Two years ago I decided to sign up with NetGalley and start reviewing books. My primary motivation was to have access to more books since I am an avid reader and my library is not the best in the world. It seemed they got about half the books I wanted to read, were always behind in ordering them, and then the wait list might be thirty people long before I could get the book. While I support buying books, especially from the independent booksellers so I can also support local business, my funds don’t extend to purchasing all the books I read. Did I mention I’m an AVID reader?
NetGalley was a great answer. It took me a little while to get established, but fairly early I asked for books from publishers who typically granted request more often, so it wasn’t long before I had some good statistics on the site. It helped that writing comes fairly easy to me, because with NetGalley the biggest thing that will help you in being granted requests is to have at least an 80% or better review rate. That rate refers to the ratio of books reviewed to all those requested. I reached 80% pretty quickly by not asking for too many books at first and reviewing as soon as I finished reading. I’ve managed to maintain at least that rate and currently have a 93% review rate.
I continue to work on determining the number of books I request. As much as I love to read, I still want to do my daily exercises, plus I have some standing acting activities that involve creating and performing in a variety of works on a regular basis. Add to these creative outlets the usual activities that make up part of my life, and balancing it all out is essential to keeping up and maintaining the energy I need to stay active.
Recently I was approached and asked if I wanted to write reviews for an online mystery magazine. Confirming with the editor that I could manage how often I reviewed and that I would have complete control over what I wrote about the books I reviewed, I decided to give it a shot. That brings us to today and this blog. Rather than publishing my NetGalley review, which is what I typically do, I’m publishing a link to my review in the magazine. I admit to being just excited enough about seeing my name credited on the review that I would love to share that with you as well. If you want to read it, or just see my name, here’s the link: https://www.mysteryandsuspense.com/review-the-fatal-flying-affair/
I hope you enjoy the review. While you’re there, check out the rest of the magazine. The specialize in mystery and suspense, so there’s something for everyone who likes that genre, even if you don’t like the mostly lighter books I tend to prefer. This really is one of my favorite series, so if you like a little humor with your mystery, you might want to check out the series as well. In any event, Happy Reading!
