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!

From the NetGalley Community: Ethics, Algorithms, and Advocacy

Each year, the NetGalley Community Survey offers insights into how reviewers, librarians, booksellers, media, educators, and industry professionals are engaging with books—and what they need from the publishing industry.

We’ve been conducting a community survey since 2018 and, while we’ve seen some changes over time, one thing remains consistent: readers are passionate. They are literacy advocates, professional book recommenders, and truly committed to spreading buzz about books they love!

Every survey also brings new confirmation, and sometimes surprises, about what our members want as book professionals. Last year, 2025 feedback centered mostly on personal challenges, like finding more time to read. This year’s 2026 survey results reflect a shift to a more external focus. Members are looking beyond their own reading habits, instead calling attention to broader industry issues. They’re advocating for ethics, access, and improvement to systems that shape how books are created and discovered.

Here are four important themes emerging from this year’s data, collected from nearly 12,000 respondents:

NetGalley is a human-centered website that depends on technology to allow our members and publishers to connect and share content. Transparency about use of AI, from both publishers and reviewers, is an important part of this relationship.

AI Transparency

The most dramatic shift in our 2026 survey results is members’ escalation of concern related to AI transparency. We first saw a reaction to AI in 2025 when stories of stolen literature to train LLMs first hit the news cycle, leading to the landmark Bartz v. Anthropic settlement involving the use of pirated book content. Now, survey respondents are almost universally calling for 100% transparency of AI usage, including jacket covers, book text, and audiobook narration.

While most understand a complete ban is nearly impossible in any workplace, respondents are asking for absolute transparency and acknowledgement when AI is used in any part of the book-making process, including editing and marketing. At the forefront of those concerns is the protection of human talent.

Algorithm Fatigue

NetGalley members also expressed burnout with algorithm-driven discovery. They reported frustration with what they perceive as limitations to organic discovery, particularly on mainstream platforms. While Instagram and Goodreads remain widely used by NetGalley members, many survey respondents told us they’re leaning toward smaller, book-focused spaces, where recommendations feel more intentional, human, and less driven by trends.

Readers are also pushing back against what they see as “TikTokification”: an environment where visibility is driven by popular buzzwords used for views rather than fit. A major point of friction is mismarketing, especially the overuse of popular tropes or genre labels that don’t accurately reflect a book’s content (e.g., labeling every fantasy “Romantasy”, even when romance has a minor subplot). This is an evolution of an historic frustration with mismatched “comp” titles.

Readers Hold Tight to their Values

One thing that hasn’t changed year over year: Intellectual freedom and censorship is a primary professional challenge cited by Librarians and Educators. These groups continue to fight a rising tide of book bans, and readers looking to support these efforts can find resources and action steps though Unite Against Book Bans, created by the American Library Association.

Rising book prices was also a repeated concern. Librarians point to digital licensing models as unsustainable with high costs and long wait times for patrons. However, some publishers have begun to address price sensitivity. According to the 2026 Readers First Publisher Price Watch, “the annualized average library eBook price increase is flat over the last four years,” (if you ignore one Big 5 publisher). Readers and institutions want to keep up and support the industry they love, but hope that publishers continue to address price sensitivity.

Our survey respondents also expressed support for midlist, debut, and independent authors, who may not have access to major marketing backing or budgets.

Readers Want Half Stars!

Even as readers raise bigger questions about the publishing industry, their day-to-day habits remain consistent: most are still reading daily, still tracking their progress, and still wishing—above all else—for DNF and half-star ratings across the various platforms they use.

At NetGalley, we’ve long supported this through our “Will Not Give Feedback” option, which is our version of a DNF that allows members to provide professional context for why they didn’t finish a book and are unable to provide constructive feedback.

Plus, as we designed Booktrovert—our consumer marketing platform—we made sure to include built-in reading tracking tools. And because we know an evaluation of a book is often more detailed than a standard five-star scale, we recently introduced the option to rate books by half (and even quarter) stars on Booktrovert—which perfectly compliments the customizable “Stacks,” complete with sortable columns, filters, and DNF status options.

Read on for other ways we’re addressing our members’ feedback!

How We’re Responding

AI Transparency: Members can indicate if they suspect a book is AI-generated as part of the “Will Not Give Feedback” option and, likewise, publishers can flag reviews where they suspect the same. As publishers continue to incorporate AI tools in parts of the book-making process, this year’s NetGalley survey results point to a community who will reward deliberate communication and prioritization of human creativity.
Algorithm Fatigue: On NetGalley, members have the option to choose their favorite categories and publishers, and there are plenty of opportunities to see “new to you” books, including our “Recently Added” page—which is one of the most browsed of any page on NetGalley! Plus, on Booktrovert, readers discover new books while playing bookish games, completing reading bingo challenges, and via giveaways, sweepstakes, and special deals. Booktrovert does not use algorithms to interrupt readers’ feeds. The community is an opt-in experience where discovery is the reward, not a side-effect of scrolling.
A Value-Based Industry: NetGalley is proud to help bridge the gap between marketing budgets, giving independent voices side-by-side visibility with Big 5 publishers in our catalog, and access to promotions designed for any budget, goal, and type of book. Plus, with the introduction of Booktrovert, any publisher or author can extend their reach with direct-to-consumer marketing as well.

