NetGalley Addicts Support Group discussion

I am admitting to having a few unread books from 2019, I was just wondering what your oldest unread book is (just so I don’t feel so alone and bad!!)

You're definitely not alone. I have a bunch of older ones that got skipped for one reason or another that I still need to read.

28 books from prior to 2021, with the oldest being from 2018.

2018 - 1 book
2019 - 15 books
2020 -12 books

I'm slowly chipping away at them and hope to clear them all by the end of the year.

Ditto .....
2014 - 5 books
2015 - 17 books
2016 - 21 books
2017 - 16 books
2018 - 22 books
2019 - 16 books
2020 - 11 books

I hope that makes you feel better Hayley. Now I feel guilty 🤦‍♀️❤📚

Oh Melanie, you’ve made me feel so much better - lol.
I’m desperately trying to catch up too but new books keep popping up. I still always thank NG/pub at the end of my review but I feel bad if it’s so out of date.

Sandy *The world could end while I was reading and I would never notice* wrote: "Ditto .....
2014 - 5 books
2015 - 17 books
2016 - 21 books
2017 - 16 books
2018 - 22 books
2019 - 16 books
2020 - 11 books

I hope that makes you feel better Hayley. Now I feel guilty 🤦‍♀️❤📚"

Haha! Oh Sandy, you are definitely carrying my guilt now with that list! You’ve made my day 😂 Will you eventually read them all??
Can anyone beat 2014?

I have some really old unread books:

2013 - 3 books
2014 - 5 books
2015 - 15 books
2016 - 17 books
2017 - 8 books
2018 - 1 book
2019 - 8 books
2020 - 9 books

I have an 87% ratio so I don't think that these are really hurting me but I am trying to chip away at the backlog one book at a time.

Carole wrote: "I have some really old unread books:

2013 - 3 books
2014 - 5 books
2015 - 15 books
2016 - 17 books
2017 - 8 books
2018 - 1 book
2019 - 8 books
2020 - 9 books

I have an 87% ratio so I don't think ..."

Well Carole you’re certainly in the lead at the moment with 2013 books! 😂

I have 10 from 2011.......😱😱😥

Susan wrote: "I have 10 from 2011.......😱😱😥"

Oh my goodness Susan 😮 you go straight to the top of the class!
Wow, I feel so much better now 😂

Glad I could help!!

I can't beat 2013, but I do have one left from 2016. See if you notice anything here:

2016 1
2017 5
2018 5
2019 13
2020 26

Oooh, snap! I want to blame the pandemic, but that nasty li'l virus didn't make me download allll those books!

I am still at 89%. I prefer to keep it at 90% and above, so once again I must place myself in a favorite-authors-only mode for new downloads. Been filing away invitations and widgets unopened.

Although my ratio isn't that bad, I long for the day when I can download an interesting looking book and read it RIGHT NOW, instead of having to drop it into a queue.

I haven't read Beowulf...

Ross wrote: "I haven't read Beowulf..."

😂🤣😂🤣

Donna wrote: "I can't beat 2013, but I do have one left from 2016. See if you notice anything here:

2016 1
2017 5
2018 5
2019 13
2020 26

Oooh, snap! I want to blame the pandemic, but that nasty li'l virus did..."

I don’t think I’ll ever be in that position! 😂
Do you still review books from that far back? I feel bad reviewing a 2019 book 😁

My oldest fiction that I still have not read is Quentin Durward by Walter Scott printed in Swedish 1887. I have an even older non fiction book that I still not started it's printed in 1755

Hayley wrote: "I am admitting to having a few unread books from 2019, I was just wondering what your oldest unread book is (just so I don’t feel so alone and bad!!)"

Hayley, my oldest unread NetGalley title is from 2015. I have 128 books on my NetGalley shelf as of today. I intend to review all the books on that shelf eventually. My current feedback ratio is 77% (having already written 403 reviews for NetGalley titles.) My opinion is that they gave me access to the books in return for a review, and a review they will get. My titles are all fiction and fiction never goes out of date.

I missed that it should be a Netgalley book. My bad. My oldest isn't released yet.

Carole wrote: "I have some really old unread books:

2013 - 3 books
2014 - 5 books
2015 - 15 books
2016 - 17 books
2017 - 8 books
2018 - 1 book
2019 - 8 books
2020 - 9 books

I have an 87% ratio so I don't think ..."

So am I. But I am in awe of your ratio, I have just clawed mine back up to 68%. I didn't join Netgalley until 2014, but I am sure that had I been a member then, that I would still have books waiting to be read. ❤📚

I've been reviewing on Netgalley since 2018 I have 15 on my shelf one from 2019 the rest 20/21 my feedback is 89% .
I was feeling bad about being behind but not so much now! thanks for this thread.

