A HUGE thank you to Lindsey for another wonderful NetGalley Month Twitter Chat on Friday!
Another HUGE thank you to everyone who joined in - I hope everyone had as much fun as I did.
Highlights of the chat:
Sharing of our favorite reads -- among them, The Better Angels of Our Nature by Steven Pinker, Prized by Caragh O'Brien, Butterfly Clues by Kate Ellison, Dearly Departed by Lia Habel, and The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa
AND!
The announcement that NetGalley January is a go!
Lindsey and I have both committed to making it the best NetGalley Month yet!
I've collected our questions and Lindsey's answers below
(I think I got them all!)
Both questions and answers have been summarized and / or expanded on for clarity but please let me know if anything looks off.
October NetGalley Twitter Chat Questions and Answers
Q: Lindsey, is there a typical response time we could expect when submitting a request?
A: Great question, but tough to answer since each publisher and individual publicist is different. I would say generally publishers go through their requests at least once a week. But remember some publishers get TONS of requests (if it's a super popular title) so it can take longer than others.
Q: Will Review Organizations have opportunities to update stats with you from time to time?
A: YES! tell us your updated your stats anytime
Q: How would we go about updating our stats?
A: In your NetGalley Bio, you can update that info and if you're listed on our Review Organizations page, email us.
Q: Do publishers set their own guidelines for accepting requests?
A: Yes, publishers come up with their own requirements/guidelines for
approving requests.
Q: Any chance publishers will start putting archive dates on their books?
A: Yes! We urge publishers to include archive dates in title description, and we hope to automate that more in future.
(A lot of us expressed our much we would love it if publishers started doing this! A few of us have had requests approved but then archived right away, giving us little time to download and read).
A: I know, we hate that and tell publishers not to approve right before archiving
Q: Lindsey - is it still true that Kindle books never expire?
A: Yes, NetGalley files that are sent to a Kindle device do not expire, due to Amazon's personal doc service. They (Amazon) apply their proprietary DRM to the files, which doesn't include an expiration date. It is not something NetGalley or the publishers can control.
Q: If a publisher sends a direct link to a book, does it have to go to the same email address as the one associated with your NetGalley account?
A: GREAT question. yes, if you get an auto-approved link for a title from a publisher, it's for that specific email address. If you have your NetGalley account set with a different email, reply and let them know so they can give you a new link. You can ALWAYS email us for help, too.
Q: Do publishers look at how many active requests you have outstanding when reviewing a request?
A: Publishers can see how many reviews you've submitted across all publishers, but not how many are pending.
Q: So, some publishers might take into account how many request you have made?
A: Not how many requests, but how many reviews you've submitted, how many approves/declines you got.
Q: Are there any common frustrations publishers have expressed with us reviewers/bloggers?
A: Publishers want to know that you're spreading the word about a title, not just reading for free. So remember to always send a notification of your review back to the publishers, and update your bio.
Q: Is there anyway we could let publishers know we are spreading the word aside from posting our reviews to NetGalley?
A: You can use the email publisher button to contact them, or tweet w/them, sure!
Q: Would publishers rather a negative review posted or a decline to review?
A: I can't answer for all publishers, best to ask them! Some might want you to post negative review, some might not.
Q: Will a 'negative' review affect future chances of getting approved? Up to pubs to decide?
A: Right, totally up to publisher to decide. Some feel that even a negative reviews can attract readers so it's always best to ask the publishers.
Q: What do publishers look for most for auto approval?
A: Usually publishers auto-approve people who they always approve-- it's a time saver for them, if that makes sense.
Q: Are the galleys finished copies?
A: Nope! Galleys are NOT finished copies--so ignore any typos, etc. most galleys have disclaimer at beginning...
Some Friendly Reminders from Lindsey:
Publishers want to work with you, so submit your reviews back to them and ask how you can promote more. For instance, ask if you can post the full size cover along with your review, interview the author, etc. - Just some ideas!
And remember - I'm always around to answer questions, so email or tweet me :)
For more questions and answers, check out
NetGalley April and NetGalley July's Q and A transcript.
