Each year we survey the NetGalley community and share updated details about our members’ demographics, reading habits, and preferences. (Check out the 2025 NetGalley Community Update if you haven’t already!) This year, we also did a deep-dive into a specific segment of the community: members who request and read Children’s and Middle Grade books. Nearly 100 members participated in our mini-survey about these categories, and their responses highlight the many ways members use NetGalley to discover books for young readers… and what they do next with those discoveries!
More than half of survey participants (53%) use NetGalley to select books for young readers in their professional capacity, whether in a classroom, library, or bookstore. They also use NetGalley to preview books for awards, committees, and reading programs, such as Battle of the Books. We are proud that NetGalley is facilitating the important work these trusted book advocates do to connect young readers with books they’ll love.
Additionally, we found that Indie Next List nominations for books in the Children’s Fiction, Children’s Nonfiction, and Middle Grade categories received 31.5% of the overall nominations from the NetGalley community.*
Unsurprisingly, more than half of survey respondents (56%) also preview Children’s and Middle Grade books to decide which books they will share with kids in their personal lives. They are often reading books alongside their little ones and incorporating the child’s own feedback into the reviews they submit via NetGalley. This input from young readers adds a unique and valuable perspective, helping others—parents, educators, and fellow reviewers—understand how books resonate with their intended audience.
To better understand how these members are interacting with books in these categories on NetGalley, we analyzed the data for over 2,500 books and audiobooks that were added to the NetGalley Find Titles page in the period between Feb. 1, 2024 – Jan. 31, 2025.
Within the Children’s & Middle Grade categories, when it comes to the types of books that draw the most interest, survey respondents told us that Fun/Funny stories lead the way (85%), followed closely by books that are Emotional (67%) or Teach a Social Lesson (69%). The most frequently mentioned write-in category was Fantasy, reflecting the enduring appeal of imaginative storytelling in children’s literature. Practicing an empathetic and audience-centric marketing approach will serve you well with this market. In a recent webinar, Navigating Successes and Failures: Community Building, engagement and D2c sales in Children’s Publishing, Sweet Cherry Publisher Sanjee de Silva emphasized the importance of audience-centric thinking, with examples like The Songs You’ve Never Heard to engage teenagers who are interested in other kinds of media beyond books, as well as their book bundles for readers with special needs.
On NetGalley, Feedback Rates average 37% for DRCs across all categories. The Feedback Rates** for Children’s Fiction and and Middle Grade skew lower than this average (31% and 21%, respectively), which makes sense considering all the valuable non-review work that many of our members are completing – previewing books for awards, committees, and reading programs, as well as making purchasing decisions for their library, classroom, or bookstore. However, Children’s Nonfiction is above average with a 38% Feedback Rate!
31.5% of all Indie Next List nominations from the NetGalley community were for books in the Children’s Fiction, Children’s Nonfiction, and Middle Grade categories.
Members’ engagement with books in these categories remains high! Our recent Children’s & Middle Grade newsletter (Jan 2025) was sent to 52k members and saw a 33% Open Rate and 3% CTR. Plus, 84% of members are influenced by NetGalley Promotions (according to our full member survey with over 11,000 responses).
We at NetGalley are honored to facilitate book discovery for young audiences, through the crucial efforts of the adults who advocate for literacy and guide children toward a love of reading. We are working hard to further engage with NetGalley members who are previewing these important books, and encourage you to share this resource with any readers you’re working with: How to Review Children’s and Middle Grade Books.
*Based on Indie Next List nominations submitted between 2/1/2024 – 1/31/2025.
**These Feedback rates are calculated based on the total number of Feedback divided by the total number of Approvals, for the books & audiobooks added to NetGalley Find Titles between 2/1/2024 – 1/31/2025.
