Pictured are Theresa DeLucci, Saga’s director of marketing and publicity; A Forsaken Prophecy author Stacey McEwan; publicity manager Christine Calella; and publicist Karintha Parker.
Every author and publisher (and bookstore!) dreams of having a book that’s in such high demand that people have a moment to yearn for their very own copy.
Recently, the team at Saga Press embraced that reality with a sense of humor. At San Diego Comic-Con, they wore t-shirts reading “We’re sorry we declined your NetGalley Request forA Forsaken Prophecy“—a playful nod to the thousands that were eager to get their hands on the book.
One of the most common questions the NetGalley team gets is, “Won’t my readers be upset if I decline their request?” And the answer is, well… sometimes. But, for many publishers, declining requests is a necessary part of the ARC process depending on how many free/review copies they are able to offer. We know that readers’ enthusiasm is something to celebrate, and something you can continue to nurture with these strategies:
Declining Doesn’t Have to End the Conversation
NetGalley is designed to help publishers put advanced copies into the hands of the readers who are a strong fit to advocate for that particular book, which often means making difficult approval decisions based on the audience that reader can reach, or their reviewing history.
While most members understand that not every request will be approved, they also appreciate transparency, kindness, and opportunities to stay engaged with the book.
To continue the conversation, publishers can craft a thoughtful decline message, which directs readers what to do next. For highly anticipated books, a custom decline message may point readers to where they can pre-order the book, follow the author on social media, or even contain a registration link to an event or signing for the author. A thoughtful decline today can still become tomorrow’s sale, review, or recommendation.
Give Readers Another Way to Engage
If you’re declining someone’s request for a DRC, offer another opportunity to engage with the book or author. All NetGalley titles come with a Detailed Activity Report containing the contact information of every person who was declined (when opted-in), making it easy to connect with engaged readers, even if you aren’t able to provide them with an early copy.
For example, you might invite them to:
Download “extras”, like bookmarks, teaching guides, or book club kits
Read an excerpt or access an interview by the author
Follow the author on social and/or attend an upcoming author/bookstore event
Watch a video filmed by the author made especially for NetGalley members
These tactics continue to build anticipation for the book while readers wait for it to go on sale, and hopefully create a fan from your efforts to engage along the way.
Send Them to Booktrovert
One of the easiest ways to keep disappointed readers engaged is by pairing your NetGalley listing with a Booktrovert campaign.
When the book is approaching its pub date, run a Booktrovert Sweepstakes to give readers a chance to win a digital copy. Then email the NetGalley members who were declined to encourage them to enter for another chance to get their hands on the book! (When setting up your Booktrovert campaign in just 5 easy steps, you decide how many copies to offer, and fulfillment is all digital and automatic.)
This creates a positive experience instead of a dead end:
“Thanks for your interest in [Book Title]! While we were limited in how many NetGalley requests we could approve, we’d still love to give you another opportunity to read the book. Enter the sweepstakes on Booktrovert before [campaign end date] for your chance to win a free copy!”
It’s a great way to reward enthusiasm while keeping distribution selective.
Declined Today, Dedicated Fan Tomorrow
Many readers—and especially NetGalley members—care loudly! See also: BookTok crying. To help provide context when they aren’t able to get their hands on the hottest new book, we make sure to help members understand why requests aren’t always approved and remind them that a decline is never personal.
We encourage readers to keep supporting the books they’re excited about, whether that’s by pre-ordering, requesting the book from their library, or entering a Booktrovert Sweepstakes if available. When publishers communicate thoughtfully and readers understand the process, today’s disappointed requester can become tomorrow’s biggest advocate.
Utilizing Your NetGalley Word Cloud for GEO, Metadata, and More
When it comes to book marketing, publishers aim to predict and craft the perfect description. But readers may have a different impression of a book’s positioning. The specific, and sometimes unique, ways that readers describe a book give marketers an opportunity to align the messaging so future readers can discover it more easily.
Here are some ways that marketers can use the NetGalley Word Cloud* to ensure SEO and GEO, all while updating keywords and positioning to ensure maximum discoverability for both frontlist and backlist titles.
Support your GEO Strategy
As AI-powered search and discovery tools become more common, understanding reader language is more important than ever.
Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) focuses on helping AI systems understand and surface relevant content. Unlike traditional keyword optimization, GEO relies heavily on context, sentiment, and natural, more conversational language – making real reader reviews the perfect way to inform your GEO strategy.