We are so grateful to our robust, active community for their incredible feedback—not just about the books they’re reading, but about their hopes for the industry as well—and that we can pass along their message. These nearly 12,000 survey respondents are aligned with our vision: a world where the publishing community is empowered through technology to contribute to cultures of belonging and inclusion through content that connects and carries us forward. We believe that intelligent technology paired with human expertise is the key to increased accessibility, sales, and efficiency, igniting publisher success and bettering lives.

More 2026 Community Highlights:

Audio Publishers Association Wrap-Up 2026

The 2026 Audio Publishers Association Conference (APAC), held virtually on Monday, March 30, 2026, gathered publishers, distributors, retailers and suppliers, narrators, and other professionals in the audiobook industry. As a nonprofit organization, APA has the ability to bring the industry together to share ideas, discuss challenges, and make the most of formidable growth opportunities in the spoken word market.

The new Executive Director of APA, Jim Dinegar, brought together panelists from some of the biggest publishing houses—as well as Spotify—to discuss trends and “What’s Next in Audio?” for the keynote. Everything from children’s literacy rates and access, to format switching (audio to physical) mid-book, to transparency in AI usage was discussed. Rapid technological advances are happening in real time. Voracious listeners reward both experimental programming and also beloved narrators who can pierce through cultural noise. It’s a great moment to be a book professional in the age of audiobook momentum.

Models and Methods—Adapting to Trends and Change in Audiobook Marketing

NetGalley’s Director of Client Acquisition & Success, Darcy Piedmonte, moderated a discussion with Allison Carney, Executive Director of Marketing, HarperCollins; Corrin Foster, Vice President of Book Promotions and Marketing, Advantage Media Group; and Anna Goolsby, Content Marketing Manager, Dreamscape Media LLC.

This session was a perfect segue to the keynote. Panelists gave the audience a behind-the-curtain look at how marketing compares between a Big 5, an audiobook-specific, and a hybrid publisher. Allison shared HarperCollins’ approach to format agnostic marketing goals, while simultaneously illustrating how they quickly respond (and proactively create) audiobook viral moments. Anna spoke of diving deeply into niche audiences, particularly on Reddit, to bring her own social acuity and recommendations to the right people in the right moments. Corrin spoke of helping authors develop their own “authority” and how audiobooks pave the way for speaking gigs, drive rapid consumption of books, and garner enthusiastic, additive feedback.

Other session themes included audiobook production, how to manage the format as a self-published author, and many narrator-specific professional sessions. If you attended the conference, it’s not too late to access the recordings of sessions you missed!

Next year’s conference will be live in New York! If you’re a professional in the audiobook space, you won’t want to miss the resources APA delivers.

Additional Audiobook News:

2026 Community Spotlight: Audiobooks
NetGalley France partners with La Plume de Paon for the Audiobook People’s Choice Award

We See Books in Your Future

Bringing the Magic of Discovery to BookCon 2026

After a six-year hiatus, BookCon came roaring back to the Javits Center this year, and the collective energy of thousands of people who live and breathe stories was electric! As marketers, you know that there’s power in building momentum beyond a single touchpoint. We’re proud that our Booktrovert booth brought this concept to life, combining both at-show and online promotions, spanning multiple weeks before, during, and after the event. We saw firsthand how a strategic hybrid approach can drive massive engagement while keeping the focus on what matters most: guiding more books into the hearts and minds of more readers.

The Magic in the Cards: Our In-Booth Experience

We gamified discovery by inviting Booktroverts to choose from eight identity-driven bookish personalities to reveal which book the cards had in store for them. Our team handed out over 3,000 custom tarot cards, each serving as a gateway to start reading a free ebook. The results were immediate: 2,264 ebooks were claimed by attendees using the QR code on the card. This digital-first approach, paired with a simple yet beautiful keepsake, generated buzz both at the event and in social spaces online.

Beyond the Show Floor: Online Communities

We amplified on-site energy and activated audiences who could not attend with a massive multi-channel campaign across Booktrovert and NetGalley channels. Our strategic series of eBlasts, newsletters, and social activations resulted in serious engagement:

Booktrovert Newsletters: We targeted engaged consumers with a BookCon Sneak Peek (47% open rate), a Sweepstakes Sneak Peek (48% open rate), and an especially high-performing edition of the Digest Newsletter (57% open rate).
NetGalley Newsletters: To reach our professional tastemakers, we deployed two massive sends. Reaching over 430k members each, our BookCon Sneak Peek eBlast (36% open rate) followed by the Sweepstakes Announcement newsletter (35% open rate) drove strong participation—especially from those who weren’t at BookCon.
Social Integration: Our Instagram strategy was equally robust, featuring a mix of group promotions and spotlight posts for individual titles across both the NetGalley and Booktrovert channels. Tagged and collab posts with publishers and authors ensured wide-ranging engagement across communities.

