What Is An ARC?

I can't be the only one who's wanted to get a copy of a book sooner before its official release date. Maybe you've judged the book by its cover and want to see what awaits inside or the premise piques your interest, or maybe it's the upcoming release from a favorite author.

Most of the time, the best we can do is pre-order and wait. But, on some rare occasions, you might be fortunate enough to obtain a copy of a soon-to-be-released book ahead of the masses.

Advanced Reader Copies or Advanced Review Copies, most commonly known as ARCs, is a copy of an upcoming release. These are distributed for free in exchange for an honest review of the book and to generate buzz.

They're different from a proof copy, which is used to check for errors and finalize the formatting ahead of a full print run. It's the publishing prototype.

ARC copies are nearly finalized. More often than not, they are in eBook form but there can be print versions. These can be obtained through sites like NetGalley, through giveaways on Reedsy Discovery or GoodReads and similar, or directly from an author or their publisher. As part of promoting an upcoming work, publishers might seek out content creators with an established following and offer them an ARC, though reviewers can take that initiative and contact these teams directly. Some authors might create sign-up forms via social media, inviting interested readers to apply for an ARC.

While ARC reviewers are leaving reviews on retailer sites and their own social media platforms, they can also be used in your own marketing. For example, you might pull quotes to highlight in social media posts to entice new readers.

With ARC readers, there is a clear distinction to be made: unlike Beta Readers or Sensitivity Readers, their feedback is NOT for you, the writer. Their comments are not intended to help you improve your book. They're for prospective retailers' and readers' use, to help them determine if your book will be a good fit for them and build momentum for an upcoming launch.

When it comes to the algorithms, ARC reviews can give you a boost because they provide metrics to tell the algorithms that people are reading your book. If an online shopper is browsing books in your genre, there is a higher chance they'll see yours. Similarly, the more reviewers there are talking about your book on social media, the more eyes it'll be in front of.

Now, of course, this can have an unintended effect. Haley Pham's debut novel, Just Friends, became the center of internet discourse following an ARC review critiquing the writing style and other elements of the story. While Pham is a longtime content creator with an established following that would have likely contributed to her book's sales regardless, these conversations had Just Friends on more radars, whether it be because the book appealed to them genuinely or because they wanted to see if this ARC reviewer was right or full of it (spoiler alert, I do agree with the critisims of Pham's word choices and go into it in this blog post).

Negative reviews have their place. With ARCs, they can help your reviews feel legit. If every single ARC review rolling in is singing your praises, and specifically singing your praises about the same aspects of the book, that can make them come across as inauthentic or compulsory.

I've seen some authors request that ARC reviewers wait a week or two after the book's official release to share their review if it's on the lower end, asking that they instead make a simple post about it being available on the day of. I disagree with this approach because it feels like lying by omission. Not to mention that reviewers, including ARC readers, are entitled to share their opinions of an author's book regardless of the rating. Recently, A.K. Graves ended up in some controversy when her PA berated ARC readers in an email if they rated the book lower than three stars (more on that here). Needless to say, this did a lot of damage to Graves's reputation in the bookish community.

It also violates the terms and conditions on many ARC platforms, as covered in this post from Jessica S. Taylor.

Most sites prohibit authors and their teams from pressuring ARC reviewers to leave positive reviews. That includes strongly worded communications, as mentioned above in the A.K. Graves situation, or incentives (e.g., a discount code to your merch store or promising a free copy of the next book in the series in exchange for a five-star rating).

Speaking of, ARC readers are not paid reviewers and receive no compensation beyond an early copy of the book. Remember, it's a privilege to be invited to read a book early, whether that's as an official ARC reviewer or as a friend of the writer.

When all is said and done, all an ARC review needs to be is genuine and turned in in a reasonable timeframe. Because, let's face it, what help is a dishonest review going to be for your readers?