NetGalley members know that social media can be an important component of being a book advocate. But it may be difficult to know the right time to share reviews, which hashtags to use, and who to tag. Below you’ll find answers to common questions about sharing NetGalley approvals, reviews, and more on social media.
Can I share that I’ve been approved?
There’s nothing like the exhilarating rush of being approved to read a book you’re excited about! Unless the approval email you received says otherwise, you should feel free to share the news that a new book has been added to your Shelf that you can’t wait to read. Great places to share approval news include your Instagram stories or a status update on X!
When should I share my review?
Read over the approval email from the publisher to see if they have any specific instructions about when to share reviews. Sometimes publishers request that reviews are shared on social media the week that the book is published. This may mean that you submit your review on NetGalley once you’ve finished reading, but wait for the official publication date to share that review to your X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube channel, or blog. Other times, publishers prefer early reviews to come in as soon as possible and simply ask reviewers to repromote those reviews on their social media channels during publication week.
Who should I tag?
Whether you’re sharing a book review or a new approval, tag NetGalley! We’re @NetGalley on all of our social media platforms. Next, tag the publisher. In the left column of publisher pages on NetGalley you’ll find links to their social media accounts.
It’s important to be specific and accurate with the publisher tags. Try to tag the imprint rather than the publisher, for example tagging the imprint Forever for your review as opposed to the larger publisher account Hachette US. This ensures that the team who worked on the book you’re reviewing will see your post.
Every author has their own preference when it comes to tagging, but they generally all agree that they don’t want to be tagged in critical reviews. If your review is a five-star rave, feel free to tag them. If it’s not, stick to tagging just the publisher.
Which hashtags do I use?
The best hashtags to use when sharing a book review are the book’s title, the author’s name, the publishers’ name, and #NetGalley. Though if the book’s title is a common word or phrase (such as Memorial by Bryan Washington), you may wish to refrain from using the title since your post would likely not be easily found using that hashtag.
Sometimes books will have a specific hashtag associated with them. For example, Wednesday Books uses #WelcomeToTheProject when promoting Courtney Summers’ book The Project. Publishers may include hashtags above the book’s description on NetGalley, and you can also check the publisher and author’s social media to see if there are any hashtags associated with the book.
From there, it’s up to you which book-related hashtags you choose to use! There’s a seemingly endless list of book-related hashtags, which means you can experiment with the ones that work best for you and your account. Take a look at the hashtags your favorite publishers and book influencers are using for inspiration.
The best practices for hashtags can change depending on which platform you’re using, so you may need to edit your message if you’re posting it across multiple platforms. On Instagram, you can include up to 30 hashtags in your photo’s caption or in a comment. On X, you’re restricted to 280 characters for your entire message, so you likely want to keep your hashtags minimal. Hashtags are less common on Facebook, but similar to Instagram you have more space to include them in your posts.
A final note on hashtags: Capitalizing the first letter of each word within a hashtag makes them more accessible for people who use screen readers, dyslexic readers, and more.
What’s the best way to be transparent about how I received the book?
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) requires readers to disclose who they received an ARC from. A simple “Thank you NetGalley and (publisher) for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own” is all that’s needed.
Can I share quotes?
In general, sharing a short quote is a fairly common way for reviewers to highlight a passage they particularly enjoyed. Once again be sure to check the publisher approval email to see if the publisher asks that quotes or artwork not be shared.
Books you’re reading on NetGalley are advanced copies that will go through further edits before they’re published, which means that any lines you quote might be changed or absent from the final book. If you’re going to use a quote, make sure to note that it was taken from an advanced copy of the book. Typically, publishers also prefer that screenshots of the book are not shared.
Want to expand your social media reach?
Here are our tips for starting a blog, Bookstagram, BookTok, and Booktube channel.
NetGalley Tips
Thanks for this article! It’s very helpful to me as a reviewer and also as an author with a novel coming out later this year. I have a question that so far I haven’t found a clear answer to: In the past, if I’ve tried to post a review on Amazon of a book I didn’t purchase through them, they’ve declined to post the review since there was no sale on record to me. I try to be very careful about abiding by all their rules since I’m a KDP author and an affiliate, both in good standing.
Does Amazon approve of NetGalley reviews? If we state we obtained the book from NetGalley and the publisher, is that sufficient for them? We didn’t buy these books, after all. I haven’t been able to find any ‘official’ word on this.
I’m posting my NetGalley reviews at my own blog, GoodReads, and lots of social media, but until I know for certain that I’m in tune with Amazon’s stance, I’m not posting them there. And I’d certainly love to be doing that!
Thanks!
Thank you for this article! I am new to both blogging and NetGalley so the information here is incredibly helpful. Social media is also a bit challenging for me so tagging and hash tagging etiquette is something I’m just starting to absorb. Your direction is invaluable as I just finished reading my first ARC and am preparing my review. Your little blue print here will help me with my posting process! Thank you so much!