Including important stats about your platforms, such as average monthly pageviews to your blog or social media following, is very helpful for publishers. If you dont have one handy, snap a quick shot of yourself and a favorite book! No matter what your member type is, chances are that you write book reviews that you publish outside of NetGalley. You can also do a few read now books to get your stats up. Its also bolstered by the fact that advance reader copies, or ARCs, are like catnip to readers after all, who can resist the chance to read tons of exciting new books before anyone else? Good luck with getting book freebies! And Lenora Bell's Facebook group let you give your email and be invited to read LOVE IS A ROGUE, which was so worth it https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50706457-love-is-a-rogue, ReadNow - this is like 90% of my books, I just browse the ReadNow and look for interesting things. Which makes sensepublishers can afford to give out digital ARCs a lot more freely than physical ARCs. What that means is, if youre a reviewer and youre like, I wish to read this book! and you request it via Netgalley, someone in the publishing staff has to go into the Netgalley system and say, yes, this person really should get this book; Im hitting the OKAY button now for every single request that they get. Now dont forget to go read Lucys post about how to use Edelweiss, as well as the other posts I listed in this guide! Add your school name. A little bit of everything! Even with them, I still read the blurb if it's something I know I'll enjoy, rather than pick something just because. Im Evelina and I blog about books that made an impression on me. I do not work in any facet of the publishing world. Maybe you can just add your Goodreads profile? Thank you so much. Im sure you could sneak on there if you wanted , Nice post, thanks! Finally, set your reading preferences on NetGalley, i.e. Now I am off to update my bio. Whats the thing you want to see? Pamela @ Reverie Society Educates! section of your profile, youll find the email address associated with your account. So how do you make a good Edelweiss or NetGalley profile? Your suggestions are very helpful. But before that,if you want to find the other #NewBloggers 101 posts, just expand this list: NetGalley and Edelweiss are platforms where you can request advance reader copies of books in exchange to your honest review technically for free (you pay for it with blood, sweat and tears!) Looking forward to finding some great books. If youre picking up ten new books a week and rushing to review them, you might build up a decent reputation but youll soon find yourself hating the work, and your reviews will start to sound churned-out and dull. This can mean the department you work in, the events or programs you plan, any purchasing youre in charge of, the outlets youve written for, and more. That 80% figure is no joke; authors and publishers rarely approve reviewers with spotty feedback histories. Sorry for the slow reply to this, I always just copy and paste exactly! Book recommendations come in many forms, and its helpful for publishers to see if the books they approve you for may also end up in a listicle, Booktube video, Bookstagram picture, or more! I just picked up three this week, The Undertaking of Lily Chen and Boxes and Saints box set. It doesnt even have to be book reviews! Hopefully I will be able to add to my profile! Do you host any online reading events? I know my Profile needs some sprucing up and your comments really are very useful. (I note that this is a really, really specific set of instructions that will definitely help you out with requesting any First Second requests; possibly not so much with other publishers, depending on their own policies.) I am also struggling with my NetGalley bio and this helps a lot. This is so helpful. One thing I forgot to mention, but have now added, is that remember to update your stats reasonably often to keep everything up to date . Its also just a guaranteed way to suck all the fun out of NetGalley! As soon as youre ready to share your thoughts, navigate back to the books NetGalley page and click on the purple Give Feedback button in the upper-right corner. Totally agree with the bit about updating stats regularly and setting it out clearly so it makes it easy for the person at the publisher responsible for approving requests. Are you a member of an authors street team? (My first one was from Berkley (publisher), and I love them, so I was excited.) This is especially true if you find yourself requesting books from the same publishers time and again. and thank you!! arent necessary. Which is fine, I don't have a blog or even Twitter, and I have less than 100 GR friends, it makes sense. As a reviewer, if you have a logo for your blog or social media profiles, you can use that as well. Some publishers dont provide a lot of information either, so its been mostly guessing what they are looking for in general until my bio looked somewhat decent. Also make sure that you have the right categories in your profile. This