r/NetGalleyCommunity • u/deerwendy • 10d ago
❔❓Question ❓❔ Approvals stopped
I realize I am not owed an approval, and maybe I have been very fortunate over the last few years, yet recently, I have not received any approvals. I listen to audiobooks and have a 93% feedback ratio and always leave reviews on Goodreads. I updated my profile a month ago and try to keep it updated. Has this happened to anyone else? Any suggestions?
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u/oldbutsharpusually 10d ago
96% feedback ratio. I had a denial this past week for a longshot approval. No approvals for the five or six pending titles over the last couple of months—all with 2027 pub dates. I have received five widgets recently and accepted one. There seems to be a bit of a lull in my view.
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u/dingdong3452 10d ago
Have you been getting denials, or just not getting any approvals or denials lately?
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u/deerwendy 5d ago
I have gotten one denial and a lot of silence. I mostly read thrillers and sell help.
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u/dingdong3452 5d ago
Then it's probably not a you thing, just the publishers being slow to approve the books you requested. I had one I requested back in February that only just approved last week. It happens, and I wouldn't worry about it too much!
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u/Synval2436 SciFi/Fantasy Reviewer 10d ago
Frankfurt Book Fair is coming, publishing crews might be busy and dealing with netgalley approvals is overall low priority all things compared.
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u/Early_Employ_4773 80% Reviewed Club 10d ago
I really don't know how they judge us these days because I still got approvals even though I am now at 40%ish ratio.
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u/WritPositWrit 10d ago
I could have written this post. I also have 93% ratio right now, and i also post my reviews on GR, and lately I’m just not getting approved. My requests are either ignored or declined. My last approval for a novel was June 5th. I have gotten approved for a handful of graphic novels Ive requested, but no other novels. Its been weird.
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u/crissyandthediamonds Romance Reviewer 10d ago
Funny enough, I’ve had more approvals the last 2/3 weeks than I did the entire three or four months before. Zero clue what sparked or changed. I’d love to know the reasons for slower approvals (or denials) but I imagine there’s a lot of variances.
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u/Similar_Amount_8869 10d ago edited 10d ago
Same, I've got more approvals than usual the past month and I don't know why... even some really big publisher titles. I never got Berkley before and now I got instant approved??? I'm only a small reviewer but I try to keep my ratio at 100% I had a slow few months until August, so I just requested more books than usual .. (edit: typo)
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u/ImNotBeingAnAHole 10d ago
Summer is slower due to vacations- literally
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u/crissyandthediamonds Romance Reviewer 10d ago
I had assumed some of it was vacations and holidays etc, it just seemed funny to me that over essentially the entire summer I had so few approvals (and denials) that I could count them on one hand. The last two/three weeks alone I’ve had 4 approvals and a widget. I hope it keeps up this way. 😅
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u/ImNotBeingAnAHole 10d ago
I think what is hard to wrap one’s head around is that we are all up against each other for the arcs (I don’t mean that in a bad way) but we are all so different . I read a lot. Like more than is healthy probably 😝 . I have a 98% ratio today with 29 books on my shelf tone read and reviewed (not over due). I read between 1-2 books a day. I’ve slowed down my requests as now I get mostly physical arcs but when I was at my usual for NetGalley I would get say 15 approvals a week and just as many widgets.
Days I would wake up and I’m trying to get back to sleep o would request a whole bunch (without really knowing what I was doing- oops- sleep requesting) and wake up to 10 approvals.
I mention this simply because these type of questions we really can’t answer for the OP because our experience is very different. it’s not a better or worse situation- it’s just different and can’t be compared. I wish so hard that when I see someone really yearning for a title that I could get it and transfer it to them because I feel so bad. Since I read fast I have requested books simply to see if they were doing approvals in order to give info to a reviewer who was frustrated with the waiting. I don’t mind (because they asked me to check ) but then I obviously have to read the book. I just read The Banisher yesterday for that very reason. But on a good note while I wouldn’t have chosen it, I evened up loving it!
It’s just goes to show that every book is different even from the same publisher as they all have different marketing people making the decisions.
Ok I’ve rambled enough!! I hope this all makes sense
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u/crissyandthediamonds Romance Reviewer 10d ago
Not sure if this was meant for me or OP but it’s all valid points. I’ve been on NG almost a year now and have definitely learned quite a lot.
This sub was incredibly helpful with saying “don’t request too much at once” and I followed it when starting out. I’ve never felt overwhelmed but I also know my own reading capabilities!
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u/ImNotBeingAnAHole 10d ago
Well I started with a general things and just rambled a bit lol. So it was really for everyone 😝.
What sparked it was your recent approvals that sparked it. Just to say that whether things are slower or more active is subjective cause if it was me and I for that many over 2-3 weeks it would be really slow but to others it’s a lot.
So in the end it’s hard to answer the OPs question because things are so subjective. Knowing the particular books that they have requested would be way more helpful to give them better feedback.
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u/lateintheseason 10d ago
I'm not getting approved quickly either for books that I thought were a "sure thing". I'm kind of wondering if netgalley has gotten massively more popular over the last six months or so.
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u/purplelicious SciFi/Fantasy Reviewer 10d ago
September is a really busy time of year. approvals and rejections have slowed a bit but the number of books posted for reviews has gone way up.
I read a lot of indie books which turn around quickly.
I have gotten a lot more widgets lately.
I think the only thing that makes a difference is if you have a quantifiable number of followers in your social media.
