Edelweiss vs Netgalley (discussion post)

 

I wanted to do a discussion post today on two of the most used ARC websites.  I know there are people that aren’t familiar with both.  I have been using Netgalley longer, but I really like Edelweiss, too.  I have some tips to share and thought I could talk about why I like each one.

 

Netgalley:

Netgalley seems to be the more popular website that more people use.  I started using Netgalley well before I started this blog.   I was just reading and reviewing on Goodreads.  But I did notice that I was getting declined for quite a few books.  A couple publishers added that they were only approving for bloggers and not just reviewers anymore.  So having a blog will help.

Netgalley is easy to use.  Definitely fill out your profile and link up all your sites.  Also, update it every so often.  I try to update my profile social media stats every 3-6 months.  I find that this helps.  Publishers really like to see you have an 80% rating if possible.  This gets easier to maintain after you have reviewed so many books.  I’m at 199 reviewed right now, so my percentage doesn’t go up or down much anymore.

When signing up, it’s very easy to over request books.  I did this.  Bad.  And I never caught up.  I still have books from two years ago that I haven’t read and I feel bad about it.  I’ve gotten better at requesting, but still overdo it at times.

Most books are available in kindle and pdf, but not all.  I can’t get the pdf’s to transfer to my kindle, so I have to send a note that I can’t read the format.  I would suggest sending that feedback instead of leaving it if you can’t read it.

There are some publishers that just never accept or decline books.  Don’t get discouraged.  Most will approve books early, but I have received a few arcs the day before release date.

Netgalley is very easy to figure out quickly.  The site is easy to use and you don’t have to write out a reason why you are requesting a book.

 

Edelweiss:

Edelweiss is a bit less common.  I joined around the time I started blogging.  This site is a bit confusing.  I just spent a lot of time scrolling through, but I believe there are some videos on youtube that explain the different features.  As with Netgalley, you need to fill out your profile and connect all your social media.

I feel the publishers are much pickier on Edelweiss.  I know that Harlequin Teen (now Inkpress) e-mailed me and told me that I had to be blogging at least 3 (or maybe 6) months and have 500+ followers before they would approve.  Disney e-mailed and said they don’t approve for bloggers, only librarians and booksellers.  I almost never get books approved from Penguin Teen (even though I get physical books from them) or Simon and Schuster.  Neither of those have given me a reason.  HMH Teen ignores all my requests (but I do get some physical books and they usually approve on Netgalley).  I have very good luck with HarperTeen, but I know others that don’t get anything from them.  I’m not sure if there are any tricks with these, but maybe someone will comment with tips.

When you request from Edelweiss, you have to type out why you want to request a specific book.  You can get detailed or just write out a couple sentences.  If I’ve read the authors other books, I usually include that.  And I always thank them for giving me a chance to read and review early.

Edelweiss doesn’t have a percentage like Netgalley, but I did receive an e-mail saying that reviewing books helps you get approved.  Even if you didn’t get the book from Edelweiss, you can review it there and send it to the publisher.  I started doing that right away anyway, so maybe that’s helped me get approvals.

Edelweiss also sends weekly e-mails with tips.  I suggest reading those because they help a lot.  You can add books to different shelves that you create.  They also have catalogs from publishers that list books coming out for each season.

 

I don’t find that I get more approvals from one vs the other.  I tend to request a bit more on Netgalley, but I do use Edelweiss every month.  I like both sites for different reasons.  I find that you need to pay attention (maybe even take notes) to which publishers approve you on which site.  It helps you request less if you know that you won’t get a book from one platform.

 

Discussion:

Do you have any tips for either site?  Do you use both?  Do you prefer one over another and why?  Is there anything else you can share with the readers, especially for bloggers just starting out.