10 Reasons You Need to be on NetGalley as a Book Nerd

Last updated on 19 April 2023

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If you’re a book lover, you need to be on NetGalley

It was a magical day when I discovered NetGalley. And if you’re a book lover like me then you need to get on NetGalley, like stat.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been reading books since I open Where’s Spot? Growing up I read books like The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton, The Artemis Fowl series, The Chronicles of Narnia, and later on books like Harry Potter and Eragon.

In 2015 I started reviewing books here on the blog, and a few years later I discovered I could approach book publishers to become a reviewer for their titles. This led me to discover NetGalley, and I have loved it ever since.

There are so many reasons why you need to be on NetGalley as a book lover. In this post, we’re going to take a look at 10 reasons that I think might persuade you to check it out.

10 Reasons You Should Be On NetGalley

Free books
Sneak peeks at new books
Connections with publishers
Finding new series
Finished on-going series
Discover new authors
Support up-and-coming authors
Try new genres
Improve your review skills
Share your thoughts to help publishers

Free books

I’m going to start this list with the obvious one: free books.

It’s free to sign up to NetGalley, and it’s free to request books. You might not be accepted to receive all the books that you request, but the books that you are accepted for can be sent straight to your Kindle and you can get to reading as soon as it’s delivered.

If you’re anything like me, then you love buying new physical books for your shelves. The feel of a physical book in your hand (especially a new one!) … there’s nothing like it! But the costs to start racking up, so if you can get yourself onto NetGalley, not only do you get access to books that haven’t come out yet, but you get them for FREE. The only downside is that they’re all eBooks, but I promise you your wallet will thank you.

Sneak peeks at new books

As I just mentioned, one of the things I love about NetGalley is that you can see what books are coming out in the next X amount of time. Some books you’ll discover will be released in the next month, while others might be released in the next 6 months.

Whether you request them (and get accepted or not) or don’t request them, you can get a really good sense of the books being released within the year. If you’re not accepted for a book you’d really like to read, at least you know that it’s coming out and you can add it to your Goodreads list.

Connections with publishers

One of the greatest things I started doing here on This Splendid Shambles was reviewing books for publishing companies. I have so enjoyed working with publishers and learning a little about how publishing works. During that time, I’ve been able to make those connections with the publishers, and they know that every time they send me a book to review, I’ll be publishing a blog post, making Instagram posts, and sharing the reviews on Facebook and Pinterest.

It’s the same with NetGalley. When a publisher sees that you really enjoy their books, or that you’re consistently adding reviews to their books on the platform, the more likely they’re going to accept your book requests in the future. It’s a brilliant (and easy!) way to make those connections with the people and companies publishing the books you love.

Finding new series

One of the great things about NetGalley is that you can find new series that you didn’t know existed. Whether this is by discovering the first in what will become a series, or it’s the second or third that sound like your kinda thing.

If it’s the latter, you can head on over to Goodreads and find the first book and discover a whole new world! If it’s the former, you get to hype the first book if you love it, or know not to bother with the other books.

Finished on-going series

Whether you’ve read the entire series via scoring them on NetGalley or you’ve read the physical copies, finishing off a series by grabbing the final books from NetGalley is a great way to finish the series before they’re released.

I don’t know about you, but often I’ll forget that a final book is coming out, so keeping an eye on NetGalley is a good way to keep up with what’s happening in a series.

Discover new authors

One of NetGalley’s many features is that you can set your prefered genres. Mine, for example, are set for New Adult, Poetry, Sci Fi & Fantasy, Teens & YA, and Comics, Graphic Novels, Manga. Because I enjoy those genres, NetGalley will show me the books that are available in those genres for me to check out. I’ve discovered many a great author just by seeing what the platform has on offer. I’ve then gone ahead and read other books (not on NG) by that author.

Support up-and-coming authors

Many books on NetGalley are from up-and-coming authors. Sometimes there very first book will be made available on NetGalley. Having their books on NetGalley not only starts getting their name out there, but it helps both the publisher and the author know what the public and readers are thinking about their books.

If you really love a book from a debut author, then you can shout it from the rooftops online and help support the author.

Try new genres

As you saw above, you can set which genres you love, but that doesn’t stop you from checking out other genres. Not at all! I like having a browse of all the genres, just to see what’s out there. While I don’t often request books in other genres, on occasion there will be a non-fiction book I’m interested in, a short-story collection, or something I wouldn’t usually read.

Improve your review skills

Every time you are accepted for a review copy of a book, you can send it to your Kindle, read it, and then come on back to NetGalley to share your thoughts. If you have a book blog or a bookstagram account where you share reviews, you can add just a short review to NetGalley and link up the URL to your full review. Or you can copy and paste your review into the NG review space. Or write a fresh one.

But whatever you do, having the responsibility to review the books that you’re ready really helps you improve your review writing skills. And that’s always a good thing.

Share your thoughts to help publishers

Your reviews and your thoughts help the publishers (and the authors) get a feel for how well the book is going to do when it’s published in physical form and let loose on the world. Your thoughts matter.

Common NetGalley FAQs

What is NetGalley?

NetGalley is a website for readers who want to receive Advanced Reader Copies of books. Users need to be up for reviewing the books they receive and sharing them on their online platforms. NetGalley is perfect for bloggers, booktubers, bookstagram users and more.

How to join NetGalley?

Go to the NetGalley Register page and fill out your details. You’ll need to include details such as your name and email, but also what type of user you’re going to be (Bookseller, Educator, Reviewer etc). Then you click Register, and you’re in! Anyone who reads and recommends books to others can sign up.

How much does Netgalley cost?

NetGalley is free to use. It’s a platform designed to help promote books that are being released in the near future. You can sign up for an account if you’re a reader and you promote books. It’s one of the best ways to get free books before they’re published.

How to get auto-approved on NetGalley

You can get auto-approved for some books on NetGalley. To be auto-approved for books, you need to have formed trust and kudos with publishers. Publishers can auto-approve you for their books, and as you can read below, it really has advantages.

What are the advantages to being auto-approved on NetGalley

The advantage to being auto-approved on NetGalley is that you get first dibs on all the books. When you’re auto-approved for a publisher’s books, you know that when you click on a book that sounds like your kinda thing, you can instantly have access to it.

Are you on NetGalley? Have these reasons to get on NetGalley persuaded you to check it out?