When publishers are planning their marketing strategy, a common question that we hear is: Should we invest in a NetGalley promotion or a Booktrovert campaign? The short answer is: both, but for different goals. By combining the strengths of each platform, Harper360 created a powerful promotional moment for The Violin Maker’s Secret that reached both industry professionals and general consumers.
Not Familiar With the Difference? Here’s a Quick Rundown
NetGalley Promotions reach book trade professionals: librarians, booksellers, reviewers, media, and educators who help build early buzz, reviews, and word-of-mouth.
Booktrovert Campaigns reach consumers: readers who are discovering books and deciding what to buy, with flexible calls to action like pre-orders, buy links, sweepstakes and giveaways.
Used together, NetGalley builds influence and advocacy, while Booktrovert captures interest and excitement.
How the Two Platforms Worked Together
On January 27, 2026, Harper360 arranged aNetGalley eBlast to be sent to nearly 21,400 U.S.-based NetGalley members, spotlighting The Violin Maker’s Secret ahead of its February 24 on-sale date.
In addition to giving NetGalley members the option to request the book, the publisher also drove readers to the Booktrovert landing page from the eBlast’s “Available for Pre-Order” CTA. There, readers could:
Learn more about The Violin Maker’s Secret
Explore additional Evie Woods titles
Choose their preferred retailer via pre-order and buy-now links
Share the Booktrovert campaign with their own audiences/general readers
By positioning Booktrovert as the landing page for retail sales, the eBlast extended beyond NetGalley awareness and requests — giving readers a destination that supported multiple actions, all in one place.
But That’s Not All: Booktrovert as a Standalone Discovery Channel
Booktrovert works seamlessly for any special promotions you’re doing for your book (or books) without needing any in-house help to design or create a landing page. Plus, it also functions independently as a discovery destination for readers actively looking for their next great read.
For this campaign run by Harper360, Evie Wood’s books reached almost 15,000 additional readers who clicked in from the daily Booktrovert Digest Newsletter, and resulted in over 2,600 unique campaign clicks from readers looking to learn more.
A Booktrovert campaign on its own drives visibility and engagement. When added to a corresponding NetGalley promotion, you expand the book’s reach beyond industry audiences and into consumer-first spaces.
When it comes to early adoption of new tools for audience engagement, independent authors are often the first to experiment, and the first to see what works! For author M. Kevin Hayden, Booktrovert.com has become a key part of that journey. As one of Booktrovert’s earliest adopters, Kevin has used nearly every campaign type the platform offers—Giveaways, Sweepstakes, and Buy Now CTAs—to reach new readers and drive ongoing visibility for his work.
In this Q&A, Kevin shares how he approaches each campaign type with a different goal in mind, what he’s learned about building momentum, and why Booktrovert has become an important part of his marketing strategy as an author.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your books!
Certainly. I’m originally from the South Side of Chicago. An Old Soul is my debut novel and my first published work of fiction. It follows a young man who feels quietly displaced in his own life and in the world around him. The story is set in my old neighborhood of Gresham in 1996… or is it? It blends grounded realism with elements of synchronicity and speculative fiction.
Willow Rose is my sophomore novel and is also now available. It leans into literary cosmic horror and follows a doctor who flees his past for rural northern Minnesota. A strange knock at his door one night sets off a chain of events that pulls him and others into a fight for survival against a malevolent monster, all in the wake of a comet that appears from nowhere.
You’ve been part of Booktrovert since it launched! What helped you decide to take the leap with a brand-new platform?
I’ve always been an early adopter. I’m naturally drawn to the new thing. I get excited about previously unknown possibilities and love being among the first to explore what something can become. Since NetGalley already has such a wide reach in the bookish community, I was genuinely excited to see how Booktrovertmight build on that and help me connect with new readers in a different way.
And honestly, I’ll probably be among the first in line for whatever you all come up with next—because why not?
“Since NetGalley already has such a wide reach in the bookish community, I was genuinely excited to see how Booktrovertmight build on that and help me connect with new readers in a different way.”
– M. Kevin Hayden
Your recent Sweepstakes for Willow Rose had a mysterious, cinematic hook. How did you approach writing the campaign title and description to capture readers’ attention?