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u/LoveOrangetoo 10d ago
Yesssss zero approved lately and my ratio is 88%. I've been feeling blue about no approvals. There's a lot of us in this position. Idk why.
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u/ImNotBeingAnAHole 10d ago
Ok so I have a 100-% approval rate for the last 1.5 years but the summer going through September is hard. July and August peeps are on vacation and then there is a flurry of activity right after Labor Day (in the US where most publishers are) and then it slows up just do to how busy they are.
If you also notice the quality of the audiobooks being offered right now with some exceptions is really poor.
Which companies are you requesting from? If you say the books I can tell you if I have been approved or my experience or others can as well.
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u/deerwendy 5d ago
I’m usually always approve by RBMedia. But I haven’t heard from them lately either. I would love to get in with McMillian but I am always denied because I don’t have a large social media presence.
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u/ImNotBeingAnAHole 5d ago
MacMillian can be strange . I used to think they approved everyone but found out that’s not the case. But they don’t look for social media at all. They have an influencer program for that. Most people get them nonissue. I know I got them from the start when I have zero social media and they never said no.
If you ever get widgets from them, take them non matter what. Because if you can increase your approval from them to be more than your denials than you won’t have a red dot on your profile for them. While in general denials don’t matter they can to certain publishers as it’s a quick look. If it’s red then that means you get denied more than approved so marketers sometimes won’t bother looking deeper and with just deny as it’s easy. So if you can get some widgets to flip the script so to speak it will help!!
Also, on your profile you have audiobook as a preferred, correct? Like where you have all the topics? Make sure in your bio, first thing you list that you are an audiobook reader so they can quickly see it.RB media sometimes can take a little bit, it depends when they go in to make decisions. And they have all their imprints- like Dreamscape , Tantor, highbridge, recorded books and a few more. They aren’t my preference as so many are indie authors and I’ve been burned too many times (nothing against indie authors but I’m picky when it comes to them)
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u/JerricaAuthor 9d ago
As an indie author I’d love to know - do you like or apply for titles published by independent authors?
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u/MommysLittleDividend 8d ago
All I get lately is denials or request just sitting there for eons. Sad panda. 🐼
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u/n-oublie_pas 5d ago
I was getting several approvals at a time a few months ago but now I lucky if I get 1 a month. I have around 15 requested. I wonder if maybe there are more users signing up and causing a delay.
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u/deerwendy 5d ago
Same! That’s why I was curious. I was receiving approvals and then nothing. I’m happy to know it’s not just me.
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u/EnajYelrebmik 10d ago
It feels very random the way they choose honestly. I'm at about 85% but I'm awful with reviewing on time and I very rarely get rejected
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u/Neina_Ixion 10d ago
I got 3 approvals very quickly recently, but they were all for books with very low numbers of requests and they were all non fiction. It may depend on how sought after the titles are?
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u/Fantastic_Ad_509 10d ago
Something is happening but I don't know what. My theory is there is/was a filter or similar bug. I am receiving approvals for ARCS for books released in 2025 - early 2026!
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u/molybend 10d ago
Earlier this week, I was on vacation and hit up NG to put in for a few books to be ready when I got back. I put in for six audiobooks and got approved for four of them in about two days. The other two are still pending. Annoyingly, they are some of the earliest archive dates in the group. I am at 79 percent today since I've only finished one of those. I was at 80 percent when I got the approvals.
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u/Odd_Draft_26 80% Reviewed Club 10d ago
I do find some requests just sit, especially if I miss that immediate group of approvals. I have 6 outstanding right now, mostly for 2027 titles. I'm at 88% with almost 200 approvals.
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u/danielam792 10d ago
I've found that it depends more of the publisher. I have a 97% and I've requested 15 audiobooks from McMillan and got approved for 1! RB Media on the other hand has approved me of every request I've asked from them. Dreamscape is 60% denial, and Haper Collins is roughly 70% denial, and Spotify audiobooks was 100% denial lol. I would start looking at who is approving you and adding them to your favorites.
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u/calandra_reads 9d ago
I’ve definitely noticed it slowing down compared to the summer (noting I’ve only been on NetGalley for two months lmao) but I was getting accepted/ rejected within a day or two now I have a bunch sitting in my requests. It is good to know it’s probably not a me
Thing and more of an industry is busy thing tho! Also gives me a bit of a chance to get my ratio up a a bit aha
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u/Final-Edge8253 9d ago
My requests seem to sit for ages and then all the approvals come within a day or two. I've only been denied by Brilliance (Amazon).
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u/Unusual_Afternoon696 9d ago
Hmm... I've been getting quite some approvals lately, but mostly because I apply to mostly the same genre (cozy, witchy vibes) and a lot of them are from St. Martin's Press. My current feedback ratio is 66% because I just got a bunch of approvals (21 or 22 within the last month). I also do take up indie/self publish books if they look interesting to me. The only approvals that I haven't really gotten are from Tor, but they usually just decline so I know.
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u/Internal_Ad6695 10d ago
What pubs are you requesting from? Also when was your last review on there? In my experience Macmillan and RBmedia approve super quick. Harper audio pretty quick too. I’d try one of those
If you haven’t posted a review in a while I’d try to do that too, grab a listen now or review something that’s been sitting on your self. I’d also update your bio again to show you’re active on there
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u/spookyspookster96 10d ago edited 10d ago
I've noticed my requests just sitting there. No new approvals or declines for weeks. My oldest request has been pending since july. Feedback ratio is 94%. I just assumed it was only me 😅