was very helpful. Im getting my MLS now! or Im on the teen selection group at my local bookstore! or I have a blog that has 2,5000 followers!. Another wonderful post, Zuky And so helpful! To maximize your chances of picking up good titles right off the bat, theres one thing you need to do: write some other stuff before you join. Do: Share facts about yourself that are relevant Your coffee is rapidly cooling, you have a conference call scheduled in about 15 minutes, and youve got to look at all of these goddamn requests. I have yet to get approved when it comes to big popular books but it's alright. I would suggest writing about your love of reading. Publishers can see which genres you prefer to read and review, and by also sharing your favorite authors, you can help provide an even better understanding of the types of books within those genres you most enjoy. I have purchase a few of your books over the years, but lately I have noticed that I have purchased several of your books. After all, the information in your Profile is crucial in helping publishers decide whether to approve or decline your request. If I DNFed, I say why. , Glad you could use it to update your bio! Remember, the person reading your bio is a person. read tons of exciting new books before anyone else. If youre an experienced reviewer, you likely know what it takes to be successful on a site like NetGalley, and have an advantage purely by virtue of your professional associations. Be part of the movement that shines a light on them. I have kids so I reviewed a lot of kids books to quickly get my stats up. Favorite Authors Basically I was hoping people could chime in with what to put in your bio and how they've had success getting approved. So you want to move from Blogger to (free) WordPress? You basically have no time to eat and sleep. This pays off if you track it daily, I snagged ALL SCOT AND BOTHERED by Kerrigan Byrne on a 1-day ReadNow and I tried to alert a FB group I used to be in but it was already gone https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43438815-all-scot-and-bothered, I gave ALL SCOT AND BOTHERED a sincere 5-star review and St Martin's apparently decided it likes me because now publishers have reached out and given me widgets (pre-approved links) to read other historicals. Thanks for the insight! This was super helpful thank you so much for posting this!! Narrowing it down shows publishers youre serious, and improves your own experience as well; this way, youll only read genres you actually like! I think linking my Instagram page, where I tend to review books, helped a lot. So that's how I do NetGalley! So, what does a top-notch professional bio look like? Simple, huh. Our suggestion to members is to keep their Feedback ratio close to 80%, meaning that for every 10 titles they are approved to read, they provide feedback for . Hey Zuky! The registration form is pretty standard: username, password, email, etc. Make sure youre opted into receiving those emails in the Account Security section of your Profile, under Subscriptions.. Thank you for posting this! with a book publicist to learn more about the stats theyre looking for. ): The Edelweiss profile has some minor differences. In this guest post, Kirkus's Myra Forsberg shares book reviewing tips from four veteran indie critics. Blogging Calendars. NetGalley is technically free to join as a reader/reviewer. Everything you could possibly want to know about using NetGalley, youll find right here in this post. Publishers make digital review copies and audiobooks available for the NetGalley community to discover, request, read, and review. If your bio makes your head swim with the numbers, 99% says its going to make the publicists head swim too! I have a huge passion for reading. I need to sign up for your newsletter to keep up. But as a publisher, were actually putting our books up on Netgalley so that they get in the hands of people who specifically have a career in loving to read people who have become booksellers or librarians or teachers, and who are in a position to affect the sales numbers of a book. Having your work on another persons blog lends you social credit that will impress people looking for reviews, especially if theyre familiar with that blogger. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); 2010-2023 NetGalley LLC. This post describes my position exactly although about a year later xD Thanks for asking the question, and I'd love to be one of your -- probably many now -- goodreads friends. If youre a Reviewer, clearly state where your reviews appear. Everyone who joins Netgalley has to put together a quick profile; its basically something that has a persons name and their description of why they should be given books. No, but lets get serious here. I love to read! is something that sometimes (moderately often) pops up as the single sentence (or the leading sentence) in a review copy request. Yes, you can join I suggest clicking those links in the question and simply signing up. social media links are nice, but both NetGalley and Edelweiss have special