By connecting these digital touchpoints with our physical presence, we ensured that the discovery process extended far beyond the event, creating sustained visibility for every featured book.

Expanding the Impact: More Chances to Win

In addition to the giveaways during the BookCon event, publisher sponsors also offered any reader a chance to win a limited number of the same ebooks in a post-show Booktrovert sweepstakes. 680 ebook copies were available across all 8 featured titles, and to say that our Booktroverts were excited is an understatement! The sweepstakes for these books saw more than 21,596 total entries in the week following BookCon.

Perhaps most impressively, the engagement rates for the sweepstakes campaigns were through the roof. Across all 8 books, the average campaign Conversion Rate was 50%. In a digital landscape where attention is the most valuable currency, it’s validating to see such strong participation!

Until Next Year!

At BookCon 2026, we proved that digital discovery doesn’t have to feel like the runner up to a physical ARC drop. By facilitating thousands of connections between publishers and their fans, we demonstrated how a sustainable, reader-first approach can scale word-of-mouth marketing without losing the human touch. We can’t wait to see what’s in the cards for next year! No matter what, our mission will remain: To guide more content into the minds of more readers, in partnership with publishers and authors.

Case Study: Leveraging Two Communities for Audience Building, Engagement, and Sales

What happens when you combine the targeted reach of NetGalley with the broad appeal of a consumer giveaway?

In March, NetGalley explored this question by sending a special newsletter featuring 11 Booktrovert giveaway and sweepstakes campaigns. The newsletter encouraged 53,000+ highly engaged NetGalley members to claim an eBook from any of the giveaways, or enter to win the sweepstakes.

By pairing the direct-to-consumer Booktrovert campaigns with the trade reach of a NetGalley newsletter, publishers were able to create new opportunities for both professional reader discovery and consumer engagement.

NetGalley and Booktrovert work together to extend marketing reach to any audience.

NetGalley helps publishers generate reviews and nominations, reach trade professionals and influencers, and drive buzz. Booktrovert creates excitement among consumers via urgency-driven giveaways, increases sales and pre-orders, and grows the author’s mailing list.

Together, they create a full-funnel approach to book promotion. NetGalley plants the seeds of interest and advocacy pre-publication, and Booktrovert nurtures the growth at and beyond launch by expanding awareness and engagement. Then, both platforms can be used to keep the momentum flourishing as a book moves into the backlist.

The results of the newsletter reinforce just how effective this combined approach can be:

The special NetGalley newsletter resulted in more than 8,700 unique clicks to the featured Booktrovert campaigns. In fact, in all 11 cases, engagement with the Booktrovert campaigns experienced noticeable lifts in activity immediately following the newsletter, with some seeing the number of entries increase by more than double after the newsletter was sent out.

*Day one has organic discovery via the Booktrovert Feed and Digest Newsletter, and then a second spike with the added NetGalley Newsletter.*

What makes this especially impactful is the context in which these readers are discovering the campaigns. NetGalley members are already primed for book discovery as tastemakers; they’re actively seeking new titles, exploring upcoming releases, and making decisions about what to read or buy next. By introducing giveaways with a lower barrier to entry via newsletter (especially for those who weren’t approved or may have missed the original request window) they now have a second, immediate way to engage. Plus, the reach has also expanded to consumers via the Booktrovert feed and daily digest email. These are readers who may be hearing about your book for the first time.

You might also be familiar with the “I keep hearing about this book!” metric that we collect on NetGalley, and we are firm believers in this principle. The more often an audience hears about a book or sees a creative marketing effort by the publisher, the more likely they are to engage with it. Seeing your book in more than one bookish space increases the likelihood that you’ll convert that person into a buyer!

Ultimately, the multi-pronged approach works because it reflects how readers actually discover books.

It’s rarely a single moment—it’s a series of reinforcing actions that create sales velocity and success.

Having your book on NetGalley organically introduces a book to industry professionals and early advocates. A newsletter brings that same title back into focus. Adding a Booktrovert campaign demonstrates ongoing marketing effort to these trade audiences, and offers them an easy way to both act on their own interest and share the opportunity with their own audiences. Each step builds on the last!

By connecting these touchpoints, publishers and authors can create a better path from discovery to engagement to sales.

