A suitable Saturday round-up brings us new opportunities and the oldest of literary trends. First up, news of a new platform that seeks to offer something distinctive in what I’d call the “curated discovery” space. It feels like a crowded space already, but in practical terms it is dominated by BookBub. Its name is Booktrovert, and it is brought to the world by the NetGalley team.
ALLi News Editor Dan Holloway
I will confess, when I read the advertorial for it on Publishing Perspectives, my first reaction was mild surprise that NetGalley was still a thing. The anecdotal evidence I’ve gathered over the years from indies is that it is expensive for what it offers and that usage has tailed off. But that’s clearly not the full picture. The stats quoted show a community of more than half a million readers, with almost half a million reviews left this year alone.
A New Platform for Discoverability
Booktrovert actually seems to be taking a sensible step in using the successful elements of NetGalley—its back-end tech and its base of readers—and building something on it that has a bit more pizzazz. Its offering seems to be summed up as a better dashboard for readers and publishers or writers. Its usefulness for indies remains to be seen, but good luck to them.
Then there is a new prize that may be of interest. Three specialist publishers have joined forces to offer a $5,000 advance for a translated collection of poems. The Poetry in Translation Prize emphasizes the skill of translation and actively seeks new and exciting entrants to the field.
Marginalia Makes a Comeback
And we finish with a fascinating topic on the oldest “bad habit” in reading. Writing in the margins, like dog-earing pages, is something readers have always done. And opinions have always swung between revulsion and zealous advocacy. I remember there was an online resurgence in popularity in the mid-2010s when people started sharing the marginalia of medieval manuscripts—some fascinating, many somewhat spicy. Now it seems TikTok has revived the trend again.
Readers have discovered that writing reflections and notes in the margins helps them engage mentally with and remember more about what they read. And I am delighted to see it’s not just a productivity tool for learning nonfiction (I started it studying for exams. I wish I’d realized earlier how much fun it could be). They are using it to share emotions and thoughts on world-building. Heresy to some. Another great way to encourage the buying of print to others.
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