ALA Annual Conference 2026 Wrap Up

Key Takeaways for Publisher Strategy and Community Engagement

The American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference remains a cornerstone event for the publishing ecosystem. Drawing nearly 15,000 total attendees this year, the show floor provided a vital barometer for current library needs and emerging digital discovery trends.

For the NetGalley team, our time in the exhibit hall offered direct, face-to-face feedback from a cross-section of library professionals, ranging from academic researchers to school and public library directors.

“Connecting with the library community at ALA Annual is always a highlight, but this year felt especially critical,” says Tarah Theoret, Vice President of Community Growth & Engagement at NetGalley. “Librarians are navigating tighter budgets and shifting industry dynamics, and they need reliable digital tools to work efficiently. Our goal is to ensure NetGalley remains the trusted ecosystem supporting their daily workflows and connecting their local communities with books.”

Looking back at those conversations, a few clear trends stand out that can help publishers shape their marketing and galley strategies for the year ahead.

1. Digital Galleys are Essential for Budget-Strapped Libraries

As shifts in the industry make physical advance review copies (ARCs) more exclusive or difficult to obtain, library workers are increasingly relying on digital review copies (DRCs) to sustain their pipelines. Librarians emphasized that NetGalley has evolved from a supplemental discovery platform into an essential tool for collection development and fiscally responsible purchasing decisions.

“…I use [my NetGalley account] as a resource for purchasing printed materials… My community is well-read; therefore, I discuss with my Cataloguer and Acquisitions Manager at length the materials we purchase on a limited budget.”

— Shelia Harris, Director, Enterprise Public Library

The Publisher Takeaway: Ensuring your upcoming titles are listed on NetGalley well ahead of publication doesn’t just drive consumer buzz—it directly influences institutional purchasing behaviors during crucial budget cycles, and allows you to easily pitch for industry reviews in outlets like School Library Journal.

2. Bridging the Gap Between Professional Discovery and Patron Engagement

One of the most enthusiastic responses at our booth centered on resources that extend beyond individual professionals to their wider communities. Librarians immediately noted that specialized assets like NetGalley’s Book Club Kits are natural fits for their local programming.

Furthermore, librarians were thrilled that they could share Booktrovert.com, our reader-facing platform, with their patrons to combat summer reading slumps via daily literary games and ebook giveaways. In fact, some institutions have already integrated Booktrovert directly onto their public-facing websites to expand patron discovery options.

3. Driving Professional Workflows and Industry Recognition

Conversations on the floor highlighted just how deeply integrated NetGalley remains within influential, high-level library workflows. We connected with power-users from major institutions, including program specialists at the Library of Congress who noted widespread internal reliance on the platform, and academic reference librarians who utilize NetGalley to evaluate titles for major industry distinctions, such as the LibraryReads list, the Newbery Awards, and the newly formed ALA Outstanding Comics Awards.

School librarians also detailed how they rely heavily on NetGalley to coordinate and fuel curriculum-based book spotlights across entire school districts. This level of engagement reinforces NetGalley’s position as a foundational workflow hub for the gatekeepers, award committees, and tastemakers of the library world.

Looking Ahead

The library market remains a powerful, driving catalyst for organic book discovery, high-stakes industry recognition, and long-term institutional sales. The insights gathered from our time at ALA Annual reinforce that when publishers make their titles accessible to library professionals, they are positioning their books directly in front of the industry’s most influential tastemakers.

Moving forward, NetGalley and Booktrovert will continue to leverage these insights to optimize how we support both sides of the aisle. For our publisher clients, this means continuing to refine account verification workflows (such as validating professional ALA ID credentials) to ensure your digital review copies are consistently reaching verified library buyers and committee voters. For the broader reading community, we are excited to expand our consumer engagement strategies, making it easier than ever for libraries to seamlessly connect their patrons with the books they love.

Thank you to everyone who visited us in the booth. We are already looking forward to expanding our presence, deepening our vital industry collaborations, and bringing even more impactful engagement to ALA Annual 2027!

*Tarah Theoret, Sidney Thompson, and Darcy Piedmonte at ALA Annual, 2026*

NetGalley Marks Inaugural “Booktrovert Day”, Celebrating Reader Engagement During Milestone Anniversary

NEWBURYPORT, MA (June 23, 2026)—One year ago, NetGalley LLC debuted Booktrovert.com with a vision: to modernize consumer book marketing by bridging the gap between publishers and everyday readers. Today, as the platform celebrates its first anniversary and the launch of the inaugural “Booktrovert Day,” that vision has successfully evolved into a powerhouse consumer discovery engine.