Honestly, I wasn’t sure how it would land. I just put myself in the reader’s shoes and asked, “What would make me click?”
Willow Rose is intentionally a mysterious story, and some of the early reviews were very critical of the unanswered questions. In a way, the campaign was also my way of signaling what kind of experience the book offers — so the right reader would be more likely to lean in. I’ve learned the hard way how important that match really is.
Our goal is to reach as many of those right readers as possible. To do that, you have to hang the appropriate sign.
You’ve also used Booktrovert for a Buy Now campaign, promoting a punchy limited time sale. How are your goals different when considering these various CTAs? When and why would you run a Sweepstakes versus a campaign that drives to retailers?
My goal early on was to reach more readers. I needed to gather early reviews — get the story in front of more eyes — and the giveaways helped with this. Booktrovert has proven an invaluable tool for overall visibility. I found that interest had a slight bump during those campaigns in the way of follows and Goodreads shelvings. I found that the new sweepstakes seemed to pull more interest than the earlier first-come giveaways from Booktrovert.
As far as the “Buy Now” CTA campaigns, I plan to utilize those also to help buoy dips in sales.
Of note, as I work through this Q&A, I feel it’s time to setup a CTA campaign on Booktrovert.comnow as my sales and visibility are dipping slightly.
The goal is to be seen. There are multiple shouting towers out there and it’s best to use as many as possible to avoid vanishing in a crowd. Millions of books are published a year and that crowd is dense.
Willow Rose sweepstakes campaign stats as of Dec. 2, 2025
As an independent author, what do you think is the most valuable outcome of running an ebook giveaway, whether that’s exposure, engagement, or something else entirely?
As an Indie author, it cannot be understated that you have to make yourself findable. At baseline, we are all invisible. There isn’t a cadre of marketers, promoters or word of mouth spreaders working on our behalf. Usually, it’s only the author themselves. Even with well placed ads, campaigns, and giveaways, we are still relatively unseen. Even when visible, we can be looked over for traditionally published titles. Giveaways are a way to get the book in front of more eyes, pique interest, and gather reviews. Sometimes, you run into gold just because someone influential just happens to win a title.
For me, those are my main reasons for running the giveaways. To gather more potential reviews and increase visibility.
“Booktrovert has proven an invaluable tool for overall visibility.”
How does Booktrovert compare to other giveaway platforms you’ve tried?
Booktrovert is a very user-friendly and efficient tool. I can set up a campaign with minimal friction and get it live quickly, similar to NetGalley. Some other giveaway platforms require more data entry and have longer approval timelines. That said, I use Booktrovert in conjunction with other platforms. Visibility across multiple services is important because different readers prefer different ecosystems. Also, seeing the same title appear across platforms seems to increase interest and engagement.
“Booktrovert is a very user-friendly and efficient tool. I can set up a campaign with minimal friction and get it live quickly, similar to NetGalley. Some other giveaway platforms require more data entry and have longer approval timelines.”
What’s next for you?
I recently completed a prequel short story for Willow Rose that will be available on my website and linked by QR code in future printings of the novel. I’m excited to gift more story to readers, and I hope it answers a few lingering questions while still preserving the intended mystery of Willow Rose.
For those knocking at the door — remember the password: stay together
I’m also deep into a new project called Locked-In, a speculative dystopian novel set in the same universe as An Old Soul. There are several other stories brewing as well, and I’m hoping to finish Locked-In before they hijack my attention. Other storytellers know exactly what I mean. Ideas never wait their turn.
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.
For nonfiction and true crime titles, building anticipation is all about visibility, intrigue, and credibility. With Black Dahlia, author William J. Mann delivers the definitive account of one of America’s most infamous unsolved murders—one that continues to fascinate readers nearly 80 years later.
To reach those readers, Simon & Schuster ran a Sweepstakes campaign on Booktrovert, offering 100 digital copies for readers to enter to win. The newly-introduced Sweepstakes CTA keeps entries open for 7 days, giving readers ample time to discover and enter to win, sustaining engagement over the course of the week-long campaign.
At the end of the campaign, winners were automatically, randomly selected, and all entrants automatically received a confirmation about whether they won (including retail links to prompt purchase if they did not win). Winners received automatic digital access to the book, leaving nothing for the publisher to do except peek at their results!