spots to fill them into, so if the bio repeats them? Hi everyone! By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. Email Amazon: Once published, I will post my reviews to Amazon. Set your own deadline a week before the publication date if possible, so you wont be scrambling to write a review at the last minute. [1] [2] Publishers that offer e-galleys include Hachette , HarperCollins Publishers , Penguin Random House , Simon & Schuster , and many others in the US , the UK , Australia . Dont: Get too personal Click here for more insight into what you should include in your Profile based on your member type. Ive had an account but had NO idea how to set it upepic fail. While youre in the About You section of your Profile, make sure to check out the options under Topics! As mentioned, you could try your hand at your own review blog, offer your work to other sites, or sign up as Reedsy Discovery reviewer and start picking up new titles right away! This is what comes up: Youve already filled out the overview before, so now just head onto theLinks section and add your social media! Yes, you can have as many books as youd like! Utility! First Second Welcomes Editorial Assistant Kiara Valdez. By default, public reviews on the NetGalley site will be displayed with your profile photo, first name, last initial, and member type. Do you review audiobooks as well as print/e-books? So following all that, the question is: should you sign up to NetGalley as a reviewer? Your Bio - Think about your NetGalley Profile like a resume. You can read. (Have you noticed theres a message at the bottom, saying that you should rather leave links in the links section than in the text? Also unlike NetGalley, reviewers on Discovery have the opportunity to receive monetary tips from readers though of course, its still free to sign up. When a teacher/librarian/bookseller/reviewer etc. Any other information religion, marital status, professional degrees, non-book-related careers youve had dont need to be included in your profile. Ive also included a bit in mine to say that I make it a point to post reviews prior to publication date or as requested by publishers. However, theres no such thing as a free lunch NetGalley members are expected to provide frequent reviews to retain access to its titles. Are you an OwnVoices reviewer? Do you host any online reading events? At the end of this post I will be redirecting you to resources about how to navigate and understand Edelweiss better. which categories you prefer. Well, it all depends on what you want, as well as what you can realistically expect. Thank you fo sharing. Litsy A Bookish Social Network, [NewBloggers] What Tools Can Help Me Be An Organized Blogger? Typos and links that arent working can be a sign of a lack of attention to detail, so be sure to give your Bio a final proofread every time you update it. A picture of yourself on your NetGalley Profile can help show your vibrant personality to publishers. does this blogger run some groups, participate in some street teams? Its very helpful. This is often to create anticipation, raise awareness of an upcoming book, and to get initial impressions from dedicated readers. If youre not comfortable sharing your own photo, use the official brand logo from your bookstore, library, or school. tab), so theres no need to list them again in your Bio. however, social media followers dont take up that much space! There are wonderful authors and books that I would love to review. Reading should still give you joy rather than it being a chore. https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/43524129-bree, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50706457-love-is-a-rogue, https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/readnow, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43438815-all-scot-and-bothered, https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/124102284-megan. If you dont have one handy, snap a quick shot of yourself and a favorite book! As for the profile, if it says anything other than Excellent, click on the little pencil symbol beside it. Join our powerful community to discover debut authors, future bestsellers, and indie favorites--and help books succeed. There are six member types on NetGalley (reviewer, book trade professional, librarian, bookseller, educator, journalist or member of the media) and publishers have different goals for working with each one. This can mean the department you work in, the events or programs you plan, any purchasing youre in charge of, the outlets youve written for, and more. You pick a book you like, you hit the button. what makes this blogger special? Due to issues with my old iPad, I never signed up for a NetGalley account. Our site uses cookies. Thanks! Keep requesting - once you get a few approvals and leave reviews on the site, you'll establish yourself and more publishers will approve you. While youre in the About You section of your Profile, make sure to check out the options under Topics! Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. Possibly we could start a little friend chain so we all have more of an audience? The point of Netgalley is not for non-industry professional readers to be able to read advance copies of books theyre excited about. Happy Endings guaranteed. Just like you. By sharing your favorite authors, you can help provide an even better understanding of the types of books within those Categories you most enjoy. The upshot is that youll start to gain a respectable reputation on those platforms as well, which in turn makes you even more sought-after on NetGalley. Bookstagram Myth: Props Are Expensive? Step 1. I'm just setting up my profile and feeling a little lost since I don't know what to put for my "company" and definitely don't know what I should put in my Bio. Look through which Categories youve selected, check that your links are working, and reread your Bio. Make sure to include the department you work in, the events or programs you plan, any purchasing youre in charge of, the outlets youve written for, and more. You can also do a few read now books to get your stats up. But, I would like to believe that the authors and publishers would be interested in reviews by people that buy or borrow their books and just read for enjoyment. Any thoughts on how to get started or what to do? Taking on more titles than you can handle may cause you to miss deadlines and degrade your feedback ratio. Try to stick to 3-5 authors to keep things simple. What Are Linkups All About? And you have to handle all of these book requests, that, honesly, probably just drain the life out of you, cause honestly, there are just so many bloggers, you sometimes just feel the publishing industry is sitting on a huge anthill. Now Im not saying that my profile is perfect! Did you know that there are over 130 Stephen King short stories in existence? I Give Feedback on everything else. Hey, I come from both sides of the perspective, as a reviewer and as an author who hands out ARCs on Net Galley. Try to stick to 3-5 authors to keep things simple. On the note of scrambling, another separate-but-related point for reviewers is to not request too many books at once. Think about your Profile like a resume, and keep your Bio professional and succinct. But now that I have a new iPad, I just signed up and took your tips for creating a profile! There is also Edelweiss (I think that's the spelling? It can be daunting at first, but no worries weve got you covered! NetGalley reports are an incredibly useful tool for a publisher using the site. Ive already contacted them about that but have never received a response. Publishers are looking for thoughtful, professional reviewers and your Bio is the first taste of your writing that they get. Yes! XD (But theres the age thing where you have to be eighteen but Im not but I know some people who are younger than 18 and are still on Netgalley??? Dec 27, 2022. theres no need for industry connections). Imagine you are a busy publicist. I receive XXX average monthly visitors, and XXX average monthly pageviews. Change). Booksellers can add their ABA member ID number to their NetGalley profile. Just wish I was still there sunning myself haha. If you prefer, you can replace your name with an auto-generated alias displayed next to your reviews instead Adding ABA or BA membership numbers to an account Make sure you mention where those reviews appear and any places you cross-post your NetGalley reviews. One of the problems I have is that when I try to post my review on Goodreads, I get a message prompt from them stating that they cannot locate the ISBN#. Reading Habits Even book-related information like the age you were when you first learned how to read, whether or not you read to your children, how big your book collection is, etc. How was your holiday?! Im not sure I can help ya there because my ones seem to format fine? I use all my followers! NetGalley built its business on authors wanting early reviews to: a) solidify their books reputations, and b) help them stand out from the pack. Where I promote and post my reviews are as follows: Blog: I have a book blog called BookBum, started in Jan 2017, where I review everything I read and then post to Twitter. This helps to ensure youre sharing the most accurate information about your job, social media statistics, and reading preferences. To become a NetGalley member, all you have to do is sign up. #TheStruggleIsReal. Join For Free! Do you run a book club? I Review everything I rate 4 or 5 stars. Netgalley makes a big deal about the fact that having a good bio will make publishers more likely to accept your requests, however, they dont really give you a lot of support in terms of what publishers would like to see there, so youre left to your own devices to make something up. Below, I've curated some of the best real professional bio examples I've ever seen on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and the various websites. Anyway, I found a new book Id like to read on NetGalley, but its not published yet. Regardless of what level of feedback you offer, consistency and timeliness are key. Dont: List all of your favorite