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.

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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!

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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. 

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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.

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NetGalley Promotion or Booktrovert Campaign – Why Not Both?


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 used on its own, Booktrovert supports:

  • Consumer discovery beyond publisher-owned channels
  • Flexible CTAs that meet readers at different points in their buying journey
  • Ongoing visibility throughout the campaign window

When used alongside NetGalley, it becomes a powerful bridge — transforming professional interest into consumer excitement and action.

Create Your Own Booktrovert Campaign

Click the “Booktrovert” tab within your NetGalley account to start using the simple campaign builder! Not yet a NetGalley client? Reach out here to get started!

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How Indie Author M. Kevin Hayden used Booktrovert to Generate Visibility

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 Booktrovert might 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 Booktrovert might 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.com now 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.

Create Your Own Booktrovert Campaign

Click the “Booktrovert” tab within your NetGalley account to start using the simple campaign builder! Not yet a NetGalley client? Reach out here to get started!

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