mail from michaelforester.co.uk. .

I hope this helps

Best

Michael

[Tana]

One thing to mention is it not cheap for authors to send out paperbacks, besides the cost of the book they also would have to pay the shipping/postage costs. It is so much cheaper and a lot easier for a author to send someone an eBook via email. Don't get me wrong though some may ship you a copy, just not all.

Ebooks are so much easier, but I do still love an actual book at times.... I go to the library, or buy books on sale ect.

I also bought myself a kindle, its small like a paperback easy to read, I carry it everywhere I go. I read all the time on it and love it. They go on sale a lot.

Netgalley is great, you have to put a lot of info in your profile, like you blog address then how many followers you have, how many page views daily and a monthly average of page views. I also included my Goodreads account, how long I have been reading, my amazon account and the reviews I have there. Basically they have to see your going to write reviews and share them. The publisher may go look at your pages and your reviews should have a little substance in them. A couple lines won't do.

Netgalley is set up so the book can be sent right to your kindle or you can download a copy for ibooks/kobo/nooks ect. Worst case scenario you'll have to read the books on your laptop or phone.

Again with Netgalley make sure to include as much info as you can to your profile and keep requesting, as soon as you get one, Read and Review it asap. Then you will have some history on your account. The more you read and review the more you will get.

[Groovy]

I can see it's not easy getting on Netgalley. If you don't have a blog with blog followers, or a lot of reviews for your book, does that count against you? And do you have to pay a fee? Michael mentioned it was expensive.

You're right, Tana. Sending out hardcopies is very expensive, especially internationally. I only write and send Kindle. One day when I'm rich and on the NY Bestseller's list, then I can afford hardcopies. (warning that might take a long time:)

[Tana]

Netgalley is free for us reviewers but I am not sure what it costs an author to put his/her book on the site. I think that is what Michael was referring to.

Reviewers who are new and just signing up but don't have a blog can use their facebook and goodreads account, I think its all about the reading and writing the reviews and then where you can share the info and post the reviews. The more info you have the better chance the person has to get the book they are requesting.

[Groovy]

Thank-you!

[Miranda]

I've been using netgalley for some time now, it's mostly used for ebook copies. So if you're wanting to review hard copies more often the not it won't be the case. When you put in a request it could take sometime for you to either be accepted or declined. Most of them have things they require for you to be accepted and get a review copy such as blog link, link to Goodreads, amazon account etc also provide details to your social medias like Facebook and twitter etc that you cross reference your reviews on. Most of the major publishing houses decline people who aren't actual bloggers since those are the one who get first dibs but if you've got a decent backing on Goodreads/amazon it will help as well for us small time reviewers. If you don't review the books it will show on the netgalley profile your rating on how many you've reviewed etc and this will also let them know how efficient you are with getting them done. Being prompt and getting them done during the time frames they request is ideal so as to continue getting more books. Sorry for the long winded post this is most of what I've learned through using them.

[Zee]

I've been a Netgalley reviewer almost from the start, I think it was late 2012.

You very rarely get hardcopies - sometimes, after you request a book there, the publicist or pub house rep gets in touch via email to ask you to join the blog tour. That's your chance to ask for a hardcopy, but generally, you'll get ebooks.

The Send to Kindle option is best (basically, you need a Kindle or a Kindle app on your Android device or iPhone. I have Kindle apps on both my phone and tablet). Why it's best - the books don't "expire" once you've sent to Kindle. It's there always in your cloud.
However, downloading to a computer will require Adobe Digital Editions (real easy to download an setup). The 'problem' with this is that the book is valid for 60 days tops - you have to read it within these 60 days or it's gone. Not a problem if you request a couple of books per month, but once your numbers start growing, this becomes tricky.
(An alternative that I follow is getting the Calibre software on your computer and then the plug-ins that 'break' the DRM on the Adobe file, so you then import it to Calibre and it's a file accessible all the time. Bit technical this part, but doable).

The more you review, the more your review ratio goes up - so of course, this pays off. The others said it - start with as much detail as possible in your profile. They especially like numbers such as followers and the like.
As time goes, you might earn the Top Reviewer badge there, which further adds to your cred (that's when more than 5 of your reviews have been showcased on the book page). Another badge for 200 Reviews. Oh, you also get auto-approved sometimes. It can be random, or it can be that you've reviewed for this publisher a few times already so they auto-approve you. You then get all their books through just a request.

As for authors, you can pay directly with Netgalley - very expensive, though. The work around for this is finding author co-ops who sign up for one account, then you pay a monthly/yearly or even a by-the-book fee to have your book up on their account there. Some allow you 1 book every 2/3 months, others have no limit except a single title logged in at a time.

Returns as an author - I've used it for 1 year, and not worth it. I got maybe 2-3 reviews so it wasn't worth the money. Worse, I've seen copies of my books being offered on torrent pirate sites and the origin was Netgalley. It didn't hurt me as the book I'd listed was already free on all platforms, but it is something to bear in mind - a lot of pirates on there to get books for free.

[Janet]

so far I've gotten no action. Over $300 for 6 months. Not a good deal.

[Jennie]

Janet wrote: "so far I've gotten no action. Over $300 for 6 months. Not a good deal."

Sorry to hear that - I just requested it and put it in my to read pile - probably be the second week of December before I read it. If I like it I'll post and blog and let you know.

[Nicki]

I've not used it as an author, but I love NetGalley as a reader. I have a very limited budget, so it gives me a chance to read books I wouldn't otherwise be able to afford (especially with non-fiction titles, which can be extra pricey). It is also a way for me to try new-to-me authors and see if I like their work. If I find a book I truly love and want to reread, I can always get the paperback at a later date.
I like to have print copies for books I wish to keep forever/reread, but I have a dedicated e-reader and am happy to work with eBooks for one-time reads or to try new authors.
I've had the opportunity to read some amazing books via NetGalley, both from small presses and larger publishing houses, so I am very thankful for it.