genres I have another question for ya! var elem = document.querySelector('form#wpdiscuz-subscribe-form'); Below youll find tips sure to help whether youre a NetGalley newbie or a long-time member whose Profile needs a fresh look. Try to stick to 3-5 authors to keep things simple. Lets start at the bottom and make it fun! If you feel NetGalley and its (admittedly impressive) big-name titles are your jam, have at it! And while this doesnt mean you need to be a seasoned reviewer to sign up, you may still want to build your portfolio a bit first (more on that later). What you need to keep in mind when requesting, though, isto not let it get out of hand. Do I still need to include it in the bio? The registration form is pretty standard: username, password, email, etc. I need a bio. How strange! Increase the visibility and value of your reviews, and make your review process more efficient, by connecting your account to your blog and social platforms. I went to Malta, lovely a sunny! I had to add HTML codingweird. Twitter:I use Twitter to post my book reviews, share bookish news and support other book bloggers. Do you have a book-related twitter, Facebook, tumblr, youtube or instagram account? We love to read ourselves! This is especially important if youre a bookseller, librarian, or educator who also talks about and reviews books outside of your job. Librarians and booksellers order and recommend books to their patrons, media professionals interview authors, reviewers and bloggers write about books online and leave reviews on retail sites, and more. (I read too many books and I forget what they are haha). Hi Jenna, sorry for the late response, Ive been on holiday! As for the profile text itself, you can keep it the same as NetGalley! Marking that you listen to audiobooks or are a member of a book club helps ensure you get relevant promotional emailsincluding announcements of newly uploaded NetGalley books, limited time Read Now opportunities, and more. You will find your profile at the top of the dashboard: And then you just fill it out, copy pasting the text into the text box: The rest you will do when requesting the book for the first time, and it will save your preferences for the next time! Including important stats about your platforms, such as average monthly pageviews to your blog or social media reach, is helpful for publishers. However, you also have to fill out your company (presumably helpful if you work in publishing or for a magazine/newspaper) and your role. Youll receive an email when your request is approved or declined, which usually happens within a few days. Your reviews can help an unknown author find their audience. I just updated it now! If you have a blog or other form of bookish social media, talk about the type of content that you create. Simply click Find Titles at the top of the page and youll be taken to a dashboard of recently added titles, as well as dozens of categories to choose from. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Inactive reviewers wont be deleted, but low activity will severely damage one's chances of picking up first-choice proofs. Most authors and publishers who put books on NetGalley are after one thing (well, two things): reviews on Amazon and Goodreads, where other readers actually spend their time. Make sure your links work. Links Do you review audiobooks as well as print/e-books? Ideally, you should review or at least give publisher feedback on why you didnt review for all your books, but 80% is still a very good ratio. Category Preferences Your Bio is the perfect place to share this information with publishersas long as youre comfortable, of course! Once youve selected all that apply, your request shoots off to the author or publisher. I am retired, and live in a rural setting. You may not have a designated blog or publication that assigns you books, but you can still post literary thoughts on Twitter or Tumblr. Sign up for the the First Second newsletter to receive updates and other information about Macmillan Publishers books, products, and services that may be of interest to you. You can read this interview with a book publicist to learn more about the stats theyre looking for. Founded in 2008, NetGalley began gaining serious traction a few years later, buoyed by the rising tide of Goodreads and similar review sites. Nicole has blogged about starting out on NetGalley before and you should also read that post for further info! Edit: putting Self or N/A under company is totally fine. ), Thanks and yes, thats something I need to do too , This is great! It takes some time, but Ive gotten to read so many books I was looking forward to reading! I will also be redirecting you to content where this is talked about at the end of this post, dont worry! Add your school's website. Alas.). Do you run a book club? document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Im Zuky, from the UK, and 26 years old. Im going to give several bloggers profiles as examples! with a book publicist to learn more about the stats theyre looking for. Do you volunteer at your local library?