Instead of the selling points and key words we’d historically use to try to win a book over to an audience— “New York Times Bestseller,” “10,000 copies sold,” “Being made into a movie,” GEO looks for unique language from online sources to provide the best possible answer for readers’ desires. Reader reviews are those sources of authority and authenticity.
The image to the right is a real life example, showing GEO in action from one of our team members: Prompt: “Can you recommend some books that are close to the City of Brass series? I like the scope, the world building and the fact that the romance is a secondary plot. Must be fantasy, bonus if it’s historical too!”
The Word Cloud tool provides at-a-glance insight into this type of authentic language readers use to describe a book, offering publishers a valuable source of audience-driven terminology. “High fantasy epic”, “multiple viewpoints”, and “Western and Eastern-inspired dragon lore” are all words and phrases that readers may supply. These recurring descriptors are already perfectly suited for AI comprehension, and can help inform book descriptions, marketing copy, and metadata that align more closely with how readers and AI discovery tools understand a title.
When you notice recurring terms in your Word Cloud, make sure they are included in your book description and metadata so AI engines understand this authority from your own website and product pages.
Spot Language Patterns
Publishers often develop metadata, keywords, and marketing copy before a book reaches readers. Once reviews begin coming in, however, readers may describe the book in unexpected ways.
Perhaps a title you’ve positioned as middle grade is actually being described by readers as “YA”. Maybe a mystery title is frequently called “atmospheric” or “twisty.” These “mood words” can reveal which aspects of a book are resonating most strongly with readers.
The Word Cloud makes these patterns easy to spot at a glance, helping you identify audience-generated language that can be updated in your own book metadata to strengthen discoverability efforts.
Give Backlist Titles New Life
Backlist marketing remains one of the biggest opportunities for publishers, but it can be challenging to find the time and resources to devote to a refresh.
The Word Cloud offers an easy way to revisit older titles with fresh eyes. By examining the language readers consistently use, publishers may discover new positioning opportunities, identify overlooked themes, or uncover new connections to current market trends.
For example, a novel published several years ago may contain themes or tropes that have become significantly more popular since its release. Updated keywords can highlight those connections, and help retailer algorithms surface your backlist title more frequently.
The NetGalley Word Cloud
NetGalley reviews provide more than social proof. They offer direct insight into reader perception, and the Word Cloud distills this insight into easy-to-use data.
Available for all NetGalley subscription clients, the Word Cloud appears on the Title Feedback page once a title has received sufficient review activity. Publishers can also download a Word Cloud Report to explore the complete list of reader-generated keywords and their frequency, which is easily sharable. Read more about where to find this tool in your account here.
* The NetGalley Word Cloud gives publishers a quick, easy-to-use snapshot of the words that appear most frequently in member reviews. Generated from real reader feedback, the Word Cloud highlights the language readers naturally use when discussing a book, helping publishers better understand audience perception and uncover new opportunities for discoverability.
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.
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!
Michelle Halket, Publisher of Central Avenue, occupies a unique position in an unpredictable book market. Michelle is a Canadian publisher, but the vast majority of sales come from the U.S. owing in large part to their authors’ expansive reach on social media and with the help of her distributor, Simon & Schuster.
We’re excited to share Michelle’s expertise about what works best for Central Avenue titles on NetGalley.
Michelle, you strike us as a publisher who is small and nimble enough to be creative, but data-savvy enough to never be reckless. What brings you to NetGalley with your books, even after trying different marketing strategies?
As any company will tell you, marketing is one of those difficult places to spend money because it’s nearly impossible to determine the actual ROI. I’ve been around long enough to have tried everything: print and digital advertising in trade journals, paid social posts, author tours (both in person and online), trade show booths, festivals. But the reason I have kept my NetGalley account active every year after I’ve pulled the plug on so many other avenues is because I can see the actual results. There’s three main areas:
📊 Metrics: NetGalley shares with me so much data on who accessed the book, ratings of content and covers, impressions, review incidence, etc. These are the hard data that give me an idea of how widely the book was seen, read, and shared.
✍🏼 Reviews: Not only do I get those data points mentioned above, I get actual readers telling me their thoughts that get posted online in so many places. They all start with “Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher…” so I am not guessing where they got the book. I know that the money I spend every month is reaching readers who then share their reviews on socials and on bookstores. And the algorithms that favor customer interaction now favor our books because of how robust those reviews make our book pages. (For NetGalley’s take on the power of reviews, read here!)
📨 Direct Consumer Relationships: I get to be able to contact each and every reviewer in a very targeted way – I can identify the ones who loved a book and let them know an author has a new one coming. Or I can ask people to join our newsletter where they can get even more freebies. All this goes so far in building reader relationships.
