ARC Reading: What is it and why do you care?
ARC reading or Advanced Reader Copies, is what led me to becoming and editor. After reading a number of them and realizing I was finding inconsistencies, plot holes, grammar and punctuation errors, and more, I realized maybe I had a knack for a few styles of editing. One thing led to another, and after classes, training, and practice, I started Bitch’n Books Editorial. If you’re interested in hearing more about my personal (reader) thoughts on ARC reading, check out my podcast episode, Dear Diary: Let’s Talk About ARCs.
Whether you’re a reader, an author, or maybe both, I think you’ll find this topic interesting. We will look at what ARCs are, the reason behind them, the author’s side of ARCs, and the reader’s responsibility when given one.
First, what exactly is an ARC?
An advanced reader copy is an unedited (this can vary*) copy of an author’s book.
*Sometimes they will be unedited, and sometimes the author chooses to wait until the book is completely finished before sending out ARCs.
What is their purpose?
ARCs are given to readers and reviewers to build momentum for a book’s release. They’re generally sent out a few months or weeks before the book is released, so they can be quite the coveted read.
If you’re not sure where you are at in your publishing journey, check out my previous post: A Guide for When to Book Your Editor.
Typically ARCs are sent out before being proofread and sometimes even before their copy edit is finished. While some authors will give ARCs to any readers, others have applications to fill out and guidelines that accompany them. There are also places like Netgalley, where readers can apply to read certain ARCs.
Author side of ARCs:
Are you an author getting close to the publishing date of your book? If so, sending out ARCs to a group of readers is a great way to build momentum and get the word out about your book. Like all things, there are positive and negative sides to the ARC world. First, let’s focus on the positive!
When an author gives out an ARC, they are gifting a free copy of their book to the reader in exchange for an honest review. Now, some readers might not enjoy the ARC, and so authors have different rules for reviewing, which we will get into below.
One of the best parts of ARCs is that many reviewers aren’t only posting their reviews to Goodreads and Amazon, most will also post to their social media, which helps spread the word even further.
On the flip side, some authors ask too much from their ARC readers. Below is a conservative list of rules that I think any author would be well within their right to ask for. I’ve seen these repeated the most. On the other hand, I have also seen authors who want their readers to post on a schedule, only post images the author has created, and post more than once about the book. That is a personal choice for the reader. If they loved the book, they should hype it up as much as they want. But receiving an ARC shouldn’t take over their lives.
A personal experience: an author reached out to me midway through my reading of their ARC to ask how I was liking it. It put me in an incredibly awkward position because I was not enjoying it at all. Instead of waiting to post my thoughts after release, I had to tell them directly that I didn’t like the book and wouldn’t be finishing it. It all ended up okay, and the author was understanding and kind. But it did put me in an awkward spot that I wasn’t expecting to be put in.
Rules of ARCs (That I’ve experienced as a reader)
Different authors will have different expectations of their readers. And there is a line where the expectations can become too much. Authors should remember that ARCs are primarily for reviews. The reader isn’t being paid and didn’t necessarily sign up to be part of a marketing team. Typically the expectations include:
*Commitment to read and review the ARC before the release date of the book.
*Commitment to leave reviews on specific sites and/or your personal social media platforms.
*Commitment to not leave a negative review until the book has been released for a certain number of weeks. (This is one of the more changing rules I’ve seen between authors.)
*Commitment to keeping the story to yourself and private.
*While some do not ask for this, some will ask to support the book on release day as well as reviewing the book early.
Some authors take it a step further and organize street teams or review groups to help with more in-depth promotion—but that’s a separate kind of agreement.
Reader Responsibility
When a reader accepts an ARC, they are accepting the commitments that go along with this. It can be frustrating for authors because, on average, only about half of the ARCs they send out will receive ratings and reviews. That’s means a lot of readers are getting a free book without following through on what they agreed to do.
If you’re knew to ARC reading, it is best to smart small; only request one at a time. It’s easy to get excited and overcommit, but that can lead to not finishing or reviewing before the release date. Remember, by accepting an ARC, you’re entering into an agreement with another person, and it’s important to respect that.
It is also important to note that usually ARCs are unedited and will not have the polish an already published book will have. Grammar or punctuation errors are not good reasons for a negative review when reading an ARC. Those will be corrected before the final printing. Some authors will even ask their ARC readers to send them any mistakes they find, and then enter them in a drawing to win a free copy of their signed book. (This is generally after a copy edit and/or a proofread has been performed, so there shouldn’t be many errors to find.)
What to do once you’re finished with your ARC?
You’ve read and reviewed your ARC, so now what? If you have a physical copy you can gift it to a friend or share it with a coworker after release day.
YOU CANNOT SELL IT. Some readers take their freely given ARCs and list them online for hundreds of dollars. This is incredibly disrespectful to the author who trusted you with their work. ARCs are gifts, not a source of profit, and selling them undermines the purpose of the program.
Are you ready to go out and find your ARC readers or maybe become one yourself? I’d love to hear about it in the comments.
