Member Reviews

This is super helpful. I wish it was around when I first started on Netgalley but I'm glad to have it now! I'll be using it as reference to revamp my profile and I think new users will find it very useful. Thanks Netgalley!

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A fantastic resource for anybody interested in getting started with NetGalley. These pages are jam-packed with ideas for using NetGalley to your advantage, from how to create a great profile to how to maintain a high Feedback Ratio. Very helpful when you have doubts about book reviewing or requesting titles or you just need a little reminder of tips and tricks.

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A great and useful guide to making the most out of using netgalley. I wish I had read this before I joined. I will definitely be following these tips. Thank you

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NetGalley's Book Advocate Toolkit is a concise, accessible, and well written guide aimed at readers who want to improve their reviewing process and grow their online presence. Released on NetGalley 8th March 2022 by NG's sister site We Are Bookish, it's 31 pages and is available at no cost in ebook format. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

This is a surprisingly effective and information dense tutorial guide to writing good reviews, improving critical reading for review, and with choosing platform(s) and creating and growing an online profile. All the necessary information is provided in high contrast graphics in small and easily utilizable bullet points. Relevant online resources are hyperlinked directly in the text, for convenient access.

I liked that the booklet gives a good general overview and shows how the different aspects: platform, retail sites, netgalley, access to review ARCs relate to one another and how they are related synergistically. The chapters are arranged sequentially: NetGalley tips, book reviews, bookish social media, strategizing, and relevant links and resources.

This is precisely what it claims to be: a useful set of tips and advice for writing effective reviews and getting those reviews into the hands of readers who are looking for book tips. This would be a great asset for beginners and more advanced reviewers who want to increase efficiency. I recommend it for all NG users especially since it contains a comprehensive and handy list of hyperlinks in one place. I especially liked their wise words about accessibility. Not all reviewers use all platforms for review. There are very different considerations for advocates who mostly review on video platforms and a lot of the Do/Don't advice given was for things I hadn't ever even considered.

Five stars. Not currently available through goodreads or Amazon as far as I can see, but available gratis via the NetGalley link above.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

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Helpful if you are a new user!

As a newbie bookstagrammer, this site was suggested by a few people I follow. I thought I would give it a go and found the guide helpful in what there is to look out for and how to use he features

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A very insightful and informative guide to starting your NetGalley journey. It was very useful and will come in handy to look back on whenever I have questions about book reviewing or requesting.

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What an amazing guide, thanks "We Are Bookish" for putting this document together! This is very useful not only if you are at the beginning of your book reviewer journey, but also if you're looking to tune up you're skills!.

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Amazing guide and very helpful. Not only does it give you advice for writing reviews and setting up your Netgalley profile it also offers advice on how to choose your platform and how to post on it.

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Title: NetGalley’s Book Advocate Toolkit
Series: N/A
Author: We Are Bookish
Genre: Reference/Technical
Publisher: NetGalley.com
Release Date: March 8, 2022
Format: PDF, Protected PDF
Pages: 31
Source: NetGalley – only available from NetGalley.com
Cover: A bit bland. If white had been the background rather than light gray, the “NetGalley green” center and title would have popped more.

Description:
Whether you are already on the NetGalley team -or- you want to join, this toolkit is a Must-Read if you want to be successful. While most of the content was available in various Help articles, you had to look for it. Now it’s been compiled for you. Guidelines, tips, etc., the toolkit is loaded with guidance and especially helpful to Reviewers and Media members.

Review:
Previously, one had to open numerous NetGalley [online] Help articles to find this information. NetGalley offers the toolkit only in PDF because there are links to more information in those Help articles. The toolkit is not the articles combined in a PDF file. Instead, it has the KEY points highlighted with links off to more information. Hint: If you see words underlined, it’s a link.

The Table of Contents is on page 2. Key sections are NetGalley Tips, Book Reviews, Bookish Social Media, and Strategizing. Each of those has four to six topics.

NetGalley has the following types of memberships: Librarian, Educator, Bookseller, Media, and Reviewer. These are clearly & succinctly described on page 6. My role on NetGalley is Reviewer. Note: Team membership is free.

As a Reviewer, what did I expect of this toolkit?

Profile – turns out your profile is very important for being “accepted” by the publisher to review a book. Page 8 has the key tips with links to more information.