Since its launch on June 23, 2025, Booktrovert has fulfilled its original promise to provide a standalone, consumer-facing destination that complements the professional reach of NetGalley—the industry standard for digital galley distribution and early reviews with nearly 1 million active members globally. In its first year, Booktrovert has amassed nearly 70,000 registered users (93% with completed profiles) who have already claimed over 58,000 ebooks thanks to its popular giveaways. Publishers of all sizes—from Big 5 to university presses—along with savvy indie authors have booked over 380 Booktrovert campaigns to broaden their reach, increase pre-orders and backlist sales, and grow reader mailing lists. To date, Booktrovert has 9 published case studies in partnership with Forever (Abby Jimenez), Berkley Publishing Group (Lucy Jane Wood), William Morrow (Karin Slaughter), Simon & Schuster (William J. Mann), Harper360 (Evie Woods), Alcove Press (Andrea Jo DeWerd), W.W. Norton in partnership with Allstora (Phil Melanson), and more.

The company has established a seamless, full-funnel approach to book marketing: first gain early reviews and trade awareness on NetGalley, and then spark consumer excitement and sales via Booktrovert. This dual-platform synergy allows publishers and authors to build meaningful momentum by reaching industry professionals and everyday consumers simultaneously, ensuring that buzz created pre-publication flourishes long after launch.

“We felt we had a clear mandate born from direct industry feedback: to create a consumer-facing marketing destination that provides publishers with secure, robust digital fulfillment tools they trust. It’s been exciting to see early adopters successfully leverage Booktrovert for urgency marketing, backlist revitalization, and high-impact event activations—all without any administrative headache,” said NetGalley President Lindsey Lochner. “Publishers and authors appreciate the easy and fast setup (in fact, 29% of campaigns so far were booked just 48 hours in advance) and fulfillment is all automatic, instant, and completely digital—no shipping required!”

“It’s been heartening to see how enthusiastically our community of readers has embraced Booktrovert,” said Tarah Theoret, NetGalley’s VP, Community Growth & Engagement. “We’re proud to see book lovers of all kinds connecting with the Booktrovert identity, and their input is truly helping to shape the experience from the start.”

Booktrovert’s success validates NetGalley’s “listen, then build” approach to innovation. Over the last 12 months, the platform has evolved to deepen user engagement and provide enhanced insights for publishers:

Expanded Campaign Types: In September 2025, Booktrovert introduced Sweepstakes, allowing readers to enter for a chance to win limited-quantity ebooks, complementing the existing limited-time Giveaways.
The Booktrovert Arcade: In March 2026, the platform expanded its interactive games with “Plotlines” (a word-connection game based on book plots) and “Cover Snap” (a daily cover art jigsaw puzzle). Already those two games have been played over 44,500 times, joining community favorites “Bookish Bingo” and “Shelfie Showcase.”
Advanced Book Discovery and Tracking: The Booktrovert Library underwent major upgrades, allowing users to organize books into custom stacks and collections, and in April 2026, a highly customizable List View for spreadsheet lovers. The site also added a “Find Books” advanced search with dedicated full-page book profiles (featuring trade reviews), and the ability to rate books with nuanced quarter-stars.
Data Import Capabilities: To help readers consolidate their reading lives, Booktrovert launched a beta Import tool, allowing users to seamlessly transfer their book histories from Goodreads, StoryGraph, or a custom CSV file directly into their Booktrovert Library.
Revamped Basic Reporting, Plus Built-In Event Insights with Detailed Analytics: Every Booktrovert campaign includes transparent, easy-to-digest stats to help clients understand performance and ROI. Plus, Booktrovert is tailor-made for events and consumer shows—especially high-demand events like BookCon, where Booktrovert saw massive engagement in April 2026 by distributing private ebook giveaways in-booth and further extending reach post-show with online sweepstakes. Publishers like Boom! Studios and Penguin Young Readers Group have used Booktrovert to bring digital copies to fan events like New York Comic Con and Imaginarium Book Festival, and a recent collaboration with Reading Rhythms, Grand Central, and Little, Brown offered Booktrovert ebook giveaways to their app subscribers to widen reach beyond their in-person events.

Booktrovert Day on June 23, 2026 is an annual holiday for readers to celebrate a “Day in the Life of a Booktrovert.” Readers, authors, and creators, and fans are encouraged to share a snapshot of their unique reading lifestyle, using custom 70s pop art scrapbook-style digital stickers and social templates alongside the official hashtags #BooktrovertDay and #DayInTheLifeOfABooktrovert.

