NetGalley for a Self-Published Debut Author by Luke Gracias

Background

This is a summary of my NetGalley experience as a self-published debut author, which I believe may be of assistance to other self-publishing authors and may also be of interest to NetGalley readers.

Around the end of June 2016, , I listed my ebook The Devil’s Prayer with NetGalley, to generate reviews. The entry level for a single title listing at the time was $399 (All prices are 2016 prices in USD). I chose the $599 package which in addition to the listing includes one marketing newsletter.

Over the next six months, I chose to try out the various marketing tools from the NetGalley shed. I spent a further $1,540 on a variety of NetGalley promotions, including a Category Spotlight placement, a Featured Title placement and two promotional eBlasts. At just over $2,000, (including the listing fee of $599), it is a big spend on a single title. I have shared my experience here as it will give you some insights into what NetGalley can do for your book and may help you decide if NetGalley is for your book, and whether the individual promotional packages are worth the money spent.

What is NetGalley?

NetGalley is a web-based on-line book review portal, where publishers promote their titles to readers of influence. Publishers pay to list their books and reviewers interested in the titles can request a copy to review for free. NetGalley has some 350,000 members (mostly reviewers and the balance comprised of booksellers, librarians, media and educators), many of whom are avid readers of influence and bloggers. It is used predominantly by publishers to get titles reviewed before these are released. If you are self-publishing, the advantage of listing your book post commercial release is that you can accumulate book reviews on consumer websites like Amazon and Goodreads.

Read the whole article HERE

Movie Review: If by Tathagata Ghosh – A Tender Portrait of Love, Loss, and Possibility

If , a 26-minute short film by acclaimed Bengali filmmaker Tathagata Ghosh, is a sensitive, evocative piece of storytelling that lingers long after the credits roll. Set against the everyday rhythm of life in Kolkata, the film delicately unpacks the story of a lesbian couple torn apart by the weight of societal expectations and dares to imagine a different future, one where a mother's love might just change everything. What struck me first was the film’s raw, grounded realism. The characters feel like people we know, middle-class families navigating a complex world with quiet resilience. The world of If is filled with silences, glances, and stills, rather than heavy dialogue. Ghosh masterfully uses these moments to speak volumes, allowing viewers to sit with discomfort, interpret the unspoken, and feel deeply.

Book Review: Palestine Wail - Poems by Yahia Lababidi

In Palestine Wail: Poems , Yahia Lababidi creates a profound and unflinching exploration of the ongoing Palestinian crisis, drawing from his own heritage and heartbreak to reflect on a political and humanitarian catastrophe that has unfolded across decades. This collection, imbued with personal history, political outrage, and spiritual contemplation, serves as both a witness to injustice and a call to humanity. The work’s origins lie deeply in Lababidi’s own roots—his Palestinian grandmother, Rabiha Dajani, was forced to flee Jerusalem at gunpoint, a traumatic event that reverberates throughout Lababidi’s poetry. As an Arab-American writer, Lababidi is uniquely positioned to speak on the intersection of identity, politics, and human rights. His poetry, both personal and political, draws a clear line between the suffering of the Palestinian people and the complicity of global powers in perpetuating that suffering. Through his words, Lababidi eloquently counters the equation that Z...

Book Review: The Story of Eve: Selected Poems by Zehra Nigah

Few voices in Urdu poetry have carried the weight of history, resistance, and deep personal introspection quite like Zehra Nigah. One of the first women to break into the traditionally male-dominated world of Urdu poetry, Nigah’s work stands as a testament to the power of words to illuminate, question, and challenge. The Story of Eve: Selected Poems, translated by Rakshanda Jalil, brings together some of her most powerful nazms and ghazals, showcasing both her literary elegance and her unflinching gaze at the human condition, particularly through the lens of gender, social injustice, and political turmoil.

Reviews & Musings

Search This Blog