At NetGalley, we like to say our website is pretty easy to navigate and use. Can you speak about efficiency and ease of use while also addressing what it is that keeps you coming back?
The UX is simple, intuitive and attractive – from the colors, typeface and generous use of white space to how every aspect you might need links to each other. I can be on a book’s page setting up metadata and with one click access reviews, and then from there, set a custom outgoing message, or determine who I want to have auto-approval. Kudos to your designers for taking a complex and integrated ecosystem and making it easy to use.
You champion fiction—often literary—and poetry. This is not necessarily the “consumer literature” that follows trends, but rather a conscious decision to, in your words, “move readers, challenge perspectives, and leave a meaningful impression.” What do you look for when considering requests from the NetGalley community?
With nearly every request, we click through and take a look at the person requesting. I like knowing if they actually leave reviews, and when they do, are they honest and fair, or are they just there for the free books? I very much appreciate current and fleshed out bios with specific details, such as knowing they like to champion queer books. I always check out their approval rating as this tells me how my peers see that reviewer. And it was a great addition to be able to make notations on users as we often see the same users request our books. By making those notes, it feels like we have gotten to know them and then other people at our press can read our thoughts when they are answering requests.
You’ve shared that NetGalley data and reporting is vital to you and the success of your books. What are the marketing KPIs you’re looking at, and what ROI are you aiming for?
We are realistic and have different metrics for each book, for example, a romance novel will garner more requests than poetry titles. Generally, with a poetry book, I’m looking for dozens of requests. With romance or upmarket fiction, I’m expecting hundreds of requests. While the review rates vary quite a bit, it’s the ability to reach out to reviewers to remind them for a review or to post it on socials or bookstores. I also pay attention to the thumbs up/down of the cover. Given how trends change in cover styles, it gives me an idea if we hit the mark, or missed it?
We are realistic and have different metrics for each book… Given how trends change… it gives me an idea if we hit the mark or missed it.
In addition to the number of requests, I’m looking at the people requesting. I don’t often auto-approve because we approve on a regular basis, and I like seeing the names and organizations. Knowing that booksellers from Germany are requesting a particular book helps us with selling foreign rights as I can bring this information to my agent. A request from a popular creator, or journalist means a possible huge reach and now I have that person’s email address to reach out with a more personal message.
My ROI is solidly founded on the contacts I’ve made and the relationships that have come from them. When I compare the cost of our NetGalley account to any other advertising or marketing initiative, I quickly see how much value I’m getting. This isn’t just a list of emails – these are people that I know asked for and liked what we do here.
When I compare the cost of our NetGalley account to any other advertising or marketing initiative, I quickly see how much value I’m getting.
Can you share specific examples of how your books have performed on our site? And how those results might compare to other tools you’ve used in the market?
I took a look at a group of titles across genres – each of which were posted to different galley sites at the same time. In every case, the number of requests on NetGalley exceeded the others – varying by a factor of 1.5x to 10x. In addition, the average review/request ratio on others was around 6%. On NetGalley it was 18%. My marketing dollars seem to work harder and are more efficient on NetGalley.
The number of requests on NetGalley exceeded the others — varying by a factor of 1.5x to 10x. In addition, the average review/request ratio on others was around 6%. On NetGalley it was 18%.
What books do you decide to list on NetGalley? How do you approach backlist?
Every frontlist book gets a stint on NetGalley, usually starting about 4 months pre-pub. We only have an account that allows for 5 titles at a time, so we don’t get much opportunity to list our older books. That said, I might have to look at this strategy a little more closely!
When you think about a B2B community, who do you include? We know publishers need booksellers and librarians who will purchase and champion your books. Is your definition of B2B larger than this?
Oh for sure! As I mentioned before, we often get requests from journalists, creators, media, rights acquisition editors at other publishers, and film/tv professionals. These groups are important as well and I love that I get access to all types of businesses here.
And, finally, please tell us a bit more about your motivation to create The Poetry Shelf on your website. It’s been a wonderful service to the industry and to readers. We congratulate you on its success!
