NetGalley Addicts Support Group discussion
Coat Check [All About You]
>
Oldest unread NetGalley book?
I wonder if those late books count against you in the in the info the publishers have available when choosing to approve or not our requests. In any case today I finally submitted the review to my oldest book on the shelf.This year has been super hard for me and got later and later and later with my readings. Before, this only happened when I'd been approved for some book too close to release date and then I could never fit in my schedule.
I'm still some books behind but not for that long and it's looking less scary now than a month ago. I think getting rid of those was magic for my mental health.
I got so far behind for me. I still have books from September and decided I would read the ones coming up to be published and then alternate with an older one. At least this way some of them are on time.
Jeanne wrote: "I got so far behind for me. I still have books from September and decided I would read the ones coming up to be published and then alternate with an older one. At least this way some of them are on..."I do something very similar. I know that a review within 2 weeks of the pub date, before or after, is more valuable to the author and publisher than one that's too late for the books to be on display in the stores, so when I miss a pub date, unless I am super close to being done, I drop that one on my "Pub date over" shelf here on GR, and I move on to one whose date I can still hit. I have kept to about 90% for years, but I've been doing this for some time, so my 10% of each year has added up to about 65-70 titles in my backlog. It isn't a great feeling, since I never accept a book unless I want to read it and review it. Some of them are books I regret taking, but there are a good number that I do still want to follow through on.
I am retired, and have the luxury of being able to read multiple books at once, so in addition to my up-and-coming galleys, I allow myself one physical book, which usually isn't a galley but sometimes is, and that book lives in the bathroom till I'm done with it, or till it grabs me and follows me out of there. I also always have two back titles, one that's digital, and a second audio book that I've checked out from the library to help me catch up. Then I also have an additional audio book that's just for fun; sometimes it's a book I wanted, but couldn't get the galley, and other times, it's an older title and I never had the chance for a galley.
This is admittedly a complex system, but I've been tweaking it for years, and I am happy with it. It helps if I don't have any that are too similar--i.e., protagonists with the same names; similar settings; you get my drift. And everyone has to find a system that works for them, but there definitely is a way to chip away at the backlog without denying yourself the new ones that you're excited about.
Right this seems fun….Now while technically my oldest book is from 2014, when I was fairly new to NetGalley I accepted a number of titles already released, including the Divergent trilogy.
So my outstanding numbers:
2011 - 2013= 4 (3 Divergent 1 2019 approval)
2014 - 2
2015 8 (when vision problems halted reading until mid 2018)
2016 - 1
2018 = 4
2019 = 33
2020. = 47
My radio is 81% and while I want to whittle down those 2019/2020 numbers especially , in both years I reviewed 90%+ of approved titles.
I haven't updated this in a while. My oldest now is from May 2019. I haven't been requesting as much lately since I've been trying to clear my back log, but my ratio is at 90% with nearly 350 reviewed so I think I'm doing ok.2019 - 8
2020 - 9
2021 - 14 (already released)
My goal for the rest of the year is to clear as many of these as possible. I will definitely clear all of the 2019 ones. Then I'll whittle down 2020/2021 and they should be mostly gone by the new year.
I haven't updated my progress in a while either. My oldest is still from 2013 but I have made a lot of progress overall. Feedback Ratio: 90%
663 Approved | 595 Feedback Sent
I have 68 books on my shelf.
Not yet published - 9
2021 - 4
2020 - 5
2019 - 4
2018 - 2
2017 - 9
2016 - 16
2015 - 9
2014 - 7
2013 - 3
I hope to get some of these read soon. I am down to my last 2 Edelweiss books so next year I will be putting all of my focus on this NetGalley backlog.
Ohh boy. I'm at 90%, which is the good news. But? Not yet published, 2022: 20
Not yet published, 2021: 4
2021-33 (!!!!)
2020-15
2019-9
2018-6
2017-3
2016-2
I used to be brilliant at reviewing exactly on the date of publication, or a week or so early, followed by a return to re-blog and review on Amazon and some other booksellers' sites. It's a cautionary tale about not biting off too much.
