I have been "away" from reviewing books for a while and what a shock when I returned to NetGalley. Almost all the "most requested/popular" books are only for American/European or Australian readers.
Out-of-region-requests-will-most-probably-be-denied.
Once again we are the unpopular kids on the playground. If you are not in the "in crowd" it is unlikely you will get any hyped ARC's. I would think that an author would like his or her book to be given to many different types of readers as possible. But apparently I am wrong.
I saw a book from an South African author (BeastKeeper) on NetGalley today and I am keeping an eye on it. It is not open for request yet. It will be interesting to see if this book will also be "limited". If so, I might just stop coming back for a look . . .
What happened to this popular site?
Is it still worth being a member of NetGalley?
I'm not sure what the issue is, but I assumed they were just getting stricter about regional copyrights. We tend to get books later in South Africa, so perhaps they're not allowed to distribute them in certain regions before the release date?
ReplyDeleteWhatever the case, it is terribly frustrating. I missed out on a lot of books I was dying to request. However, I was still able to get a few good ones, and I must admit that it's good for my backlog. I have loads of books to get through, and I still haven't achieved the ideal review quota of 80%. And that's just for my NetGalley stuff; I still have books from indie authors and print copies from local publishers. So yes, I'm upset that I can't get some of my favourites, but it also prevents me from over-requesting, as I have frequently done in the past.
A nice way to look at it, Lauren :)
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean. I can't request those galleys I want because of these limitations, and that seriously sucks.
ReplyDeleteIt does indeed, Julie!
ReplyDeleteI still think Netgalley is very useful! After awhile you will get on auto-approve lists with publishers and it won't matter that you are not in the desired country. I also find there are publishers that are more than happy to approve anyone, especially cookbooks and non-fiction :)
ReplyDeleteI did not know that, Lu. As I said I have been away for a while. I might just have to "build up" my profile again :)
DeleteYes, I HATE it when only certain regions are allowed. I still think NetGalley is useful though because there are so many books that don't have that issue. I am hoping that the more I review, then maybe I will get auto approved by publishers and it won't matter. One can hope!
ReplyDeleteI saw Lu also talked about auto-approvals . . . I will keep an eye out for the future :)
DeleteI know that sometimes it's a default or some setting. I did a blog tour for an Australian author and it said Australian or UK only but the publicist said it was just a setting that couldn't be changed but they'd accept anyone (well, country-wise). I recently requested from an Australian publisher because the US edition wasn't listed on NG and I was approved. So I wouldn't let it hold you back, just request anyway.
ReplyDeleteWould the "not accepted" not be "held against me" in the ratings, Candace?
DeleteSometimes I forget how spoiled we are in the US with things like this. So sorry that you can't get the books that really sound great!
ReplyDeleteNicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction
Yep, you are lucky girls, Nicole! :)
DeleteAs I said, Felicia, I was away for a while and it was a shock to see how things have changed. But I should not complain, I have a mountain of a TBR so it might be a blessing in disguise :)
ReplyDeleteI live in New Zealand and I do request books that say US only and often get them. It will often be to do with world rights, authors would love us all to read their books but publishers are the ones I think who decide on what rights they will give to a book. (Must cost money or something!). I hate it especially when I hit it in Audible as I listen to audiobooks and I often can't get the books everyone is talking about.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that is true. One on my wishlist (Red Queen) was only available for UK and AU requesters. I am pretty sure it is still not available for US/CAN bloggers yet.
ReplyDelete