NetGalley was developed as an alternative to the production of paper galleys and has since evolved into a key marketing and publicity platform for publishers and authors.

Initially launched shortly before the 2008 BookExpo America, the site was founded by Rosetta Solutions, and Firebrand Technologies took over in December 2008.

[5] In 2012, the site began offering expedited approvals to librarians who added their American Library Association member number.

[8][9] In October 2012, the NetGalley website relaunched,[10] addressing numerous performance and scaling issues related to an old architecture, improving existing features, and introducing new ones.

ALA TechSource wrote: "whatever it lacks in aesthetics, NetGalley makes up with simple ease of use and great content.