Hayley wrote: "Donna wrote: "I can't beat 2013, but I do have one left from 2016. See if you notice anything here:

2016 1
2017 5
2018 5
2019 13
2020 26

Oooh, snap! I want to blame the pandemic, but that nasty ..."

Yes, Hayley, I will read and review from as far back as it takes. Our percentage is credited just the same for a book from two or three years ago as it is for one being published tomorrow. Of course, I try to get to them in a more timely fashion, and usually I am successful; I've submitted reviews for 715 books to NG so far.

BUT if the date slides by and I am nowhere near ready, I set the past-due book aside and concentrate on those that will be published soon. It makes sense to be on time for the ones where that's still possible. Once I have missed the pub date, it takes me some time to get back to the late ones. In the past, I've always had one already-published title among the ones I am reading, so that I can be sure to get to them eventually. Now, however, I've found that I can often get the audio version of them at my public library, and so I listen to them while I am doing other things. Doing this has shrunk my backlog considerably. But some titles will never have an audio book, and I will get to them, sooner or later.

2021 - 3
2020 - 14
2019 - 19
2018 - 6
2017 - 6
2016 - 11

I am trying to read one old and 1 new. But need to work on 2019. I have also declined some really good widgets.

oh wow.... and I sweat when my tbr on netbgalley is more than 5 to read

well I have 9 books to read, all 2021. I don't feel so bad now lol

I only joined in 2019 so I have one book from 2019 that I need to read, otherwise I only started using Netgalley again recently and most of the book requests I make get denied.

marita wrote: "oh wow.... and I sweat when my tbr on netbgalley is more than 5 to read

well I have 9 books to read, all 2021. I don't feel so bad now lol"

Oh me too!! I am reading books that were due May 4, I have another from the 11th and two for the 18th and that makes me nervous that I am behind!!

I am embarrassed to say my oldest one is from 06 Jul 2012, weird thing is I did read it, I just haven't shared my thoughts yet! Not sure why.

Hey it is generally believed that the Amazon Algorithms in some way take into account the age of reviews. So posting a belated review is still really helpful to the authors.

2019 and I have dedicated this year to slowly getting my NetGalley account under control. I didnt know what I was doing when I first joined, I requested everything and a big mistake. So far I have read 146 books, and I want to read at least another 50.

Ahem. Is there a prize for oldest galley?

October 11, 2016. And yes, I'm going to read and review it, at some point.

Donna wrote: "Ahem. Is there a prize for oldest galley?

October 11, 2016. And yes, I'm going to read and review it, at some point."

Haha! Sadly I don’t think you’d win the prize, Carole’s owned up to 2013 in this thread 😁

June 2015.
And YES I will read and review it eventually 😊📚

Hayley wrote: "Donna wrote: "Ahem. Is there a prize for oldest galley?

October 11, 2016. And yes, I'm going to read and review it, at some point."

Haha! Sadly I don’t think you’d win the prize, Carole’s owned ..."

Hmmm. I can see I'll have to continue to slack off if I want to win the trophy.

Donna wrote: "Hayley wrote: "Donna wrote: "Ahem. Is there a prize for oldest galley?

October 11, 2016. And yes, I'm going to read and review it, at some point."

Haha! Sadly I don’t think you’d win the prize, ..."

😂😂😂

Donna wrote: "Hayley wrote: "Donna wrote: "Ahem. Is there a prize for oldest galley?

October 11, 2016. And yes, I'm going to read and review it, at some point."

Haha! Sadly I don’t think you’d win the prize, ..."

Donna, I am afraid that you will have to slack off for a long time to get that trophy from me. lol

I still have 3 books that I downloaded in 2013 to read. I am not even going to talk about 2014 or 2015 but I will say that I have more than 40 books on my shelf that I downloaded prior to Oct 2016.

Carole wrote: "Donna wrote: "Hayley wrote: "Donna wrote: "Ahem. Is there a prize for oldest galley?

October 11, 2016. And yes, I'm going to read and review it, at some point."

Haha! Sadly I don’t think you’d w..."
Something tells me that this is a drop in the bucket compared with how many you've read and reviewed.

Donna wrote: "Carole wrote: "Donna wrote: "Hayley wrote: "Donna wrote: "Ahem. Is there a prize for oldest galley?

October 11, 2016. And yes, I'm going to read and review it, at some point."

Haha! Sadly I don’..."

I think that you might have read more than me but my feedback ratio is 88% with 658 Approved | 582 Feedback Sent.

