Netgalley - FREE Books

Oh the joys of reading and somehow never in the right job to enjoy the most of your reading, and still get paid to afford reading.




















But what if there was a way to enjoy reading NEW releases and get still write reviews to generate hype for a book? Well there is!

Netgalley is a website that you can sign up for (for free) and request to read newly released books, or books not yet released (ARCs: Advance Readers Copies) and review them for the publisher (FOR FREE). The sign up is super easy, basically like signing up for Facebook, and it's super easy to find the type of genres your interested and get started.

I joined Netgalley several years ago, and after a disturbing amount of "no's" I essentially gave up. But about two weeks ago, I was ready to give Netgalley a chance, and I ended up revamping my profile information (restating who I was, adding a picture, making it clear what kind of books I was interested in), and I started requesting. Within the first week, I probably requested over fifty books. But they were all books I could see myself being interested in even if I had to pay for them, and I knew that it would make me joyous if I could read every single one of them.

Needless to say, I got back a lot of "no's" still. But, I also got back a lot of "yes's". So what's my top advice?

1. Don't just request the top authors/most hyped books. Pick a bunch of random books you've never heard of in your genre and read the synopsis. If it sounds interesting, request it. If it doesn't, then skip it. Simple as that. All big authors got to where they are today, with a little help, and a lot of people taking a chance on them. 
2. On the flipside, if you're truly interested in that "hyped" up book, then request it. Yeah, you may get a big "no" from the publisher. But, maybe they see something in you/your profile that they think would be a good candidate for the book. 
3. Keep all of your information up-to-date. Yeah, it may be difficult to keep checking on your profile even when you feel nothing is happening. But, it's easy to forget your profile and leave out important information that could have helped you get the book you're most excited for. 
4. Request something new every day. Even if you keep getting denied, request something else. Eventually, you'll find a publisher that will decide to take a chance on you, and you'll get your first big break. Publishers probably know better than anyone, that sometimes, all it takes is a little "faith, trust, and pixie dust>" 

Okay, it's been real you guys. Don't give up on any of your dreams, and remember that even Starbucks, J.K. Rowling, and Disney were all denied their dreams at some point. And look at where they are now.