Dear Aspiring ARC Reader-
Welcome to an exciting endeavor! As an author, I have some simple suggestions for success. My colleagues and I are being inundated with ARC requests for physical books and even PR Boxes. We would love to provide such items to each ARC reader, but we can’t afford it. We’re mostly people, just like you, who have a full-time job, a family to support, and less than five figures in our bank accounts.
When we provide a physical copy, it isn’t free, for us. We have to purchase our own books from the printer, we have to pay shipping to get them. To send it to an ARC reader, we have to print a note/ instruction page, pay for packaging to mail it, and pay the shipping. Postage is expensive! If you’re lucky the postal employee will only charge a media mail rate, but only in the continental US, this is usually below $4. My book, which is only 287 pages, costs me almost $8 to purchase with my author discount, plus $3 shipping. The padded mailers to send it cost about $1 each. Every time I send one paperback to an ARC reader, it costs me a minimum of $16 +/-. If they live outside the US, it’s as much as $75 in shipping. I promised a woman in the middle east a paperback, she was so excited and said nobody ever sends her books because of where she lives. It cost me $47 in shipping. She actually posted a review, while ARC readers in my own country who got a paperback from me, didn’t.
I'll break it down for you, I sent out 150+ ARC copies, 10 were paperbacks. I received a total of 22 reviews from my ARC campaign, only ONE from a paperback reviewer. I spent well over $150, if you add in gas and my time, probably closer to $300. It cost me roughly $14 per review, in this example. I had several reviewers who happily accepted the free ebook I sent them and kindly followed my instructions, and posted their review in the requested timeframe. I held a raffle for them because I appreciated their efforts so much. The winner got $50 in gift cards, signed paperbacks, and swag. Another $100 added to my expenses, bringing my per review cost to about $18 each. But I would do that all day! Great ARC readers follow instructions, post the review, and don’t ask for things the author hasn’t offered.
There’s a list of things that Amazon is blocking from reviews. They delete reviews at random, sometimes they won’t post them at all. ARC readers and authors need to pivot to get them to post the reviews from verified purchases, if the reviewer received a free ARC copy, Amazon will likely block the review. Now they’re blocking reviews with emojis in them. Here’s my unofficial list of instructions for ARC reviewers:
1. Please don’t ask for paperback copies or PR Boxes unless it’s offered, we know it looks cool on Booktok, but it’s too costly for indie authors.
2. Please don’t sign up for an ARC when you already have six. Be realistic, can you read and review within the timeframe requested?
3. Please follow all author instructions. If they ask you not to post any spoilers, DON’T post spoilers.
4. Authors want an honest review. They want a review that explains what you liked or disliked in their book. However, there’s never any reason to trash the author or their book. If you didn’t like it, that’s fine, it wasn’t for you. But there's no reason to tear apart their writing skills or the author, personally. If you didn’t enjoy their writing style, say that. If you thought there were too many grammar errors, say that. If you thought the characters were unrealistic, say that. *Please note, it’s preferred ARC etiquette to not post a review that says there're grammar errors. General practice is to reach out directly to the author so they can fix the problems.
5. It’s said that if a new release gets reviewed at three stars or below in the first three weeks, it will get buried in the algorithms never to be seen again. Because of this, authors often request reviews below four stars wait until a specific date before they’re posted. Please follow all author requests.
6. Please don’t charge a fee for reviews. This is unethical. An ARC review is a free copy of a book in exchange for an honest review. This is a time-honored tradition, historically a publisher would mail out early copies to journalists to have them read and review the book, creating a buzz, before the book is released. In modern times many authors are self-published, and anyone has access to a platform on social media, the traditional practice has evolved into indie authors asking for ARC readers/reviewers themselves.
7. ARC reviewers who follow author instructions often get asked to join the author's Street Team. These are people who read the book, loved it, and happily recommend it whenever possible. They are willing to help with future ARC campaigns, Beta reading, and telling everyone on all of their social media about upcoming releases, cover reveals, and give-aways for their author. They are also more likely to receive gifts from the author. I rewarded my Beta readers with gift cards and swag. Being a good ARC reviewer has its rewards!
8. When posting your review, quote the book without spoilers. Just a favorite line is perfect. Summarize what you loved about a character(s) and talk about how the story made you feel. Were you on the edge of your seat? Cringing when the character embarrassed themselves? Thrilled when the main characters finally kiss? Talk about what moved you, those are the best reviews. Never leave only stars without any words, even if it’s not an ARC!
9. If you need to DNF a book, that’s okay. Be honest with the author, in private. If a book isn’t your taste, at all, why trash it and the author's algorithm? If the trigger warnings aren’t sufficient, tell the author! Don’t trash the review. An author won’t be mad at you for telling them about issues with their book, but if you trash them on a review because of a mistake, that’s not really fair, is it? Although I’m talking about ARC reviews here, these tips can apply to any review.
10. A review is there for future readers of the book. However, it directly affects an author's ability to make sales, therefore income. There’s never a reason to be unkind or write spoilers in a review. Please carefully consider what you write in a review. If it’s for an ARC, FOLLOW the author's instructions, period. Contact them if you have an issue or question, they’re just people like you and they’ll want to know what you have an issue within their work. Often an author can fix problems before the release if they know they exist.
I’ve covered a large amount of info on one topic, I hope it’s helpful whether you’re an author, reader, or both. Expectations and communication are important for any ARC campaign, actually for any venture between two parties.
Here’s a link for my upcoming virtual book signing event:
https://facebook.com/events/s/readers-break-the-internet-onl/797504215772748/
Here’s a link to my website, you can subscribe for updates:
https://www.enchantingauthor.com
As always, thank you for reading. Have a Happy Mother's Day and a lovely weekend!