I Tried NetGalley as an Indie Author so YOU Don't Have to... But seriously...

This is my unfortunately not that great experience using NetGalley as an author, and I wanted to share what NetGalley is, why authors use it, how I was able to get a much better price, and whether or not I'd use it again/recommend it to other authors.

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[victoryediting]

Hi, Bethany! Thanks so much for this video--super informative. So a couple of things.
1) That 7-day cutoff before archive date drove me up a WALL. So stupid. I pitched a fit with NetGalley (and I'm sure other publishers did too), and they've changed it to three days, which I think is more than enough time for people who've been approved to download the ARC.
2) Thanks for that mention about the notification emails. I just changed the upload form so you can put that you don't want notifications. Reviews really are the devil. Sorry you had such a rough time with yours.
3) Absolutely agree with what you said. I never recommend Read Now, and I tell people to not be shy about declining requests. I actually came up with an analogy. Imagine your book is your child and you're trying to set them up on a date. Are you going to feel bad about not giving a thumbs-up to a drug dealer or a guy who has no plans but living at home forever? No. You don't want that for your kid. You don't want that for your book either. 😆
4) I think an impression is when they actually clicked to your book's page, though I could be wrong. Then clicked to read would be requests. NetGalley stats are a bit of a mystery, though they do have a very extensive help section.

Thanks again for the shout-out. I really appreciate it. 🙂 Hope you had a great release!

[thelastmonte]

I think 3 stars is a fine score. Some people will reserve 5 stars for only the absolute most perfect books. So that still sets a very high bar for 4 stars. 3 stars is likely high praise. We need a 10 star system.

[helsphoenix]

Star reviews as per good reads are: one-I didn't like it, two-it was okay, three- I liked it, four- I really liked it, five- I loved it.

Three stars is good. I'm not sure where this notion that they aren't came from but I take them as good as a reader and a writer. Not everyone is going to love your book and that is okay. We are all different! <3

Thank you for sharing your experience!

[kcesca]

I adore netgalley as an indie author, you can just chuck it on read now and it will do the work for you. It really is the easiest way to get reviews and attention, but I'm a mass writer who producers a book every six weeks or so, so I buy a bulk subscription every year. I typically get 300-600 readers per book. I really don't think co-ops work well on netgalley because they naturally fall to the bottom of the catagory, leaving your book almost invisible. When you 1st submit a new book, it gets on the front page of the website for a fews days, which helps you gain traction to remain on the front 5 pages of the most requested for your genre. If you fall below that you really will not get your moneys worth.

[AmeliaStender]

Bethany you're so inspiring because of your sensitivity which gives you an amazing ability to write these books and these characters with a tender heart. I would encourage you that 3 is not a negative response! it's positive if you put it in the percentage category. it is a 6 out of 10 which is 60% approval. Keep in mind you're asking people to judge your work. I think 3 says good, but can be even better in some areas! Be true to yourself and your vision without compromising but asking yourself "how could I improve this, if I could?" I think 3 is not negative at all! I'd be very excited to receive a 3 because that shows me approval, so I think it's how we frame it in our head what the stars mean. so, I would say this: just do your best, be you, have fun and don't let this knock you off your joy center!
I love watching your videos because you're genuine and uplifting, and you bring a lot of experience to people like me, who are just getting started writing, and I've learned so much from you. At the end of the day how happy are you with what you wrote? I think that is the real question. Thanks for everything! Keep up the good work! And as for that one who did not like the world-building, she's apparently reading the wrong book! That was absolutely obvious to me as soon as you said it! :-) cheers!

[ellieveravlogs]

Thank you Bethany for sharing your experience with NetGalley. I echo the others that 3 stars is pretty good! Whenever I've read stuff, giving a book 3 stars usually means it's something that I've enjoyed. 4 stars are books that I'm thinking of re-reading in the future, and 5 stars is for those that I know I will definitely re-read again. Based on your experience I'm now intrigued to try it (once I have a finished work anyways so that might still be quite far into the future lol). With my day job as a scientist, getting tough reviews is a given so I think I've sort of developed a thick skin for that, but the honesty in the feedback is something that I think is worthwhile getting.