One thing I have learned is that it really, really, really is okay to ignore widgets. I don't delete them; I put them in a nice little file, and on one occasion I changed my mind, went back and got one. (I had been granted the audiobook, and so it made total sense to go ahead and download the digital copy, too.) Right now I am ignoring several each week; imagine what it would have done to my numbers if I'd taken them all! Yikes.
Donna wrote: "Ohh boy. I'm at 90%, which is the good news. But? Not yet published, 2022: 20
Not yet published, 2021: 4
2021-33 (!!!!)
2020-15
2019-9
2018-6
2017-3
2016-2
I used to be brilliant at reviewing ex..."
Donna, you are my people! I don't feel so alone.
I now keep a folder in my email for widgets too and only download them when I am ready to start reading the books. I think my biggest issue now is the emails that they send out letting you know that an book is read now for a very limited time. In those cases, I sometimes act before giving it enough thought.
I have only joined Netgalley this year. I have 10 books on my shelf, all of which, apart from 1, publish next year and I still feel bad that they're sitting there unread.I can't wait until I am sitting here in 2027 talking about having a book on my shelf from 2022
I have 54 and my oldest is from September. Even that freaks me out. My percentage is 75% so not terrible. I don't seem to request much but I get a bunch of widgets. Right now I have eight requested but four have already been published.
My oldest unread is The Book of Tomorrow downloaded October 2010. I got this from the library yesterday and hope to post feedback on NG soon.
Hayley wrote: "I am admitting to having a few unread books from 2019, I was just wondering what your oldest unread book is (just so I don’t feel so alone and bad!!)"So far I've read all I've been approved for, though one I didn't finish, and will not, because it wasn't good, and it's rare for me not to finish. I will admit there are quite a few books I have put back on my shelf to try again, and I do intend to try them again.
Well, I guess the above statement isn't completely true, I did get an email the other day telling me I was pre-approved for a book. I didn't ask for it, and the blurb didn't sound all that good, plus it was the second book in a series and I haven't read the first, so I didn't respond. It was nice of them though.
I have 10 books that I didn't have the opportunity to read. More books would arrive and life happened. I've started to request those books from the library to add in older titles as they arrive. Since I only have the book on loan for 12 days, the title gets moved to the top of my queue. Some books I can't access so I feel bad about those but I'm trying! You're not alone!
I'm going to make all of you feel very good about yourselves. I got cancer in 2015. Prior to that, I was reading upwards of 500 books a year, and so I was requesting lots of books, since I read fast and reviewed just as quickly. They were quality reviews, too. I've been a homeschool mom since 2000, so I taught two children to read and write. I know a lot about it, both formally and informally, thus the smiley face I'm about to add Chromebook-style. :)I thought that while I was sick I would have plenty of extra time to read, but I was too exhausted to do so. Then after I survived cancer, I had an unexpected waterfall of other kinds of illnesses just fall all over me, one after another, for another four years. Each time I would feel better, I'd come back and request more books thinking I'd be back to how I used to be, but I never was. Eventually, I developed an odd neurological condition without a diagnosis that took me over and made me not want to read at all so I quit, not realizing what a mess I left behind.
Now I have about 500 books left unread with NetGalley, and 29 of them never got downloaded because I was hospitalized or something when the notifications came in, or I wasn't reading email for another reason. I even ended up 26,000 emails behind, and I needed help from my therapist to clean that up (I did). It now stands at 500 again because I just recently got ANOTHER new diagnosis, a tenth chronic condition, and I'll be adding an 18th specialist to the list tomorrow. This time, however, I'm not going to stop reading, or let it spoil my dreams. After my youngest graduates from homeschool soon, I will be turning my attention to becoming an author myself. Anyway, those 500 emails are about 25 important ones and 475 promotional ones, so I'll just be going in and deleting most of them, or opening the newsletters so the authors don't delete me from their mailing lists. No biggie. A couple hours of my attention after my doctor's appointment tomorrow will take care of it. We're on school break for this week, so even if I need two days, that's fine. It's my time.
Okay. So my ugly breakdown of numbers. As I started listing, I see my misbehavior started even before cancer. I did have a couple surgeries in 2014. I don't know if that's it, or just plain irresponsibility early on. I'm pretty certain a couple of the publishers might no longer exist. I wonder what happens in that case.