This structure makes Sweepstakes an excellent fit for discovery-driven genres like true crime, biographies, and memoirs—where intrigue builds over time and awareness translates directly into sales potential.
Why It Worked
Sustained visibility and steady engagement With seven days of open entry, the campaign maintained strong visibility in the Booktrovert Feed, giving readers ample time to discover and share the promotion.
Built-in post-campaign conversion When the campaign ended, every participant who didn’t win a copy received an email driving to the retail links for the campaign, turning curiosity into measurable clicks and ongoing sales activity. Plus, no one is left wondering about the result of their entry!
Balanced exclusivity and accessibility Offering 100 digital winners created excitement and urgency while still keeping the campaign open and accessible. The best part? Entrants don’t need to fill out any additional personal information (like mailing addresses) and publishers don’t need to do anything at all for fulfillment since it’s all automatic, instant, and completely digital. No shipping required!
Publishers don’t need to do anything at all for fulfillment since it’s all automatic, instant, and completely digital. No shipping required!
The Results
1,917 Total Entries | 100 Winners Selected
“The Sweepstakes campaign was a great addition to our pre-publication strategy! The detailed analytics provided helpful consumer behavior insights, which will inform where and how we connect with readers through publication day and beyond.”
– Elizabeth Venere, Associate Director of Marketing
Sweepstakes campaigns are a powerful way to extend your reach and engagement on Booktrovert—particularly for nonfiction titles that thrive on intrigue and discovery. By allowing readers to participate over several days and then guiding all entrants to retail at close, Sweepstakes keep attention high and drive meaningful follow-through. Whether paired with a Giveaway for instant buzz or used independently for steady awareness, Sweepstakes help turn reader interest into lasting momentum.
Publishers and authors are using Booktrovert to drive sales through digital giveaways, advertising, and special promotions. So, who makes up the audience interacting with these campaigns?
Only three months since launch, and Booktrovert has amassed approximately 35,000 registered users. Plus, 93% of users have fully completed their profiles, which reveals powerful insights about this audience of readers…
Booktroverts Read Hundreds of Books per Year
Data as of October 6,2025
Booktroverts Love Popular Fiction Categories
Plus, Bios & Memoirs and True Crime are among the popular nonfiction categories
Data as of October 6,2025
“Booktrovert” isn’t just a cute name. There are so many reasons someone might reach for a book – to find escape or comfort, to learn something new, to understand other perspectives, etc. People who read aren’t just introverts who, by definition, ‘turn inward’, and they aren’t just extroverts who ‘turn outward’. A Booktrovert is anyone who turns bookward… for any reason!
Only three months since launch, and Booktrovert has amassed approximately 35,000 registered users. Plus, 93% of users have fully completed their profiles.
How we’re bringing more readers to Booktrovert
Booktrovert is designed to ensure that readers come back again and again to see what’s new and interact with publishers’ campaigns and other activities.
Exciting Campaigns
First and foremost, publishers’ campaigns will continue to drive Booktrovert growth. Exciting giveaways, like the next book from a bestselling author (click below to read the case study!) special pricing promotions like 50% off celebrity book club picks, advertisements for highly-anticipated titles, plus mixed CTAs for a whole series—Sweepstakes (enter to win), Giveaway (claim a copy), and Retail (buy now)—drive new user registrations by incentivizing readers with content they’re voracious for. This targeted engagement and activity will continue to expand the audience on Booktrovert.com, especially as readers and authors post excitedly about the campaigns on social media.
To ensure Booktrovert is “sticky”, we’ve also introduced games and activities in the Booktrovert Arcade, encouraging readers to create beautiful digital bookshelves with Share a Shelf and play a round of Bookish Bingo as a reading challenge. Booktrovert users can then share their digital bookshelves and bingo boards on social media, where their followers will naturally find their way to Booktrovert to join in. Plus, more interactive activities are coming soon!
Custom Library Stacks
Readers can also track their overall reading—even outside of the books they access on Booktrovert—by building their library with custom book stacks. Booktrovert’s curation tools to organize TBR lists offer an alternative to some other well-known platforms, for any readers who may be looking to make a switch! For publishers, see how Booktrovert compares to Goodreads here. We’re collecting ideas from registered users, and we already have plans for enhancements to the tracking tools and even more ways to organize stacks.