For Booktrovert Day, the NetGalley team has partnered with book influencers and authors across Instagram and TikTok and are offering free, extra promotion for publishers who have Booktrovert giveaways or sweepstakes starting on June 23.

Any NetGalley client—whether a subscription or pay-per-title client—looking to reach U.S. readers can purchase Booktrovert campaigns directly within their NetGalley account.

For more information about Booktrovert, visit Booktrovert.com or contact booktrovert@netgalley.com.

About NetGalley LLC

NetGalley is the industry standard for digital galley distribution and book marketing. Nearly 1 million book advocates and trade professionals rely on NetGalley’s secure, sustainable platform to discover new titles, share reviews, and champion literacy worldwide. With a global presence spanning the US, UK, Germany, France, and Japan, NetGalley is the bridge between authors, publishers, and the world’s most influential readers. To learn more, visit www.netgalley.com.

Booktrovert, created and powered by NetGalley, amplifies these efforts by driving consumer discovery through a sleek, reader-centric experience. Blending publishing expertise with interactive engagement—including ebook giveaways and bookish games—Booktrovert brings stories to life for a dedicated consumer audience. To learn more, visit www.booktrovert.com.

As part of the Firebrand Group (owned by Media Do International), the NetGalley team provides publishers with the strategic consultation, training, and targeted promotions needed to succeed in an evolving marketplace.

The Booktrovert Community at One Year

As we mark our official first anniversary and debut the inaugural Booktrovert Day on June 23, 2026, we are proud that our original vision has evolved into a powerhouse consumer discovery engine!

Our reader community has embraced Booktrovert, and the data proves that Booktroverts are engaged and enthusiastic! Here’s a look at how our community and platform have grown over the last year:

*As a result of our Booktrovert Day celebrations, we gained 10k new users!*

Join the Celebration: Booktrovert Day is June 23!

We’re treating Booktrovert’s first birthday like a national holiday for readers! Being a “Booktrovert” means different things to everyone—whether you’re a mood reader, a cozy bookworm, or a late-night page-turner. This campaign is all about celebrating that bookish identity. Visit us on Instagram and TikTok to take part in our #DayInTheLifeOfABooktrovert campaign, where readers, authors, and creators are sharing a snapshot of their unique reading lifestyle using our custom 70s pop art scrapbook-style digital stickers and social templates. Drop your own posts using the official hashtags #BooktrovertDay and #DayInTheLifeOfABooktrovert.

For publishers, now is the perfect time to leverage the dual-platform synergy of NetGalley and Booktrovert to spark consumer excitement and build meaningful pre- and post-publication buzz.

Thank you to our incredible community of readers, authors, and publishers for making Booktrovert’s first year an unforgettable success! Here’s to many more to come—this is just the beginning of our story together.

2026 U.S. Book Show Recap

NetGalley + Enchantress Marketing: Mastering Perpetual Discovery for Backlist

Last week we had the pleasure of sponsoring the U.S. Book Show, where we attended many excellent panels focused on how data, modern discoverability, and emerging technologies are shifting the landscape and addressing industry-wide challenges. Topics ranged from shaping trends by leveraging data for strategic acquisitions to reacting to trends using social listening tools and surfacing backlist, and, of course, experimenting with AI to streamline workflows. It was within this context that we took the stage with our session: “Beyond Launch: Mastering Perpetual Discovery for Backlist.”

Moderated by Darcy Piedmonte (Director, NetGalley + Booktrovert), and including Kristina Radke (SVP, NetGalley + Booktrovert) and Ashleigh Heaton (Founder, Enchantress Marketing), we focused in on ideas for how to maintain sales velocity once the initial launch budget is spent. Here are a few highlights and takeaways from our conversation:

1. Marketing is Applied Human Psychology

Ashleigh said it beautifully, “Marketing is applied human psychology. It is both an art and a science.” As with all science, robust data is essential. Marketers often rely on intuition and emotional connection with a project to fuel campaign decisions, which should always be the throughline of that work. And rich audience data can confirm intuitions or point out potential internalized bias or assumptions.

To get at the data, social listening tools can help publishers identify social media influencers, understand the online conversation for a brand or book, highlight top-performing platforms/accounts, and offer a big-picture summary of an audience or trend. Ashleigh specifically mentioned Brandwatch or Meltwater for deep consumer insights. And other social scheduling tools that also offer social monitoring for your owned channels: Sprout, Metricool, Hootsuite.