2014 - 41
2015 - 349
2016 - 61
2017 - 0
2018 - 33
2019 - 9
2020 - 0
2021 - 0
2022 - 4 past due, but I'm really trying! I started back up in January.
Recently, BERKLEY actually gave me a title, so I'm thinking I'm being forgiven my ugly past and given a second chance. I tried contacting NetGalley to ask if there was a way to start over since it was due to illness. I actually could have died a few times in there and didn't, thankfully. But there's really no way to contact NetGalley, nor is there a way to start over. My history is what it is. Hopefully someone can learn from this that, when lightning strikes, shut things down quickly and pull back on any current requests that are out there.
That number of requests I did in 2015 is just ridiculous. It was spread over the entire year and didn't stop until October which was when my cancer surgeries were over. I have no idea what I was thinking. That's more than a book a day. Back in the day, I could have done that as a healthy person. I don't miss that. I think it was almost too much reading, especially since I had kids. Well, they're readers now, too, so maybe I set that good example...
Amelyn wrote: "I'm going to make all of you feel very good about yourselves. I got cancer in 2015. Prior to that, I was reading upwards of 500 books a year, and so I was requesting lots of books, since I read fas..."Oh Amelyn, I don't feel good at all! I am so sorry for the hellish years you've endured. You poor dear. I hope things will be better soon.
And who the heck says you cannot open a new account? Can't you just use your middle name, or birth name or whatever, and a different email addy?
I don't blame you for your galley shopping spree. When you're going through something so dreadful, you do what you have to do to make yourself feel better.
Donna wrote: "Amelyn wrote: "I'm going to make all of you feel very good about yourselves. I got cancer in 2015. Prior to that, I was reading upwards of 500 books a year, and so I was requesting lots of books, s..."The trouble is, this is my pen name that I've already been using for eight years, planning to also become an author. The email address I use and this name are my business. I put a good deal of money into my website for my book review blog, and I kept it up, knowing I'd want to come back to it and either split it when I write a book, or just morph it into an author website.
That year has come. I've also been a homeschool mom for 22 years. During those really sick years, we did what I call "bed school." We liked that so much after the cancer that we kept bringing the books to the bed even after I was well because it was so darned cozy. We did that for a good three years or so until the two kids outgrew the space and there was no more rooms for them, me, and all of the books, plus room to work.
My youngest will graduate pretty soon. A normal kid would be done already, but she's like me. She loves to learn. About the time I would have graduated her, she decided she wanted to take a year off before college and asked if she could learn Japanese, AP environmental science, go further in math, and do some writing. Who am I to say no to that? LOL Granted, that wasn't me at age 18, that is me now. I love to learn. She's now 19, and she'll be ready to graduate before she's 20. Why rush? My husband graduated at age 19 (had to take first grade twice), but he graduated college and is now a tech whiz. I couldn't begin to tell you what he does all day. I can't even remember his job title. It's too long. LOL
So after graduation, I can focus my attention toward my first novel! Finally! I don't know if it's a paranormal rom com or a dark horror story or a memoir. It's not likely a memoir because my memory is terrible. That one would be an odd stream of consciousness with a lot of abuse (in the far past) and very dark parts. I know some people would want to read it, though, so I might actually do that.
So, I can't change the name. I chose this specific pen name for a reason years ago. My name is Amy and anyone is welcome to call me that, too. I do reveal my first name on my website. It is what it is across many platforms of social media, including YouTube. I even tried that. LOL But you won't find me on Twitter. I've been banned. :) Things you say when you're sick and tired of being sick and tired... (Yes, I've tried many times to appeal to get it back. They don't want me. I don't think a human being has looked at the appeals, though.)
Amelyn wrote: "Donna wrote: "Amelyn wrote: "I'm going to make all of you feel very good about yourselves. I got cancer in 2015. Prior to that, I was reading upwards of 500 books a year, and so I was requesting lo..."Sounds as if your life is exciting right now, and complicated, too.
Good luck.
