How to Use NetGalley to Find Your Next Book Club Book

Woman smiling while sitting with an open book and laptop

Whether you run a book club among friends, for your bookstore or library, or in your classroom, there are ways you can use NetGalley to find your group’s next read! Here are a few tips for finding great book club picks on NetGalley.

 

Sort by Most Requested
In the Find Titles section and within each Category, you’re able to sort books by Most Requested. This is a great way to get a sense of which books other readers are excited about. Often the books here end up being the buzziest and most talked about by readers. Taking an early look at those titles can help you to plan out which books your club should read in the upcoming months.

 

Read Reviews
On each book page, you can see the average star rating for a book and how many members have rated it. This will immediately give you a sense of what readers think of the book, but it’s still helpful to take a closer look at the reviews. The context of reviews will show not only if readers enjoyed the book, but if the book seems to cover topics that make for a good book club discussion such as a major plot twist, a character faced with impossible choices, or a unique formatting or storytelling style. 

Pay attention to member type too! If you’re a librarian or bookseller, reviews from those member types can help give you a sense of how your colleagues are approaching a specific book—such as whether they’ll be purchasing it for their collection or if they’re considering it for their own book club.

 

Request Previews and Excerpts
There are times when you’ll want to read a book club pick all the way through before bringing it to your group, and times when all you need is a little taste. Many publishers put previews or excerpts of their books up on NetGalley that you can Read Now or Request. Use the words “excerpt” or “preview” in the search bar to easily find those, and be sure to check out Buzz Books, which is available on NetGalley twice a year and includes a variety of excerpts of upcoming releases!  

 

Utilize Book Club Kits
A book club kit comes packed with all of the essentials for a great meeting: an author interview, discussion questions, bookmarks, and more! It takes the stress off of planning a meeting, ensuring that you and your members can relax and focus on the best part: talking about what you read. We Are Bookish has partnered with your favorite publishers to create book club kits and they’re all available to Read Now on NetGalley! 

 

Add Book Clubs to Your Reading Preferences
In your NetGalley Profile, there’s a Reading Preferences section where you can mark down that you’re part of a book club (or are interested in Book Club resources). This ensures that you get book club-related promotional emails—including announcements of newly uploaded NetGalley books, limited time Read Now opportunities, and book club kits. All of which can help when searching for your group’s next read! 

Make sure you’re opted into receiving those emails in the Additional Information section of your Profile, under “Subscriptions.”

Kelly Gallucci

Kelly Gallucci is the Executive Editor of We Are Bookish, where she oversees the editorial content, offers book recommendations, and interviews authors and NetGalley members. When she's not working, Kelly can be found color coordinating her bookshelves, eating Chipotle, and watching way too many baking shows.

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