How Independent Authors Can Maximize the Benefits of NetGalley

Independent author M.J. Etkind recently shared her experience on Reddit about using NetGalley for her books — including landing a feature in the The New York Times and generating meaningful library sales. Her biggest takeaway? NetGalley is far more than a review tool. When used strategically, it’s a professional marketing platform designed to connect authors with booksellers, librarians, media, and industry professionals.

Here’s what indie authors can learn from her approach.

Remember Who NetGalley Is For

Many independent authors view NetGalley as a way to collect reviews on Goodreads or StoryGraph. And yes — reviews in these places absolutely matter, but M.J. believes they’re not the only thing that matters!

NetGalley was built primarily to serve industry professionals, ranging from booksellers, librarians, media, reviewers and educators. But M.J. has found that if your only goal is consumer reviews (meaning reviews shared on retail sites like Amazon or social sites like TikTok), you may be underutilizing the platform. Authors can, and should, think bigger! Trade visibility, library discovery, and retail relationships are all within reach when using NetGalley. M.J. discovered that one of her biggest long-term values came from focusing on professional audiences, particularly within libraries and bookstores.

Budget Conscious? You Have Options.

For budget-conscious indie authors, M.J. recommends working with a NetGalley reseller to reduce the cost of the investment.

For independent authors, you have options:

Work with NetGalley directly: You have full control over your own account and title listing, with instant access to data. Plus, participating in NetGalley’s built-in promotions and Booktrovert are just a click away!
Work with a NetGalley reseller: Resellers may provide some discounts and/or shorter time commitments. Some even have marketing and PR options bundled into their offerings, which can benefit authors looking for a bit of extra help!

M.J. has used Victory Editing Co-Op, one of the longest-standing NetGalley co-ops/resellers available. Additional experienced resellers can be found here.

How to choose?

Authors who want full control, detailed data access, and the ability to actively manage and scale their campaigns may prefer working directly with NetGalley. Those looking for a lower upfront cost, shorter listing durations, or a more hands-off experience may find a reseller to be the better fit.

Anne Victory, owner of Victory Editing and facilitator of the Victory Editing Co-op, says, “My co-op gives authors maximum control while making NetGalley far more accessible. I focus on removing friction so authors can spend their energy where it matters—reaching readers.”

Know the Communication Rules

To maintain member privacy and trust, NetGalley has important guidelines regarding member contact. Based on her experience, M.J. recommends following these two lines of outreach to ensure broad engagement and relationship-building with readers:

Send a gentle email to past ARC readers notifying them of a new book
Send reminders to approved members encouraging them to download and review

In fact, NetGalley offers template language to help you get started with outreach like this!

Plan your communication strategy carefully to ensure you’re following best practices that will help you stay on the right side of GDPR, CCPA, and other privacy-related regulations.

Have Your Retail Infrastructure Ready

Timing matters. M.J. emphasizes making sure pre-order links are live everywhere, especially on Amazon, Goodreads, and through IngramSpark. This will ensure your retail links are available by the time your NetGalley listing gains traction! Metadata distribution through Ingram can take over a week from file approval to bookstore visibility, so plan ahead.

If industry professionals discover your book on NetGalley but can’t easily order it, you risk losing momentum.

Invest in Your Cover

M.J. saw a dramatic difference in performance between books with strong covers and books with weak ones.

On a platform like NetGalley where books are browsed quickly and feedback on the cover art is encouraged, cover quality directly impacts request rates. This is especially true of cover images that were generated by AI. While many indie authors are understandably conscious of budget, your cover image is not the area that you should scrimp on!

Include Industry-Focused Materials

In addition to the book file, M.J. ensures that all of her developed marketing materials have been added to her NetGalley listing, so that industry professionals know how and where to reach her. She includes:

A sell sheet
Ordering information for bookstores and librarians
Contact details
Backlist catalog information
Direct links to social and retail sites for reviewers to cross-post reviews

This reinforces NetGalley’s professional purpose and makes it easier for industry members to act, as well as helping more casual consumer reviewers share their reviews widely!

Integrate NetGalley into Your Bookstore Marketing Plan

For M.J., NetGalley isn’t a standalone tactic — it’s part of her broader bookstore outreach system. She includes her NetGalley link when pitching bookstores, giving them a frictionless way to preview the book in order to help them decide to carry it in their store, hand pitch to readers, and enhance sales. In this context, NetGalley serves not only as a review tool, but as a professional access point within a more comprehensive marketing strategy.

M.J. Etkind, author of the *New York Times* Featured book, *The Witch of Wall Street.*

M.J. Etkind lives a double life. By day, she is a corporate girly with a business degree. By night, she writes romance novels in a cozy book filled apartment in Boston. M.J. Etkind’s most favorite fun fact is that she once took an entire vacation to visit a bookstore. Etkind has previously published two romance novels. Dishwasher Safe (2024) and The Witch of Wall Street (2025) which was featured in The New York Times Book Review.