ARCs! What Are ARCs? Where Do They Come From? How Do I Get Them?

-




















I finally sat down to discuss the elephant in the bookshop: ARCs. 

ARCs. What are ARCs? ARCs (sometimes called galleys) are Advanced Reading Copies of books that are given to reviewers, bloggers, booksellers, librarians, etc.- people who work in the industry- so that they can provide early reviews, garner buzz for titles, decide whether or not to carry a title (that’s specific to booksellers), and figure out who to recommend a specific book to, among many other things. 

This explanation is quite long, so bear with me. 

So where do we- where do I- get ARCs? The answer is always the same: through the publisher in some capacity. 

The only exceptions to this are if the author personally sends you an ARC for some reason, one of which is that you may have one a giveaway. The other exception is if you purchase an ARC on ebay. And selling ARCs is ILLEGAL, so don’t do it. 

Anyways, whether we get ARCs through a publicist, a rep, or even an editor, those are all people associated with the editor. In my case, my blogging and bookstagram is something I do on the side for fun, but I am a bookseller. In fact, were I not a bookseller, I would get very few ARCs, because my following is not very big. And as a blogger, booktuber, or bookstagramer, getting ARCs is dependent on how big your following is. But me, I work at a bookstore. Bookstores, particularly indie bookstores, have reps from publishing companies that are assigned to work with them and do many things, particularly help them (us) decide what to carry, because we just can’t carry every single book from every single publisher. We’re not Amazon. And we pride ourselves on the fact that we’re not Amazon and that we aren’t taking over the world through corruption and greed but are instead changing the world by supporting the power of storytelling.

But even the most popular bloggers or booktubers will likely not get an ARC of the new Leigh Bardugo, Cassandra Clare, or Sarah J. Maas book. Why? Because ARCs are not unlimited. They cost money to make, and money is not made off of ARCs, because, again, ARCs ARE NOT FOR SALE. And, in my experience, publishers ensure that booksellers and librarians get them first. The truth of the matter is, ARCs are not for consumers - the readers that eagerly await the next book from their favorite author. So, if you are a passionate reader who isn't involved in the publishing industry in some way, emailing the publisher and saying your are the biggest SJM fan ever isn't going to get you one.

The purpose of ARCs is to create buzz. Those books that are on the New York Times and EW’s most anticipated of 2020 and most anticipated for _____ month? Those are created based on early reviews that come from reading ARCs. And because they are made available to garner buzz, they are not always made for every title. And sometimes, a very limited number are created. Why? Because Leigh Bardugo and Sarah J. Maas don’t need the buzz from ARCs that debut authors need, specifically for sequels in successful, ongoing series. The publisher knows you’re going to buy their next book no matter what. You don’t need a reviewer, a bookseller- anyone, for that matter- telling you that their next book is good or bad because you’re going to buy it anyways. Also note that ARCs are not unlimited. A certain number of them are printed, and generally, there are not second and third printings of ARCs. 

Asking someone who posts about an ARC on Instagram or Twitter is a valid question. The publishing industry and ARCs are confusing. But there answer is that they got their ARC through the publisher. Or at a conference where ARCs are provided (by the publisher). Or through a colleague/friend/acquaintance who passes it on when they are finished or because they are not interested, because, a lot of the time, they/we’ll get sent ARCs unsolicited. 

If you are not involved in the publishing/book industry, fear not! There are many giveaways for ARCs that are geared toward eager, supportive readers just like you! There are also events, such as BookCon, YALLWEST, etc. that hand out ARCs to readers. 

I hope I did a decent job of addressing what ARCs are, how we get them, and their uses!

XOXO,

Isabella 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

People Kill People by Ellen Hopkins: The Book I Am Most Conflicted About

-
Image
TW:  child abuse, racism, domestic violence, sexual assault... I'm probably not even remembering all the trigger warnings because there are so many of them. Just know that this is not a book for the faint of heart.   Oh boy. I don't know what to say about this one. Actually, I do, I just don't know how to articulate it in writing. So. This book follows 6 teens in Tuscon, Arizona. It is told through a mix of verse and prose, though mainly prose. We are told at the beginning of the book that one of the characters, and all of them have motive to do so, acquires as gun. And one of them shoots and someone dies. The 6 teens are very different: we have 2 teen parents; 2 white nationalists; a disabled, fat, LGBTQ character; and a latino character. An interesting this about this book is that it is told from the perspective of Violence, somewhat similar to how The Book Thief is narrated by Death. At times I even forgot that the book was from a character perspective becau...
Read more

A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult: The Most Timely Book

-
Image
Wow. There could not be a more timely time to read this book than now. A Spark of Light is definitely one of my favorite books of the year- I couldn't tell you if this book or The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is my favorite book of the year. This book is centered around the abortion debate in America, and it follows a large cast of characters with conflicting view points on the issue. Essentially, the novel takes place in Mississippi at a women's health clinic. A man walks into the clinic and opens fire, taking hostages. A man named Hugh, a police hostage negotiator, is called to the scene, wherein he receives a message from his teenage daughter, Wren, saying that she is inside the clinic. Wren is not alone, and she and Hugh are not the only perspectives we hear from in this novel: a nurse who takes charge to save a wounded woman, a woman who has come to the clinic to have her pregnancy terminated, a pro-life protester disguised as a patient, the doctor who performs a...
Read more

Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi

-
Image
First, I just want to say that this cover is GORGEOUS. I'm not going to lie about the fact that I may have bought the book itself solely because of the cover. But the book itself is amazing, and I highly recommend it! We follow our two main characters, Penny and Sam. Penny is a college freshman who hoped to become a writer, and Sam is a struggling aspiring filmmaker. The two have a somewhat awkward first encounter, but exchange numbers nonetheless. The keep in constant contact through text without the awkwardness of actually having to see each other. Like I said, I really, really liked this book. It deals with a variety of tough subjects, and I really appreciated the authentic realness of the novel. The pop culture references were really fun, and I thoroughly enjoyed the parts of the story where Penny is crafting her own novel, and the excerpts that are included. I'll link an article about Mary H.K. Choi and Emergency Contact here , as I think it's really worth ...
Read more