In praise of Netgalley

I was asked recently how to get started reviewing new releases and my answer, in a word, is Netgalley. I've been loving being a member and have received some really special new releases (Bewilderment, Cloud Cuckoo Land, The Arc... the list goes on). This isn't sponsored in any way - but I thought it was important to share!

My pieces of advice for anyone wanting to get started on their book review journey is to start with - just begin. Don't wait until you've built up any kind of following or achieved some kind of feedback ratio - yes, those things do matter to many publishers, but if you just start reviewing what you are already reading then you will have a base of reviews to share with potential publishers.

Secondly, once you've joined Netgalley, take a look at the "Read now" section for both the e-books and audiobooks and chose a few titles you actually intend to read. Read, review, and give feedback on those and soon you will find yourself getting approved for titles that aren't available to anyone who asks.

Let me know in the comments what advance copies you've been loving and I'll be sure to check them out.

Happy reading!