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

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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 


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