My issue seems to be writing the review which appears as if I didn’t read the book. I’m finding it difficult to just write a quick review as it’s not what I typically do. I owe an embarrassing number of reviews. I haven’t even counted them!
My Brother's Spare pub date 8/24/21 & archived date 10/26/21 ... I think I wish listed this and it was late when I got it. It's an E-book, and I prefer audio this time of year, so it stays on the list. I am fortunate, I watched BookTubers explain NetGalley, reliable Tubers are consistent be careful how many you ask for, you may just get them. I'm grateful for those with experience passing on their wisdom. Does NetGalley ever say anything?
I still have one from 2017. Nothing wrong with the book, but there's always something more compelling. I'll get to it, sooner or later.
I joined in 2020, and so far I'm keeping up, but I do have a book on my shelf since April, but it doesn't come out until October. Reading them in their publication order seems to be working for me. (But there is a book I was just given, that comes out in December, that just might be read this weekend. (The first two books of the series were great!))
Confession time...I'm currently sitting on 783 approved requests waiting to be read. The oldest is from 2016. Probably why my feedback ratio is in the toilet at 18%...
So, I'm thinking I need professional help...lolol
I haven't had much time to dedicate to ARCs this year so I haven't made much progress on my backlog. Of the 77 books on my shelf, only 8 of them are not out yet which puts my backlog at 69.2019 - 6 books
2020 - 7 books
2021 - 10 books
2022 - 24 books
2023 - 28 books
2024 - 2 books
I'm hoping to clear a few out by the end of the year and then I really need to focus next year on getting these read.
Melanie wrote: "I haven't had much time to dedicate to ARCs this year so I haven't made much progress on my backlog. Of the 77 books on my shelf, only 8 of them are not out yet which puts my backlog at 69.2019 -..."
Melanie, if you haven't tried it yet, consider getting some of your backlogged galleys from the library or a streaming source so that you can hear them while you are getting other things done. This has helped me a lot! I have dispatched a large number of mine by poking in some earbuds, then listening while I chopped vegetables or weeded the flower bed.
Oldest from 2022 October Only. Rest all completed prior to that.
I downloaded my oldest NetGalley book in November 2013.This book is a 3 books in one file that is a bit over 1,800 pages.
I am most likely never going to read this book.
Carole wrote: "I downloaded my oldest NetGalley book in November 2013.This book is a 3 books in one file that is a bit over 1,800 pages.
I am most likely never going to read this book."
In which case, it's good that it's all in one file, since that means just one book that isn't reviewed rather than three. It's a good thing that NG isn't looking for a 100% review rate; if they were, they would probably have very few qualifying reviewers, especially us old timers. I kept mine up close to 100% for a year or two, with my only unread galleys ones that were formatted so badly I literally couldn't read them. But over time, that's just about impossible.
Melanie wrote: "I haven't had much time to dedicate to ARCs this year so I haven't made much progress on my backlog. Of the 77 books on my shelf, only 8 of them are not out yet which puts my backlog at 69.2019 -..."
Ouch! Once your numbers start to improve, you may want to beef them up by taking on the occasional children's book, cookbook, or art book. I think they also have comics, but since I don't read them, I don't know what the selection looks like. But if you take these easy ones, be sure to read them and review them right away.
Donna wrote: "Melanie wrote: "I haven't had much time to dedicate to ARCs this year so I haven't made much progress on my backlog. Of the 77 books on my shelf, only 8 of them are not out yet which puts my backlo..."I am always confused by this suggestion, not being rude, just wondering if I am missing something? If you start with a % of say. 50% and request (and get approved for say 10 children's book) or whatever, that makes your % go down. So now you may be at 48%. You then read all 10 of those books right away, that only ups your % to what it was originally 50%. So how does that help someone to beef up their %?
Like I said, not being rude, genuinely asking because I am confused. ☺️ ☺️
The Sassy Bookworm wrote: "I am always confused by this suggestion, not being rude, just wondering if I am missing something? If you start with a % of say. 50% and request (and get approved for say 10 children's book) or whatever, that makes your % go down. So now you may be at 48%. You then read all 10 of those books right away, that only ups your % to what it was originally 50%. So how does that help someone to beef up their %?"The more books you read, the less an individual book impacts your feedback ratio. So as an example:
Say you've been approved for 140 books, and you've given feedback on 70/140. You'll have a feedback ratio of 50%.