Outbound Advertising
Our acquisition strategy also includes a branded presence at industry events (we’ll be making a splash at BookCon 2026!), B2C advertising and social media campaigns, and partnerships with book influencers. We anticipate that the Booktrovert community and mailing list will grow exponentially in the coming year.
We’re cultivating a community you can activate to fill your sales funnel by reaching any consumer… in parallel, or in conjunction with, the NetGalley community. By creating Booktrovert.com as a standalone website, we are thrilled to offer publishers and authors a streamlined consumer marketing and advertising opportunity to reach the widest audiences, while still retaining the professional community that exists at NetGalley. Learn more about how we launched Booktrovert by leveraging the NetGalley community!
Private Campaign, Exclusive to Members of The (Very Gay) Book Club
In July 2025, The (Very Gay) Book Club, curated by NYT bestselling author and “homo historian” Dr. Eric Cervini, offered members an exclusive, free eBook download of Florenzer by Phil Melanson in addition to the hardcover they received as part of the club. The campaign was a collaboration between W.W. Norton, Booktrovert, and the Allstora book club, designed to drive direct engagement with club members.
Campaign Snapshot
Audience: ~1,200 Members of The (Very Gay) Book Club
Offer: Free eBook of Florenzer via Booktrovert
Partners: W.W. Norton, Booktrovert, The (Very Gay) Book Club
Length: 7-day exclusive, private campaign
How We Did It
From conception to execution, this campaign took less than an hour!
Planning: Partners collaborated on campaign details and timing.
Setup: W.W. Norton created and scheduled the private campaign quickly & easily, using the Booktrovert campaign builder within their NetGalley account.
Pre-Launch: The (Very Gay) Book Club sent an email prompting members to create a free Booktrovert account ahead of the drop.
Launch Day: Club members received a follow-up email containing a link to the Booktrovert campaign, so they could claim their free eBook (and instantly send it to their Kobo, Kindle, or read online).
Campaign Period: The exclusive private campaign remained active for 7 days, giving club members plenty of time to access their free eBook.
Reminders: Club members received a follow-up nudge on Day 6 to give them a last chance to participate before the campaign ended.
Why It Worked
Hyper-targeted audience: The campaign spoke directly to an engaged, identity-driven book club community.
Direct, trusted communication: All messaging came from the club itself, boosting open rates and click-throughs.
Exclusivity added urgency: Members knew this was a limited-time, members-only perk.
Seamless collaboration: Publisher, book club, and platform worked in sync, making the experience smooth for all sides.
Data-rich insights: The publisher gained access to engagement metrics and email contacts for easy follow-up.
Easy to replicate: The process was lightweight and scalable for future campaigns.
The Results
Booktrovert campaign had a 28% click rate
11%* of total book club members claimed a free eBook
Booktrovert’s Detailed Analytics offered the publisher and book club host insight into members’ interest in digital fulfillment, demographics of those members, as well as the email addresses of those who participated, making it easy to follow up with them as needed.
Takeaways for Publishers & Authors
Looking to try something similar?
Start with community: Partner with a niche book club, influencer, or membership-based group already talking to your ideal readers, or create your own!
Keep it simple: Use existing tools (like your NetGalley/Booktrovert account) to build private, invite-only campaigns.
Let them lead: Allow your partner (book club host, curator, influencer) to send the messaging to build trust and drive engagement.
Create urgency: Be clear about the window of availability (or number of copies available) to encourage immediate action.
Make it measurable: Use campaign data to understand audience behavior and identify warm leads for future outreach.
We’re here to help!
Want to reach niche readers where they already are? Private Booktrovert campaigns help you connect, convert, and cultivate community! Learn more here, or reach out for more info.
*Campaigns that are digital-only (rather than bundled with print) are likely to see a much higher adoption rate!
![Booktrovert [book-tro-vert] (noun)
A person who turn toward a book... in moments when they want to find joy, connection, escape, reflection, comfort, knowledge, and more. Anyone who loves to get lost in a book, talk about what they're reading, and share their favorite books with their favorite people. You might read 1 book a. year, or 100. Everyone can be a bootrovert.](https://insights.netgalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/image.png)
