NetGalley

NetGalley is the publishing industry's premier platform for distributing advance review copies (ARCs) to professional readers. With approximately 680,000 active members (October 2025) — including book bloggers, librarians, booksellers, educators, and media professionals — it is the gold standard for trade-facing visibility before and at launch. NetGalley recorded a record 13.3 million pageviews in January 2026, a 19% year-over-year increase, and members submit ~90,000 reviews and other feedback per month on average.

How it works: Upload your digital galley (ePub preferred), set your availability window and approval criteria, and professional readers request access. Authors control who receives the file. NetGalley tracks all requests, approvals, and feedback through a publisher dashboard.

Feedback rates: NetGalley reports a 36% feedback submission rate for Digital Review Copies — roughly 1 in 3 approved readers leaves any response on the platform. Of those, fewer than 25% cross-post their review to Amazon. Goodreads is the most common external posting destination. Expect the majority of download activity within the first 30 days of listing.

Pricing options:

• Direct 6-month listing: $575 (pay-per-title, for authors publishing 1–4 books/year)
• Featured Title Promotion add-on: $150 (1-week carousel placement; $125 if bundled at purchase)
• Audiobook Format Promotion add-on: $125 (dedicated audio promotion; 304,000+ members opted in for audio as of January 2026)
• Via IBPA co-op (membership $139/year): 3-month listing $199, 6-month $399
• Via Victory Editing co-op: from approximately $50/month
• Via BooksGoSocial: from approximately $79/month
• Subscription plans for 5+ books/year: contact NetGalley for pricing

Genres that perform best: Romance, YA, fantasy/romantasy, mystery/thriller, and children's books consistently generate the highest request volumes. Nonfiction and literary fiction typically attract fewer requests.

What makes it different from consumer ARC platforms: NetGalley delivers a qualitatively different reviewer — librarians making acquisition decisions, booksellers considering shelf placement, and established book bloggers with professional review standards. Reviews carry trade credibility that consumer ARC platforms cannot replicate.

Limitations to know:

• High cost relative to consumer ARC alternatives (BookSirens, BookSprout)
• No guarantee of reviews — 100 requests may yield 10–15 actual reviews
• "Feedback" on NetGalley's own platform is not the same as retail reviews; fewer than 25% cross-post to Amazon
• Romance-heavy platform — other genres compete for a smaller slice of reviewer attention
• Indie authors compete for visibility alongside major publishers on the same interface
• All fees are nonrefundable

Best for: Authors with professional production standards seeking library acquisition exposure, media coverage, and credible pre-publication reviews — particularly in romance, YA, fantasy, and mystery/thriller. Most cost-effective when accessed via IBPA or another co-op to reduce entry cost.