If you're approved for (or Read Now) a further 10 (let's say children's) books, you'll be at 70/150, or a feedback ratio of 47%.
But when you've read those 10 children's books, you'll be at 80/150, or a feedback ratio of 53%.
Obviously you can also beef up your feedback ratio by limiting your requests and digging into that backlog! (In this scenario, you could also get your feedback ratio up to 53% by reading four from your backlog, so 74/140.)
Liralen wrote: "The Sassy Bookworm wrote: "I am always confused by this suggestion, not being rude, just wondering if I am missing something? If you start with a % of say. 50% and request (and get approved for say..."Aww, okay. I understand now. Math has never been my strong suit. 😂 Thank you!
The Sassy Bookworm wrote: "Aww, okay. I understand now. Math has never been my strong suit. 😂 Thank you!"No problem, haha! I made similar calculations when I first joined NetGalley—I made sure to read/review a pile of Read Now books before making any requests, so that I'd have an acceptable-to-me feedback ratio even once I started making requests and got a not-yet-reviewed approval or two.
Liralen wrote: "The Sassy Bookworm wrote: "Aww, okay. I understand now. Math has never been my strong suit. 😂 Thank you!"No problem, haha! I made similar calculations when I first joined NetGalley—I made sure to..."
Damn, Liralen, that's a strong strategy. Wish I had thought of it back in the day.
Donna wrote: "Damn, Liralen, that's a strong strategy. Wish I had thought of it back in the day."Honestly, I didn't join NetGalley sooner because I thought I didn't have enough of a reach to be approved for books I'd want to read. Finally decided that I might not be a book influencer, but I could at least strategize for best chances and see how far that got me!
So….basically the only way I’m going to get my ratio percentage up is:1. Post a review for everything I have been approved for. The books marked “will not give feedback” hurt the rating so I need to look at those and see if I can get those done.
2. Stop requesting books 😭😭😭
Yep, I’m doomed 😂😂
Sherri wrote: "So….basically the only way I’m going to get my ratio percentage up is:1. Post a review for everything I have been approved for. The books marked “will not give feedback” hurt the rating so I need..."
Well, a little bit of on the bright side. I think people place way more emphasis on their % than a lot of publishers do. I have had as low as 40% and as high as 90% and saw no different in how many books I was getting. It may make more of a difference to huge publishers with super popular books. However, it has been my experience (been a member since 2016) that those type of books go to big name reviewers and influencers anyways.
I started in 2013, but after receiving nasty comments about 2 reviews I stopped Netgalley for 2 years, leaving 15 books. In 2016 Netgalley had two books from favorite authors up for Read Now, I jumped back on. I read the old ones if I could, and DNF'd the ones I no longer had access to. But as time went on my percentage went up. If I attempted to read a book and made it past 30% I write a review, explaining why I couldn't finish. Less than that I use the did not finish option. My oldest book was early 2022, but I finally read it, and now have 4 overdue from the end of September.
That’s really sad to hear that NetGalley would allow someone to make nasty comments on a review.
The Sassy Bookworm wrote: "Sherri wrote: "So….basically the only way I’m going to get my ratio percentage up is:1. Post a review for everything I have been approved for. The books marked “will not give feedback” hurt the r..."
Sassy, I get those books you're describing, and I am neither. Someone in the NG help staff told me, early on, that some publishers want to see 2 years experience reviewing, good review ratios, and a book blog. Not a general blog, but a books-only blog. (This information is from about 9 years ago, so things may have changed, but I haven't seen evidence of it.)
So, I rounded up a teenager to help me set up a blog that didn't cost me money, and once it was up and running, it was really just a matter of cutting and pasting the book covers and reviews.
I have fewer than 2,000 subscribers after nearly 10 years, but the publicists do not seem to care. I've been granted access to some very popular authors. There's a tiny handful that I can't get, but that happens so infrequently that I am shocked when I get turned down. I'm not a big name, and if I can get those books, other humble reviewers can, too.
