Library Journal and NetGalley Announce Partnership for Reviews of Ebook Originals

Library Journal announced that it will now be accepting review submissions for original ebooks (or "e-originals") in the romance genre via the Firebrand Technologies-owned NetGalley service, starting today—a move designed to address "the skyrocketing popularity of ebooks in U.S. public libraries," according to the announcement.

LJ will now consider original book-length romance ebooks for review, and in the future plans to add book-length ebook originals in other genres, as well as original ebook novellas and nonfiction works. Works published simultaneously in print and ebook format are not currently eligible, though titles that will appear first in ebook format, and then in print, would qualify.

Secure ebook galleys will be shared with editors and reviewers via the NetGalley site, which supports a range of ereaders, including Amazon's Kindle, Barnes and Noble's Nook, the Sony Reader, Kobo's eReader, Apple and Android devices, and laptop and desktop computers. Resulting reviews will be published online as part of LJ's Xpress Reviews, and most will also be included in LJ's Romance Reviews, published in print six times per year.

"We're very excited about our partnership with NetGalley," LJ Book Review Editor Heather McCormack said in the announcement. "It will allow us to expand our coverage of a perennially favorite genre efficiently and meet the increasing demand for ebook titles in U.S. public libraries. At the end of the day, librarians will have more opportunities to do vital readers' advisory and collection development work, which contributes to a healthy reading public."

According to the announcement, more than 26,500 professional readers—which include reviewers, bloggers, booksellers, librarians, and educators—and 100 publishers currently use the NetGalley service, through which such readers may request titles in the NetGalley catalog or be invited by publishers to view them.

"Talk to librarians"
Publisher guidelines have been posted on NetGalley's LJ page, and include the request that the ebook originals be uploaded to the NetGalley site "at least two months prior to publication date."

Beyond the particulars of the submission process, the guidelines also stress the importance of human interaction as an integral part of the review process: "Human relationships remain important in the digital age. Besides signing up for our Review Alert, [publishers should] consider arranging face-to-face meetings with our Book Review editors. This will help us familiarize ourselves with your output and give you a better sense of the kind of books we like to cover."

The guidelines go on to encourage deeper relationships between libraries and publishers: "Take the time to talk to librarians at trade shows and on social media because they buy boatloads of books and grow readers."