Wow, thank you for asking about it! It came about after Winter Institute in 2025 when so many booksellers said they just didn’t know what to do with their poetry sections. Before my career in publishing I spent an equal amount of time in market research – much of that advising grocery and drug retailers how to optimize their sections. I decided to use these same principles of good assortment and shelf planning that large booksellers and other retailers use and adapt it for independent booksellers who don’t have a poetry expert on staff. It’s based on how consumers buy poetry (the same buyer doesn’t usually purchase a TikTok star’s book and Chaucer). It’s then coupled with data from the Bookscan bestseller list, and then I add in a bit of research on a feature section for the month. For example, March was Women and Spring, featuring books by great women poets about renewal and feminine energy. It’s been a huge hit and I’m honored to share it for free every month with booksellers via our website and an ongoing feature in Shelf Awareness.
About Central Avenue Publishing
Central Avenue Publishing is a home for fiction and poetry about us at our worst – and best.
We are proud to publish books that have resonated widely—appearing on bestseller lists, earning awards, drawing support from literary heroes and celebrities, and finding readers around the world.
At Central Avenue Publishing, our mission is to publish fiction and poetry that reflect the best and worst of the human condition—stories that move readers, challenge perspectives, and leave a meaningful impression.
As publishers look for ways to tighten conference budgets while also prioritizing sustainability, NetGalley and Booktrovert offer solutions. With smart, streamlined alternatives to traditional print giveaways, we have the tools and data to measure success. Taking your digital catalog to industry events is practical, cost-effective, environmentally friendly, and surprisingly simple.
Increasingly, teams are rethinking stacks of ARCs that require weeks of printing, expensive shipping costs, and a gamble on estimated demand. Digital access can replace or supplement physical galleys, ensuring that every interested attendee walks away with a way to read your book, even if your last print copy has already left the booth. Here’s how!
Bringing NetGalley to Trade Conferences & Consumer Conventions
How to Share NetGalley on the Show Floor
A simple printed QR code can sit beside your remaining ARCs or replace them entirely. Scanning the QR code can send attendees to:
Request
Read Now
A Widget Link
The CTA you choose depends on your goals, and you should also consider the type of event. For example:
At a trade conference like Winter Institute, where booksellers are the primary audience, a Widget Link gives these attendees instant access, a benefit when you need the broadest reach exclusive to attendees of the event.
At consumer-facing shows like BookCon, use Booktrovert instead to offer a public, large-scale digital giveaway or sweepstakes instead (more on that below).
TIP: While some publishers link to a single priority title, you could also point attendees to your NetGalley Publisher Profile to showcase your full catalog. Or, if you want a single hub for multiple links, a LinkTree QR code works beautifully. When using Booktrovert, consider a multi-book campaign to promote up to 10 titles all on one landing page.
Post-Event Follow Up
A digital approach is perfect for after-event follow-up. If you’re scanning badges or gathering business cards while meeting librarians, booksellers, or reviewers at the booth, follow up after the show with a NetGalley widget. It’s an easy, professional way to ensure attendees can immediately dive into your digital review copy (DRC) or advanced listening copies (ALCs)!
TIP: Make NetGalley part of your booth design! Postcards, bookmarks, and other creative handouts are perfect to customize with your logo, cover art, and a QR code. Download a template here.
Bringing Booktrovert to Consumer Events
Where NetGalley shines for industry outreach, Booktrovert is tailor-made for consumer shows— especially high-demand events like BookCon, where print copies disappear fast and shipping budgets disappear faster.
With Booktrovert, you can set up:
Limited-Time digital giveaways (claim a copy), or
Limited-Quantity sweepstakes (enter to win)
…all created and scheduled from within your existing NetGalley account. It takes only a few minutes to set up, and can be finalized 24 hours before your campaign launches.
REAL LIFE EXAMPLE: Ashey Kronsberg at Boom! Studios launched a Booktrovert campaign to reach New York ComicCon attendees with a combination of outreach to their own newsletter mailing list and a QR code at the show to help direct traffic.
As Ashley told us, digital tactics are “becoming more of a need when it comes to B2B shows as not all retailers/librarians can bring physical copies back with them; so I anticipate it will become more unique for consumers as well.” This is where Booktrovert can fill in the gaps!
Built-In Event Insights
With Booktrovert’s Detailed Analytics, you’ll be able to use the email addresses of everyone who entered your Sweepstakes or Giveaway to make post-event follow-up both thoughtful and targeted since they are already opted-in to hear from you. It’s an efficient way to keep the momentum going long after the event ends.
Plus, learn more about demographics and who your book appeals most to, giving you actionable data to put more informed strategy behind your marketing tactics.
Why Digital Makes Sense
Beyond convenience, bringing NetGalley and Booktrovert to events significantly reduces printing and shipping waste, making your conference presence more sustainable. It also lowers costs: no unexpected shipping charges, no last-minute reprints, no guessing how many copies to bring. Instead, every attendee can reliably access your titles in a format that’s immediate, accessible, and aligned with their reading preferences.