2. Reviews as the Cornerstone

Overlapping with social listening, Ashleigh recommended digging into consumer reviews to understand consumer sentiment. These reviews are dynamic data that help publishers identify common themes, keywords, descriptors, tropes, tags, and comps. Kristina reinforced the idea that publishers should leverage data from reviews to ensure the best positioning for backlist titles. For instance, ensuring that a trending trope is explicitly mentioned in the book description, or adding new words, like “romantasy”, to your metadata. That is the type of information that may not have been relevant 10 years ago, but will ensure better discoverability today.

Sentiment has always been among the most important things that marketers need to understand about their readers, and now it also matters for online search and discovery. Sentiment signals are one way that AI search models (like the “AI Overview” in your Google search, now powered by Gemini) understand how to answer a particular question that readers ask. These AI models synthesize information from online sources, including book reviews, to learn how to talk about your book. Reviews give these tools a more nuanced understanding of which books to mention when someone asks for a “standalone romantasy book”, for instance.

3. Leveraging All Your Data

There were many sessions about AI throughout the conference, and Kristina called forth a number of points made in other sessions related to context, clarity, and intent (Cameron Lennon’s session on GEO) and the opportunity to use data across all parts of the publishing workflow to create “superdiscoverability” (Brooke Dobson & Keith Riegert’s lunchtime session).

Kristina emphasized that AI now makes it possible to surface backlist in a more nuanced way than before. Where publishers once relied on institutional knowledge and keywords to search for backlist books that might match a hot trend, now they can connect data across title management, social listening, and consumer analytics tools to prompt a more specific search: “Look at books published 5 or more years ago, identify the top 10 titles to be included in a Pride Month marketing campaign, filter based on LGBTQ+ main characters and openly LGBTQ authors, with high lifetime sales that have slowed in the last 12 months, and focus on currently-trending themes like queer joy or found family.”

This relies on publishers doing the work to connect these databases (ask your technologists about “Model Context Protocol”), and to fully understand what types of robust searches they want to do. Kristina encouraged managers to ask team members to deliver specific questions like the example above to share with technologists as an example of what they want to achieve.

In Conclusion

What this all points to is a future where data supercharges marketers’ intuition. By treating reviews as dynamic data and utilizing advanced search, publishers can move past the initial launch hype and establish an ongoing ROI for the true backbone of their business: the backlist. The conversations we had both on and off the stage reminded us that while technology continues to change rapidly, our core mission as an industry – helping readers find the most relevant books for them, whether newly launched or deep in the backlist – remains the same. Beyond the excellent programming, the U.S. Book Show remains one of the best places to meet our clients and partners who share this dedication to driving discoverability.

Want to dive deeper? Check out NetGalley’s article: Discoverability in the age of AI.

How Featured Reviews Help Readers Discover Your Books

Every publisher has reviews they wish more readers could see: a glowing 5-star review that name-drops a perfect comp title or author, a reviewer who perfectly captures the emotional hook, or a librarian explaining exactly why a book will circulate well for a certain target audience. These are the reviews that help sell books and, on NetGalley, you can choose to spotlight them directly on your Title Details page.

Featuring reviews is quick and easy to do, and can have a meaningful, lasting impact on discoverability, requests, and reader engagement.

Help readers choose your book

Featured Reviews appear prominently on your book’s Title Details page, making them one of the first things NetGalley members see when browsing titles.

That visibility matters, especially for pre-publication books. NetGalley members look for signals that a book will be a good fit for them when deciding to request a copy. Visible reviews from fellow book industry professionals can be incredibly persuasive!

Featuring reviews also gives publishers more control over the messaging surrounding a title. You can highlight reviews that emphasize the aspects of the book you most want readers to notice, whether that’s a standout trope, ideal audience, emotional tone, or strong comp title. Plus, now that Featured Reviews automatically appear on book pages on Booktrovert too, one small action can reach multiple bookish audiences!

In short: Featured Reviews help you curate the conversation around your book.

Increase discoverability beyond NetGalley

Featured Reviews are publicly visible, which means they can contribute to how books appear across search engines and AI-powered recommendation tools.

As search engines continue to incorporate AI, publicly available review language plays a growing role in how books are surfaced in search recommendations. Featuring strong reviews gives your books more high-quality, descriptive content tied directly to the title. See our article “How Book Reviews Power Discovery in the Age of AI Search” for more info.

