NetGalley members love to share their reviews on their bookish social media platforms. There are many strategies that readers can use on those platforms to help their reviews reach the intended audience, and tagging is one of the most vital! Here we’re sharing who you should be tagging in your reviews and other helpful tagging tips.
Familiarize yourself with which social platforms allow tagging
If you’re posting your review to a social media platform (X, Instagram, TikTok, etc), then you have the option to utilize tags in reviews by using the @ symbol followed by a user’s handle.
There are also places where NetGalley members leave reviews that don’t have a tagging feature—such as review websites (such as Goodreads, The StoryGraph, etc) or consumer sites (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc).
Let’s take a closer look at who to tag and why.
Tag NetGalley
Whether you’re sharing your excitement over being approved or you’re sharing your review, we want to hear about it! It’s not only fun to see what books our members are reading, but it also helps to give us a sense of the Categories, formats, and publishers you love. You can find us under the handle @NetGalley on X, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
Tag the publisher
Publishers enjoy seeing members’ social posts and reviews about the books they’ve provided access to. The easiest way to find a publisher’s social media handles is to go to their publisher page on NetGalley and look at the “Find Them Online” box in the left column. Like with NetGalley, you can tag the publisher both when sharing the news that you were approved and when sharing your review.
What to consider before tagging an author
Whether or not you should tag an author in your review isn’t as straightforward as it may seem. Here are a few common questions we see in regards to when to tag the author.
Why do some authors prefer not to be tagged?
There are a multitude of reasons why authors do not want to be tagged in reviews on social media.
First, reviews are meant for readers. They are intended to help readers decide whether a book is right for them or the community they represent. Tagging an author into a post that may be critical of their work, invites them into a conversation that should be focused on readers and puts the author in an awkward position.
Second, authors deserve the right to protect and preserve their mental health. Authors receive official critiques through their publishing team. Like everyone, they deserve a social media experience where they can enjoy connecting with peers and followers, rather than being notified every time a reader does not like their work.
Can I tag the author if I believe my feedback is valuable to them?
Reviewer feedback is incredibly valuable! It’s vital to other readers, who should always be your first priority in review writing, and it is valuable to publishers.
Authors have teams that assist them in the editing of their books and those teams have systems in place when it comes to looking at and sharing outside feedback. When you tag the publisher, you’ve alerted that team to your review. From there the publisher is able to make the best decision for their imprint and their author in regards to what they do with your feedback.
Doesn’t my tag help my followers find the author more easily?
We do love making readers’ lives easier, but in this case, it’s important to think of the author first. Readers can save your post, screenshot it, or easily search the author’s name to find out more, if they would like to.
I’ve heard you can tag authors in good reviews. Can I tag them then?
If you are going to tag an author in your review, the best rule of thumb is for it to be a glowing review that does not contain any critique or criticism.
But I love engaging with my favorite authors online.
Us too! Is there anything more fun than a beloved author commenting on one of your posts or giving you a follow?
The truth is that authors being inundated with notifications that range from politely critical to downright mean has led many authors to make choices necessary for their mental health such as not engaging at all with their notifications, switching their account to one that only posts updates of their upcoming books, or turning off the tagging feature completely. Being cautious of when you’re tagging authors helps to ensure the experience is a positive one for all!
I’m just so excited I got approved! Can I tag the author to tell them?
If you’re posting to say that you were approved for a book and cannot wait to dive in, tagging the book’s author can be a nice way to show that you’re eager to read their work.
Should I tag audiobook narrators?
This is a great question! When it comes to narrators, the same rules above for authors apply.
Being thoughtful about when you tag authors and narrators helps make bookish social media spaces safer and more engaging for everyone!
More Tips
Cross-check before posting
Handles on social media platforms are entirely unique. Most publishers and authors use the same exact handle across all of their platforms, but occasionally there will be differences. Especially if you’re posting your review to multiple platforms, make sure you’re using the correct tag for that platform.
Another instance where a publisher (NetGalley included) may have different handles, is if they operate in multiple countries. Doing a little homework will help ensure that you’re tagging the correct account.
Determine the correct imprint
For example, on NetGalley “Avon and Harper Voyager” are listed as a single publisher. These are two separate imprints focusing on different genres. You do not need to tag both in your reviews. Instead, look at the title details page to see the appropriate imprint listed beside their publisher name.
Fit tags into the disclosure
For the sake of transparency, readers are encouraged to disclose if the book they’re reviewing was gifted to them. It’s easy to combine this with your NetGalley and publisher tag by including a line such as: “Thank you (name of publishing company) for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.”
Utilize hashtags
Don’t forget that hashtags are another fantastic way of helping your post reach its intended audience. Hashtags for the book’s title, author, genre, and more can be helpful for both you and your followers looking to engage with similar content. Here’s more about how to best use hashtags!
Check out more social media etiquette tips here!
This was extremely helpful! Especially about when and when not to, tag authors. Thank you
Annette Geiss
Thanks for the concise and helpful advice, Kelly. In Instagram, do you recommend tagging publishers in the comments (which shows up in their notifications) or in the picture (which sends them a DM), or both? Thanks!
That’s a great question! There are definitely pros and cons to each, and publishers will have different opinions about what is the most helpful for them.
The pro of tagging in a photo is that it’ll appear on that publishers tagged page, which makes it easier for other readers to discover. But if you’re tagging a larger account, those kinds of tags can sometimes get lost in their DMs.
Tagging a publisher in the caption of your photo can mean that the notification is easier for them to find in their notifications list, and it ensures they aren’t receiving notifications for every comment on your post (which happens if you tag them in the photo). But you will lose out on the discoverability of your photo showing up in their tagged photos.
Truly it all comes down to your personal preference. I don’t think you can go wrong either way (or as you mentioned, doing both!).
Very helpful, thanks!
Thank you for this wonderfully informative post. I’ve only recently started using Instagram and this has helped me a lot.