Boosting Online Reviews with NetGalley

To get Ana Lal Din’s indie YA fantasy debut Descent of the Drowned in front of an engaged YA audience, we knew that securing online reviews would be critical to the book’s success. One of the most effective tools for generating early reviews is NetGalley, a platform that allows reviewers, educators, librarians, booksellers, and media professionals to access advance copies.

Maximizing Exposure on NetGalley

We made Descent of the Drowned available to NetGalley’s 400,000+ subscribers for a limited time and secured a paid promotional spot to increase visibility. The results were impressive:

• 1,009 downloads
• 220 reviews
• 285 cover up-votes
• 68 5-star reviews
• 82 4-star reviews

Driving Review Coverage Across Platforms

To build on this momentum, we personally followed up with each reviewer who downloaded the book, encouraging them to post their reviews on Goodreads, Amazon, personal blogs and social media.

By the time of publication, Descent of the Drowned had accumulated over 100 Goodreads reviews, with many more added in the following weeks.

Establishing a Debut Author’s Online Presence

These early reviews helped Descent of the Drowned make a splash, giving first-time author Ana Lal Din the visibility and credibility needed to build a loyal readership from day one. A thoughtful NetGalley strategy helped position this debut novel for long-term success.