Digital doesn’t necessarily need to replace print copies, but it does complement it in powerful ways, ensuring you never miss an opportunity to connect a reader with a book.
If you’d like help planning your strategy for an upcoming conference, or want support choosing links, QR code destinations, or Booktrovert campaign options, we’re here to help.
A Guide to Re-Energizing Your Books and Reaching New Readers Using NetGalley & Booktrovert
At NetGalley, we love seeing how publishers and authors breathe new life into their backlist titles. While frontlist books often get the spotlight, backlist marketing can be one of the most rewarding—and strategic—ways to grow revenue, strengthen discoverability, and reach new audiences.
As Núria Cabutí, CEO of Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial, recently said during the 2025 Frankfurt Book Fair CEO Talk: “A book that has not been read is a new book, so if it’s backlist or frontlist, it doesn’t matter. What we need is powerful promotions.”
That philosophy perfectly captures the opportunity that backlist marketing presents. Whether you’re looking to celebrate an anniversary, connect to a cultural moment, or simply reintroduce readers to a beloved story, NetGalley and Booktrovert can help you make it happen.
Choosing Which Backlist Titles to Promote
When planning your next backlist campaign, start by identifying which titles are most likely to resonate right now. Consider whether a book fits into a trending genre, has seasonal significance, or ties into an upcoming anniversary, reprint, or special edition. Is there a media adaptation or author milestone on the horizon? Or is the title about to be released in a new format, like an audiobook?
Each of these moments can offer a fresh reason to bring a backlist book back to readers’ attention through NetGalley and Booktrovert.
“A book that has not been read is a new book, so if it’s backlist or frontlist, it doesn’t matter. What we need is powerful promotions.”
– Núria Cabutí, CEO of Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial
Reframe and Refresh for Emerging Trends
Five years ago, “romantasy” wasn’t an established genre, even though romance and fantasy have long been natural companions. By staying attuned to trends like this, you can reposition older titles to meet new reader expectations.
Use NetGalley tools like the Word Cloud and Feedback Reports to uncover the language readers use most often, then refresh your book descriptions and marketing copy to better align with these trending keywords. Once your messaging feels current, you can reintroduce the book to readers in a big way through a Booktrovert Sweepstakes or Giveaway.
Browsing the NetGalley catalog is also a great way to spot cover design trends and genre shifts before they hit the retail shelves, helping you stay ahead of what readers are looking for. Use the “Most Requested” carousel, both on the catalog homepage and within your categories of interest, to really see what’s trending!
Promote Around Merchandising Themes
Seasonal and cultural moments are key opportunities to connect your books with active readers. Use NetGalley’s Title Timeline to plan around recurring themes, like spooky reads for Halloween, heartwarming romances for Valentine’s Day, or thought-provoking political nonfiction tied to election cycles.
When your title appears at just the right time, you’ll capture readers’ attention when their interest is at its peak. For inspiration, check out the NetGalley Media Kit, which highlights dozens of seasonal, holiday, and other themes you can use to plan ahead.
Celebrate Milestones
Every milestone is a marketing opportunity.
Anniversaries offer a natural moment to reintroduce your book to new readers. Celebrate 10,000 copies sold or 25 years in print by offering review copies on NetGalley alongside a Booktrovert Giveaway campaign to consumers. Or, promote a just-for-fans sale using a Private Buy Now campaign. These combined efforts help boost visibility, generate buzz, and spark renewed interest in your title.
If you’re releasing a new edition or anniversary reprint, consider using a NetGalley eBlast to make a splash and ensure readers take notice! Want the widest possible reach? Our NetGalley + Booktrovert Combos “menu” has even more ideas for how to choose the most impactful ways to promote every type of book (and for every type of goal!).
Take Advantage of Media Tie-ins
If your book is being adapted to a film or television show, or even if it shares similar themes or subject matter, now’s the time to capture audience excitement. Use NetGalley and Booktrovert to reignite reviews and conversations that connect your title to what’s trending on screen.
To help booksellers and librarians recommend your book to their communities, consider developing a Book Club Kit for your backlist titles. These assets make it easier for professionals to champion your book when readers are hungry for similar stories.
Pitch Books in a Series
Your NetGalley history is a valuable resource for reaching proven audiences. If you have an upcoming installment in a series, list book one again on NetGalley to rekindle early enthusiasm and bring new readers into the fold.
