As an avid reader and a student in the publishing studies department at Hofstra University, I am always on the lookout for new ways to keep up with my reading habits at a low price. Without a subscription service or library card, NetGalley has been my saving grace in staying on top of my reading list and saving money.
NetGalley was created in 2008 and is designed to help publishers and authors promote their work through digital review copies. Industry professionals, authors and book lovers alike are able to request digital advance reader copies (ARC) and audio books. If their request is accepted, the individual then has access to read or listen to the book and to review it.
Many major publishing houses utilize NetGalley, which is good for both the houses and readers. Hachette Book Group, Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster and HarperCollins Publishers all regularly submit select works to NetGalley. This site is beneficial for publishers as it allows them to receive feedback on their books prior to publishing them. The reviews are useful because they help publishers identify issues with the book as well as create early momentum for its release. Early interest and positive reviews for a book benefit the book’s sales. If a retailer sees that a book has a dozen good reviews, they will be more likely to purchase the book for their shelves.
The website is very user friendly and free to use. First, you must register and identify which member type you would like to participate as: bookseller, book trade professional, educator, librarian, media/journalist or reviewer. Once you are registered and activate your account, you are asked to answer a set of questions based on your membership type. I picked “reviewer,” so my questions were centered around where I publish my reviews and what genres of books I typically read and review. Users are then prompted to write a “bio” centered around how and why they will utilize the books and audiobooks on NetGalley. After users complete the required fields, they are ready to start requesting.
Requests for ARCs are accepted or denied based on the user’s preferences, feedback ratio and reviews. It is recommended that users have a feedback ratio of 80%.
The website states “Your feedback is essential to publishers, authors and other readers. In exchange for receiving free digital review copies, NetGalley members are expected to complete a feedback loop for the books and audiobooks they access. Make sure to submit your reviews, star ratings, opinions and industry list nominations – and then share with your audience!”
Users can browse the titles by categories, genres or specific publishers. The categories include Recently Added Audiobooks, Recently Added Books, Most Requested Books and more. Before requesting a book, users are able to view the cover, title, publishing house, description and other basic information. To request a book, the user must specify what drew them to the title: the author, cover, description, title or general buzz surrounding the book. Once the request is accepted or denied (which rarely happens in my experience) the user is able to read the book in the NetGalley Reader which can be accessed through the NetGalley website and the NetGalley Shelf application, which is available for download via Google Play and the Apple App Store.
To me, the only downside to NetGalley is that it is a fully online application. I prefer to read physical books rather than eBooks or audiobooks. Ideally, NetGalley would mail users physical copies of the ARCs, but that is costly and unreasonable.
Another positive to NetGalley, though, is that there is no timeline or deadline for reading the books or submitting reviews, besides the publication date. In my experience, while some were removed, other books have even stayed on my shelf after the publication date and remained available to read for free.
If you are an avid reader and book reviewer, an aspiring author or a future publishing professional, I highly recommend signing up for NetGalley. Not only is it free, easy to navigate and a great experience for reviewing books, it is also highly satisfying to walk around a bookstore and see recently published books that you read and reviewed months prior.