[patrickleitzen]

My favorite review was 4/5 stars from a person who publicly reviewed something in the neighborhood of 170 books and had an average review of 2.6 stars. Still makes me teary eyed

[faylaottauthor]

I just tried Book Sirens for my latest book. The cost is a lot less ($10.00 per book upload, and then you pay $2.00 per reader who actually downloads the ebook. They are quick to answer questions, so customer service is great. It's easy to narrow the audience as well. They are also careful to watch for readers who just download without following through on the reviews.

[elizabethruth]

I had no idea what net galley was, but now I do! I think I might try it for my debut! You hit a lot of bumps, but you pointed out how to avoid them. I think you should do it again for a first book or stand alone with what you learned this time in mind.

[douglasroff]

This was a great video that all newbies should watch; it is the honest emotional side of being an indie author. We want reviews, but ... We pour our hearts and souls into what we writre, it's like having a new child in the family. We want people to enjoy the experience we give them, but as an author we need to remember that a review is of our book, not us. Bethany hits the nail on the head on this point. Each and every review, good or bad is an emotional experience for the author. We want all five stars and for the readers adore our books, and emotionally, us. Our book was awesome and we're awesome. Unfortunately, that's not how the world works. Some people are mean, some are harsh and some are wonderful. Bethany is warning us, telling us to be prepared for that range of emotion. So much of what she describes I have felt. This was a great video. Is it about NetGalley - yes. It is lso definitely an honest sharing of an honest experience. Like I said, newbies should all prepare yourselves for heartache and elation. I'm ten years into my craft and my journey as an indie author, and I am so happy that I saw this today. I somehow feel I am not as alone on this journey we writers all share because there is another kindred soul out there we, I can, relate to. Writing is sometimes solitary. Do my family and friends really understanf us? This makes my day, and now I'm back at work invigorated for that next meh review. If you want love and adoration for your writing, do what I do. I read all my books to my dog, McDougall. He loves everything I write, especially around mealtime. He tells me I get 10 stars out of five, though truthfully I think he just wanrs a treat. Great job, Bethany.

[AmraPajalicAuthor]

Thank you so much for sharing. I've heard from other authors that NetGalley views are much more critical, but that you get more reviews so your experience confirmed what I've been hearing. I'm going to be dipping my toes in and putting up my next book up. Keeping my fingers crossed.

[BethanyAtazadeh]

Does this make you want to do NetGalley? I'm curious to hear what everyone thinks after hearing my story haha... I am leaning toward probably not doing it again, but mainly because I have developed such a wonderful ARC team over the years that it isn't necessary - if I was a brand new indie author on the other hand... maybe, if I had really thick skin lol!

[HowlBunny]

5 star to me means the book changed my life. That I would scream it’s name from the rooftops and die with it in my grave. 4 stars is an amazing book. 3 stars is a good book. A fun Read. 2 stars is a book that definitely needs some work.

NetGalley to me seems like a library where anyone can walk in, read a book, leave a review. I think it’s good that your reaching readers outside your scope.

[billblume]

Bethany, thank you so much for this video. I'm going to be submitting my new book to NetGalley and this has made me a lot more comfortable about how to approach it. You've answered a lot of questions for me.

[timtrottproductions]

Loved this video. One favor, thought - leave the titles on screen long enough to read. I had to roll back and pause (24:43) to read your final decision about using NetGalley again.

[selfpubwithdale]

Great insights! I'd never heard of a NetGalley Co-Op, so this was GREAT news since that $300 cost is hard to justify.

[SheegogProductions]

(Oh, I've missed this style of video!) Thanks for another look into the publishing side of things, and I'm glad you found a way to make it work for you.

[MWinklerBooks]

Thank you for sharing this journey. I sympathize so much with you on the emotional coaster. It's so hard to hear anyone didn't like your book. I'm glad you seem to understand that doesn't mean they don't like you, and it only means you didn't write it for them. :) I may do NetGalley someday, but I'm on book 2 of a trilogy that's taking years, so it'll be a while if I do. XD
Thanks again for sharing the journey. <3

[sarahwawrzyniak]

I just heard about this in a Facebook group and am thinking about doing it for my debut fantasy romance novel. The other author mentioned they only approved accounts that gave good ratings, I hadn't thought much about that but now that I've seen your video I can see why this would be so important! Thanks for sharing Bethany! Such good information.

[MadgazelleFilms]

Oh goodness - thank you so much for being vulnerable and sharing this with us! I like your idea of limiting NetGalley to first books in a series and also controlling who can get access a little more. But I appreciate your detailed video because I learned so much!