Reviews emphasize human sentiment, emotional moments, and the cultural zeitgeist. When thoughtful, personal opinions in the form of reviews are associated with a book, context recommendation systems have the fodder to connect readers with titles they may enjoy.

This makes Featured Reviews especially valuable not only for frontlist promotion, but also for strengthening long-term discoverability of your backlist!

Reward and encourage engaged reviewers

Featuring reviews is also a meaningful way to recognize the readers who are actively championing your books.

When a NetGalley member has three or more reviews featured across the site, they earn a special Top Reviewer badge on their profile. For reviewers, earning that badge is a meaningful marker of credibility within the community, and for publishers, it helps strengthen relationships with engaged advocates who consistently provide thoughtful feedback.

It’s a small action that helps reinforce a healthy review ecosystem: reviewers feel valued, and publishers benefit from stronger community engagement.

A simple step with lasting value

Featuring reviews only takes a few clicks, but it can help increase requests, shape reader expectations, strengthen SEO and GEO discoverability, and reward your strongest advocates.

If you’re already receiving great feedback on your titles, let the world know!

IBPA Publishing University Wrap-Up 2026

The NetGalley team recently returned from an energising weekend in Portland, Oregon, where we attended the Independent Book Publishers Association’s 2026 Publishing University, along with over 400 indie publishers and exhibitors. We came back with full notebooks, new connections, and a whole lot to think about!

Getting the Conversation Started

We kicked things off at the pre-event Think Tank, which set a great tone for the days ahead. The format was simple but effective: questions were posed to a rotating cast of industry voices, including Victoria Sutherland of Forward Books, Brad Farmer of Gibbs-Smith, and Matthew Mansfield of Nielsen IQ Book Data. Those same questions were then turned loose on the room to encourage conversation and peer learning. It broke through the typical conference stiffness fast, and by the time breakout groups formed, people were already mid-conversation.

Marketing Insights Worth Bookmarking

Two Sales and Marketing breakout sessions during the Think Tank discussed a wide array of challenges and solutions. The biggest takeaway is that indie publishers are nimble. They know how to market and sell to niche, hyper-focused communities and reach broader audiences. A few highlights: podcasts are most effective when longer episodes are broken into shorter, promotable segments; Threads is the social platform to pay attention to right now; and the group had a frank conversation about galley ethics, touching on both the environmental cost of print galleys and the growing problem of galleys being resold online.

Notes from the NetGalley Booth

Day 2 of the event reminded us of one of the best parts of in-person industry events: spontaneous conversations. In fact, our team was so busy connecting with attendees at the NetGalley and Booktrovert booth that we missed the morning welcome and keynote entirely (but we loved Publishers Weekly’s recap here). There’s no better problem to have than too many good conversations! Throughout the conference, we loved meeting publishers, authors, and publishing students face-to-face and hearing about the creative ways they’re building buzz for their books.

From SEO to GEO

On Day 2, we attended a breakout by Sarah Bean of Booklaunchers titled A Post-Funnel Approach to Book Marketing, a session that dovetailed nicely with our own panel at this year’s London Book Fair on metadata, search engine optimization, and generative engine optimization. Sarah made a compelling case that AI has fundamentally changed how readers discover books, but that traditional marketing tactics (like press releases — a forgotten relic for many in the room!) still work, with some tweaks. She outlined how traditional SEO aims to land an author or publisher’s website on the first page of a Google search, and pull readers into their sales funnel. GEO shifts the goal entirely: instead of capturing clicks, the aim is for a book or author to become the trusted source that AI tools surface and cite directly. It’s a meaningful evolution in thinking, and one the industry is only beginning to grapple with.

Tapping Into Fandom

Day 3’s keynote zeroed in on the booming comic, graphic novel, and manga markets, and the fierce, devoted communities driving them. Creator Matt Braley and a panel including representatives from Tokyopop, Mad Cave, and Dark Horse Comics hammered home that fandom isn’t just an audience, it’s a responsibility. Every element of a graphic narrative, all the way down to the spine art, is simultaneously a commercial product and a work of art, and publishers have to honor both.

For indie publishers eyeing this space, the panel boiled it down to four honest questions: Do you have secure IP access? Can you commit to a long-running series? Do you know how to reach highly connected fan communities? And can your cash flow sustain the longer road to ROI?

Until Next Year, In Baltimore! 👋

Publishing University was, as always, a reminder of how much energy and creativity this industry runs on. We loved every conversation we had at our booth, in the breakout rooms, and in the hallways in between. See you next year!