Sherri wrote: "That’s really sad to hear that NetGalley would allow someone to make nasty comments on a review."You totally don't have to put up with it. Depending on how vile it is, you can flag it for the librarians to review--people can lose their GR memberships, and authors and publicists generally tread gently. Or, if it's not very nice but not disciplinary material, you can just delete it and block the person in question. I've had my share of those; I probably see it once a year or so.
Donna wrote: "Melanie wrote: "I haven't had much time to dedicate to ARCs this year so I haven't made much progress on my backlog. Of the 77 books on my shelf, only 8 of them are not out yet which puts my backlo..."Thankfully this backlog isn't hurting me too much as I'm over 80% on my feedback ratio since I've reviewed a ton. I just want to get to point where I only have future due ARCs as I haven't had that since not long after I started reviewing on Netgalley and I feel like it would be so nice.
Donna wrote: "The Sassy Bookworm wrote: "Sherri wrote: "So….basically the only way I’m going to get my ratio percentage up is:1. Post a review for everything I have been approved for. The books marked “will no..."
There has definitely been a change. There are very few people these days with actual dedicated book BLOGS, publishers are now looking for people/influencers that will promote them via Instagram and TikTok. I had a whole conversation about this yesterday with a couple publishers (friends) that use NetGallley. The times they are a changing! 😂
Sherri wrote: "That’s really sad to hear that NetGalley would allow someone to make nasty comments on a review."Review readers can make all the nasty or critical comments they want, in my opinion, as long as they are not obvious troll comments. Defend what you wrote in a non-emotional way. Don't let an author or one of their 3 Fs (fans, friends, family) intimidate you. We all have lived different lives and have different opinions about books. Those who think all readers should feel like they do about a book are emotionally stuck in adolescence.
SundayAtDusk wrote: "Sherri wrote: "That’s really sad to hear that NetGalley would allow someone to make nasty comments on a review."Review readers can make all the nasty or critical comments they want, in my opinion..."
Nicely put!
The Sassy Bookworm wrote: "Donna wrote: "The Sassy Bookworm wrote: "Sherri wrote: "So….basically the only way I’m going to get my ratio percentage up is:1. Post a review for everything I have been approved for. The books m..."
Yeah, I added instagram, but I am not doing TikTok. And I'm still getting the books I want, almost every time. Over a ten year period, I've received 90% of the books requested, but the percentage isn't static. During my early years I was declined close to 20 times annually, whereas this year, I've only been turned down twice. (I feel I am tempting fate by saying this; I have two requests pending.) So I'm keeping my fuddy duddy book blog, and let others dance around with the books on camera.
Interestingly, I have yet to meet a reviewer that uses YouTube.
Donna wrote: "SundayAtDusk wrote: "Sherri wrote: "That’s really sad to hear that NetGalley would allow someone to make nasty comments on a review."Review readers can make all the nasty or critical comments the..."
Donna wrote: "SundayAtDusk wrote: "Sherri wrote: "That’s really sad to hear that NetGalley would allow someone to make nasty comments on a review."
Review readers can make all the nasty or critical comments the..."
Thank you, Donna.
Is this based on the published date, or date that the book was received. I ask this because in 2022, I was approved for a book that was published in 2012. Really strange they would be putting a book out there published years before. I have another that was approved in November 2023 that was published in 2014. Those show as my oldest published books on my shelf.Hayley wrote: "I am admitting to having a few unread books from 2019, I was just wondering what your oldest unread book is (just so I don’t feel so alone and bad!!)"
My guess is it's the author who puts a book published years earlier on NetGalley, hoping for newer attention and reviews.
I break mine out by published year, not when I got the book. Here is what I currently have left that published prior to 2024 (67 books).2019 - 6 books
2020 - 5 books
2021 - 10 books
2022 - 19 books
2023 - 27 books
Thankfully the backlog doesn't really hurt me since my feedback ratio is still over 80%. I've gotten over 500 books from Netgalley since starting so having 67 older than this year isn't bad at all.
NetGalley Addicts Support Group
Books mentioned in this topic
The Graveyard Apartment (other topics)The Book of Tomorrow (other topics)
My 2¢ is, "Better Late than Never."