• ARC's,  Book Reviews,  Bookish,  Recommendations

    NetGalley 101

    I am a book snob. Like a physical book in my hand with pages I can turn snob. I got used to ARCs (advance reader copy) showing up on my front porch almost everyday. Books to read and review before they were released? Life was pretty good.

    Then COVID hit.

    I started getting emails notifying me that the ARC that was supposed to be headed my way was in NYC, the heart of the publishing industry, and wasn’t going to make it to me in time for the blog tour or publishing date. Certainly understandable and a problem that reached beyond the publishing house – I didn’t want to needlessly expose a postal worker or UPS delivery person to one extra home or package when I had another way to get a book.

    Enter NetGalley.

    I’ve had an account for a few years but never was very active. But when you want to read new books, review, and promote them, a reader will do just about anything. So I purchased an iPad mini (my preferred eReader) to use the Kindle app on, dusted off my NetGalley password, and got to downloading books and requesting more.

    Want to access ARCs from NetGalley? Here’s how:

    1. Set up an account. Be as clear and detailed when filling out your profile as possible. Include your number of Instagram followers, blog readers/metrics, how long you have been reading and reviewing books, the genres you love, what kind of work you’re available for (promotions, reviews, giveaways, blog tours, etc.). Also link Twitter and LinkedIn (if you have them) to your account.
    2. Blogs. They are important to publishers. Your blog reviews show up in Google searches while Instagram reviews do not. They are not a must but they are a great platform for detailed reviews. Plus, with Instagram changing something every week and questions about who owns the content I’m all for blogs if you’re serious about reading and reviewing books.
    3. Link your Kindle account to NetGalley. Every Kindle account has an email address and that’s how NetGalley sends the eBooks to you.
    4. Find your favorite publishers and request some books. When you are approved for a title you will get an email with a “widget” to click on to download the book. You will also get declined. It’s not personal. But the longer you review on NetGalley, the higher your review rate, and the better your stats are outside of NetGalley, the better your chances are of getting approved. A great place to start is with Read Now titles. Anyone can request and review them.
    5. Review, review, review. Look at each publisher’s requirements for the timing of reviews prior to the publishing date. Be on time and be sure to share the links to your reviews that you post outside of NetGalley I.E. your blog and Instagram. And lastly, share your reviews on Barnes & Noble and Amazon using the NetGalley site. Simply posting your review on NetGalley isn’t enough.

    A few tips:

    • Don’t go crazy requesting books. Publishers respond in their own time and the last thing you want is 50 books waiting for you to read and review.
    • If an actual person from the publisher sends you the widget, be sure to respond to them. Thank them and then when you review the book, also send them the links. This is a great way to establish relationships within publishing houses and this alone has opened up multiple opportunities for me for physical finished copies and giveaways.
    • Keep your profile up to date. That’s the first thing publishers look at when they get your request.
    • Only pursue this route if you’re serious about actually reading and reviewing books. This is not the site for getting book mail to post on Instagram. Requesting books and doing nothing with them is not a good way to develop a solid reputation with publishers.
    • Always include the disclosure! Something like, “Thanks to NetGalley and X publisher for a gifted copy of this eBook in exchange for my unbiased review.” This is an FTC regulation and a must.
    • Lastly, here is an example of a recent NetGalley blog review and the corresponding Instagram review.

    Please let me know if you have any questions! I have loved using NetGalley and plan to continue to use it even after COVID is over. It has made me reevaluate and realize that I don’t need a physical copy of every single new book.

  • ARC's,  Book Reviews

    The Lost Orphan: a book review

    Book Info:

    Publisher – Harlequin MIRA

    Date – April 7th, 2020

    Pages – 352

    Genre – Historical romance

    Synopsis:

    Two women, bound by a child, and a secret that will change everything . . .

    London, 1754. Six years after leaving her illegitimate newborn at the Foundling Hospital, Bess Bright returns to reclaim the daughter she has never known. Dreading the worst, that she has died in care, she is astonished to discover someone pretending to be Bess has already claimed her. Her life is turned upside down as she tries to find out who has taken her little girl—and why.

    Less than a mile from Bess’s poor lodgings, in a quiet Georgian townhouse, lives Alexandra, a reclusive young widow. When her close friend—an ambitious doctor at the orphanage—persuades her to hire a nursemaid to help care for her daughter, she is hesitant to welcome someone new into her home. But her past is threatening to catch up with her and tear her carefully constructed world apart.

    From the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Familiars comes this captivating story of mothers and daughters, class and power, and love against the greatest of odds.

    Review:

    If I had to describe this book in one word – atmospheric. By the end of the first chapter I was completely captivated and transported back to London in the 1750’s.

    The writing perfectly captured the time period and allowed the reader to feel the desperation, longing, and loss of the characters. It was easy to connect with the characters which is a big plus for me. And of course, the secrets only added to the intrigue of the plot.

    I enjoyed the commentary on motherhood, class, and moral dilemmas faced by many during this time. The time period was well-researched by the author and masterfully woven into a complex story. You know it’s good historical fiction when you head off to research the story after you finish the book.

    There were a few parts that felt a bit contrived but overall, I enjoyed this book immensely. If you enjoyed Where The Crawdads Sing or When We Were Yours you will most likely love this book.

    ✂️✂️✂️✂️/5

    Thank you to Harlequin MIRA and NetGalley for a gifted copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review.

    This book is available April 7th from you favorite bookseller!

     

  • ARC's,  Book Reviews

    The Dead Girls Club: Blog Tour

    Red Lady, Red Lady, show us your face…

    In 1991, Heather Cole and her friends were members of the Dead Girls Club. Obsessed with the macabre, the girls exchanged stories about serial killers and imaginary monsters, like the Red Lady, the spirit of a vengeful witch killed centuries before. Heather knew the stories were just that, until her best friend Becca began insisting the Red Lady was real–and she could prove it.

    That belief got Becca killed.

    It’s been nearly thirty years, but Heather has never told anyone what really happened that night–that Becca was right and the Red Lady was real. She’s done her best to put that fateful summer, Becca, and the Red Lady, behind her. Until a familiar necklace arrives in the mail, a necklace Heather hasn’t seen since the night Becca died.

    The night Heather killed her.

    Now, someone else knows what she did…and they’re determined to make Heather pay.

    Welcome to my stop on The Dead Girls blog tour!

    I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was the perfect mix of creepy, scary, and with a supernatural twist – all without being gory or check all your doors three times scary.

    It felt like a trip down memory lane – slumber parties with friends full of scary stories that we tried to make each other believe were real. Fortunately for us, none of the stories came true and no one ended up dead.

    Told in a shifting timeline, it was an interesting way to unfold the story and the characters. I read this book in a day because I had to know what was next and what really happened to Becca.

    The writing was done well. The author wrote a suspenseful story without trying to add too many twists or leaving the reader confused with extra characters. The four main characters were as well developed as you would expect for a mystery. The only possible drawback would be the campy feel of the book. But if you knew that going into the story, it probably won’t be that big of an issue.

    All in all, this was a well-written thriller that was fun to read on a dreary fall afternoon.

    This book by Damien Angelica Walters is for sale on 12/10/19. Look for it in your local bookstores then!

    Thank you to Crooked Lane Books for a free advance readers copy in exchange for my honest opinion. 

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