Feedback Ratio – most newbies don’t quite “get” why this is important. The toolkit’s page 7 has why and how to build your feedback ratio. One suggestion is to move the teal color definition from the right of the page to the left. it’s important for new reviewers to know what this means from the start.

How to Write a Review – From Page 10 to 31 is packed with how-to’s and don’t-do’s for writing AND posting a review. I read all kinds of NetGalley reviews and some reviewers look like they haven’t read any of the help pages (prior to this toolkit). The hint about determining your kind of review is helpful.
--Two things *not* in this section are:
---- 1. Don’t try to do all of these platforms at once.
1. In fact, you do not have to review on ALL of them. For example, I have chosen not to do Bookstagram (Instagram), TikTok, YouTube, and Twitter. Why? Time. I have another huge “spend lots of time doing” hobby — genealogy. I post my book reviews on this blog, Goodreads, Facebook-specific genres, and Amazon. I may create a Book Review page in the future. Remember — I’m still considered a newbie.
---- 2. Your reviews will change as you do more. Check my first NetGalley review vs. my latest book review.

You won’t think you need page 26, “Content Planning Tips”. Trust me, you will. Suggested items are good–I have used two of them for other things. I actually use Email folders plus NetGalley’s “Your Shelf” as a way to track my reviews. Unread (bolded) messages have not been reviewed. I have separate folders for declined, completed, and to-be-reviewed.
-----Speaking of declined, I have 11 declined reviews (I started reviewing for NetGalley mid-Oct last year). Most of those are from one publisher. I did find the little blob on page 8 about learning from declined requests a weak response. However, each publisher lists in their decline the ‘possible’ reasons and it is hard for a reviewer to figure out why.

*This toolkit is extremely important to the Reviewer and Media members of the NetGalley team. Highly recommend.*

"NetGalley’s Book Advocate Toolkit" is free from NetGalley for members. A positive review was not required; the opinions expressed are my own. Rating: 4.5 stars rounded to 5.

#BookAdvocateToolkit #NetGalley

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I found this very helpful and insightful. I had been wondering about how I should have my bio set for publishers to see. This helped me figure out how to have a short and sweet bio but still have all the info I needed.

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This was an extremely helpful guide and I learned a lot. For instance, I just shared my first review and I shared a quote that I loved, but that’s a big no-no! I had no idea! I also didn’t know the first letter of each word in a hashtag should be capitalized. There are a lot of external links to blogs with further information, so I’ll definitely be coming back to this document and referring to it for my future posts. Thank you NetGalley for providing such a useful guide so that I can grow and improve as a reviewer.

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This guide is perfect for those book lovers who are just starting out in the different online book communities.
It provides all the necessary knowledge to set up an account, be it on Instagram, YouTube or even TikTok. It also includes do's and don't's to keep you on track to having a stellar account.
The more seasoned book advocate may already know how to succesfully share their content online, but the tips and tools provided here are updated and very useful.

Thanks to NetGalley for putting together this helpful toolkit for book lovers.

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A great resource for all users of NetGalley, new and older alike. I’ve really been wanting to improve my social media output and was able to get great suggestions here that I’m planning on implementing.

Recommended for any reader who feels a little (or a lot) lost in figuring out how to best improve their opportunities to read more of the e-arcs they really want to.

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Really handy tips here to help navigate the website. I did find it dragged a little but it was good info to read

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I am not new to NetGalley but am always looking for helpful hints to improve.

This has clear, easy to use suggestions!
Nice reference ~ Great tips.

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Great resource for how to get the most out of NetGalley. I'm looking forward to using the tips to improve on my reviews in the future.

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Best piece of advice her is Fight Temptation! Avoid the request spree. If only I’d known the. What I know now.

Great tips here for my “Bookstagram” - Thank you NetGalley.

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Found this guide really useful for getting the most out of NetGalley. I’ve been thinking about how I can share what I have been reading more through blogging and on social media and I found the tips really useful. The Do’s and Don’ts of book reviewing had some great tips I’ll be beating in mind for future reviews. Really helpful.

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What a great refresher resource for those of us NetGalley peeps! I loved the format, the clickable links, and the overall ease of reading. The color scheme and varied fonts kept me informed and engaged. I particularly loved the finding my voice section. What a great reminder to keep my reviews from me, and to not try and meet anyone’s standards but my own. Thanks again, NetGalley!

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What a great guide to those trying to break into the book blogger/bookstagram/booktube world. As a long time reader that has a hard time finding the right words, this is an incredible helpful guide!

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