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I'm a member. I usually have a handful of books from them waiting for R&R.I just started reading one of theirs:
I'm a member but I've only requested one book and was denied. Haven't requested any since.
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What do you guys do when you don't like a book from NetGalley? And how long are your typical reviews? Help a sister out here...LOL!
I give my honest opinion. I have had a few serious duds. And my reviews aren't always long, but I try to be thoughtful and helpful. I love my arcs, but generally feel a bit of pressure in HAVING to read them. But I can't seem to stop requesting them.
Grey wrote: "Ok... total newb question...What do you guys do when you don't like a book from NetGalley? And how long are your typical reviews? Help a sister out here...LOL!"
There is no minimum length for reviews. In fact there are no set rules for what you write in a review. They ask that you try to review within 3 months of downloading an ARC. That means sending the publisher feedback and posting the review at least on NetGalley. You don't have to write anything for the publisher feedback unless you want to. But you need to answer those two minimum questions and submit.
My own "personal" guidelines for reviewing NetGalley ARCs are:
1. Review within 3 months or before pub date - whichever comes first. The only exception when an ARC has already been published when I receive it, then within 3 months.
2. I always post my reviews on GR as well as NetGalley. I post to Amazon and B&N if the book is available for review on the retail sites. Sometimes I have to go back to the retail sites later if the book hasn't published yet. I also post the link to all of my reviews on NetGalley.
3. The hardest part is, of course, when you don't like a book. Although NetGalley has no restrictions, I go by the rule of thumb that if I can't rate a book 3 stars or above AND the book hasn't published yet, then I will wait until after pub date to post my review. I'm not out to hurt anyone's sales, but I am out to be honest. So, that's my compromise.
4. DNF's must be few and far between. I may have 1 or 2 in the almost hundred reviews I've done for them. I do force myself to read an ARC unlike I would a book I purchased. In the rare instance that I can't possibly finish a book, I do not rate, review, or otherwise make note of it other than in a couple of brief lines on NetGalley saying the book didn't work for me and I was unable to finish it. It's always good to remember that one person's dnf is another person's 5-star.
That's it for my "system". Only adding that it took me a long time to start getting books I wanted to read and even now I certainly get denied books I want. There is no guarantee for ARC giveaways and you should never take a rejection personally. You can reach out to the publisher to ask why you were denied, but you may/may not get an answer. Often they have their requirements listed in NetGalley so it's easy to see. For example, some might require a retailer or librarian. Others may require a book blog with a minimum number of subscribers. There's quite a few ARC rules out there and they don't always apply to every book. Just keep at it and review review review.
And have fun reading!!!
Oops ETA: remember ARCs are not ready for publishing yet so you have to be careful quoting since it may change. You also need to ignore formatting and editing issues since they not have been addressed yet. At most, you can send the publisher a private note about it.
@Lisa those are great suggestions too. "thoughtful" & "helpful"
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Oh well. I guess i will try again with another book. keep me posted?
Yuk. Sorry it didn't work for you. I know we all want to read five star books.
That reminds you I have a few NetGalley to review....
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I've reviewed some amazing finds (and definitely some not so amazing), but I keep mine in a special shelf. Right now I have ten NetGalley books waiting for me to get to - the ones I'm most excited about are:Train Wreck by Elise Faber and Impossible Views of the World by Lucy Ives. I have a few that are "Read Now" picks instead of ones I have to be approved for (The Red by Tiffany Reisz) and Archie of Outlandish (by Lynnette Kraft). Those are ones anyone can get - you don't have to be approved for. And there is one published that set me to auto-approved, but they don't have all that many that I'm usually interested in. If I find something amazing, I will definitely come back and post it here.
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My lineup is mostly M/M and YA Dystopian. I seldom request anything outside those genres.
I felt all kinds of special when I got approved for the Dean Koontz book coming out this month - Silent Corner. I felt....accomplished, LOL And it was good also!
Then just start grabbing the "Read Now" ones, Ela. That'll build up a base and they'll see that you review them, and poof, you'll suddenly start getting approved. Some publishers are WAY harder than others, and it still hurts my feelings when I get denied. Other times, I'm like "whoa, that was easy".
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And I requested the next book, Shadowsong.
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Grey wrote: "An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen (authors of The Wife Between Us) is a Read Now for the first 500,000 people who request..."Awesome Sauce! Got it as well!
We should BR. We haven't done one in a while.
How about
or some other K. Webster? You can always count on her for good and dark. I was noticing the other day that I never read this one.
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That would be great, Grey! Perfect timing. I'm finishing up Blind Kiss tonight and I'd like to read two or three others first.
WAIT.........HOLD UP! IS THE BR OF THE DAY SHE CRIED OR IS RENEE GOING OFF ON HER OWN BR AND DOING THE ARC?
which ever one Grey was talking about. lol I edited my post.
Either is fine with me. I forgot I'd mentioned the other book. 😂
JUST READ THIS SPOILER REVIEW FOR THE DAY SHE CRIED AND I'M NOT SURE I WANT TO WASTE MY TIME!https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
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Just got approved for The Darkest Star by Jennifer Armentrout!
I went to check and I just got approved for A Muddle of Magic by Alexandra Rushe. *jumps in enthusiasm* It continues her first book, A Meddle of Wizard. I just requested The Darkest Star. :)
Yay Tessa! I'm not familiar with that series? Fantasy?
Yep. I got the first one last year through NetGalley, and it became a favorite. I'm glad to get the next in the series. It's a really cool fantasy world, with the MC a girl pulled in from our world.
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Daisy Jones and the Six is available for request on NG....Taylor Jenkins Reid. Hope I get it!
I totally forgot I was approved for All Your Perfects--after I'd already bought and read it. What happens if I don't review it? I didn't love it and I'm only reviewing books I love right now. Will this affect getting approved in the future or would I have had to accept it and not review it for that to happen?
What About Us by Sidney Halston is available for request on NG. 4th book in the Panic series
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Grey wrote: "I got my approval for Daisy Jones and the Six... Not sure when they sent it, I've been out of town and hadn't checked my email. Oops!"ME TOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!
So, I got my approval earlier for Muddle of Magic, and today, found out I won a copy of it for Kindle. lol Either way, I'm reading it.
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I am a newbie on there... I've only read and reviewed a couple of books through there. I keep forgetting about it, honestly. LOL!