Carole wrote: "Donna wrote: "Carole wrote: "Donna wrote: "Hayley wrote: "Donna wrote: "Ahem. Is there a prize for oldest galley?

October 11, 2016. And yes, I'm going to read and review it, at some point."

Haha..."

Perfectly respectable ratio. It's nice to have a little wiggle room.

hi everyone.... thank you for making me feel better. my oldest books are from a few months back in 2021 and I was feeling guilty I hadn't started them. little by little I'm reading and catching up

marita wrote: "hi everyone.... thank you for making me feel better. my oldest books are from a few months back in 2021 and I was feeling guilty I hadn't started them. little by little I'm reading and catching up"

It's really more about the ratio of read vs. unread. Once you've done it for awhile, you have the liberty of setting a couple of problematic ones aside for later. If you're reviewing 9 out of every 10, that single one that you skipped isn't a crisis. Yes, it would be good to go back and take care of it, but then, if you don't, it's not a huge deal, either.

I know no one in real life will understand or care, I so I had to come here. I always feel like I have books that straggle on, that I want to review but I just can't get into or take forever to read. Yesterday I disappeared to a coffee shop to be away from my family, and I cranked out some reviews of books I'd finished by hadn't taken time to do yet. Now, my "oldest" unread book...is only from last week!!

Here's hoping I don't get too far behind again, or get approved for an already published title (my dormant pending requests list has some titles still active that I requested six months ago or more, and those delayed approvals always throw off my best-laid plans).

Faith wrote: "I know no one in real life will understand or care, I so I had to come here. I always feel like I have books that straggle on, that I want to review but I just can't get into or take forever to rea..."

You're an inspiration!

Just so many books to read and not enough time in the day. 😂 I read those synopses and they just sound like something I would like to read. I think my oldest is from 2016. I did find the book in a used book store so I can take it to school and read it while the students are doing their silent reading. We have a no cell phone policy now so we follow that policy the same as the students.

Teresa wrote: "Just so many books to read and not enough time in the day. 😂 I read those synopses and they just sound like something I would like to read. I think my oldest is from 2016. I did find the book in a ..."

In your case, I almost wonder if it wouldn't be a good idea to buy a cheap Kindle, Nook, or other dedicated reader to help you read digitally without flouting the cell phone rule.

@Donna, we cannot have those either. If the students cannot have it, then we should be setting the example. I am a little old-fashioned anyway, I like books in hand. Surprisingly, quite a few students feel the same.

2015 - 1 read but not reviewed (weird since I loved the book)
2016 - 2
2017 - 2
2018 - 1

Is it offensive to review them this late?

Ashley wrote: "2015 - 1 read but not reviewed (weird since I loved the book)
2016 - 2
2017 - 2
2018 - 1

Is it offensive to review them this late?"
Surely not. When I am very (very, very, very...) late, I add a note on NG in the box provided after the review has been entered, and I say I am sorry for the delay.

My own opinion, though, is that a reviewer that will reach that far back to fill in the gaps is one hell of a reviewer.

Donna wrote: "Ashley wrote: "2015 - 1 read but not reviewed (weird since I loved the book)
2016 - 2
2017 - 2
2018 - 1

Is it offensive to review them this late?"
Surely not. When I am very (very, very, very...) ..."

Thank you for your thoughts. I’ve been debating back and forth on whether I should review still or not and it helps to think like that.

Ashley wrote: "Donna wrote: "Ashley wrote: "2015 - 1 read but not reviewed (weird since I loved the book)
2016 - 2
2017 - 2
2018 - 1

Is it offensive to review them this late?"
Surely not. When I am very (very, v..."

I’ve reviewed some from 2019, I was in the hospital earlier this year and read a lot but wasn’t up for writing reviews. I got a pencil for one of the old ones!

Leith wrote: "Ashley wrote: "Donna wrote: "Ashley wrote: "2015 - 1 read but not reviewed (weird since I loved the book)
2016 - 2
2017 - 2
2018 - 1

Is it offensive to review them this late?"
Surely not. When I a..."

That pencil makes you a badass.

Obviously it is best to read and review the books that we get from NetGalley on time. I am sure that publishers would prefer a late review to no review. Anytime we are talking about their books to our audience could potentially mean additional sales. I don't feel like I am offending anyone by reviewing a book that I missed several years ago.

Carole wrote: "Obviously it is best to read and review the books that we get from NetGalley on time. I am sure that publishers would prefer a late review to no review. Anytime we are talking about their books to ..."

And in practical terms, it does just as much for your review percentage as if it had been on time.