Ever wondered how people managed to obtain books to review before they were officially published? While there’s never a guarantee you’ll receive an ARC, I’m going to teach you the three main ways I, personally, request Advanced Reader Copies.
Option 1 – Netgalley: Netgalley advertises itself as a site that helps “book advocates and industry professionals discover and recommend books to their audiences. If you are a bookseller, book trade professional, educator, librarian, reviewer, journalist or in the media, NetGalley is for you!” In other words, Netgalley is the perfect vehicle to request ARCs. The first thing you’ll need to do is create your account! Creating an account on Netgalley is relatively easy, but be sure to link any and all social media handles or sites where you will review reading material. Some ideas / options could be: Instagram, Tiktok, Storygraph, Goodreads, your blog, etc. You also want to make sure that any ARCs you get from Netgalley are prioritized. Why? Because Netgalley utilizes a feedback ratio, and the more books you receive and review, the better this percentage. For that reason, I believe it’s important that you only request ARCs in this fashion if you actually plan to read and review the book. If you’re more of a mood reader, this may be a lot of pressure – so keep that in mind!
Bonus Tip: Netgalley largely provides books electronically. These can often be sent to your reading devices such as kindles.
Option 2 – Street Teams / ARC Teams: ARC teams and street teams are another way of applying for or requesting review copies. Although I largely see this with authors, some publishers will also use call outs on social media to solicit reviewers. These applications can feel daunting but are a great way to get on their radar and possibly get sent books in advance. A good idea for any and all applications are to highlight your social media platforms, the books or genres you have a particular interest in, and anything that showcases your energy and interest in reviewing.
Bonus Tip: A great way to keep on top of reviewer applications is to make sure and follow any favorite authors and publishers on their primary social media platforms.
Option 3 – Emailing Publishers Directly: While this may feel like the most intimidating of the three, this is the one I lean on most. First thing’s first, you want to do due diligence and find the appropriate email! Not all emails route to the same place, and emailing the wrong address could see your email going unanswered – ARC dreams dashed. When searching for emails, you will want to search for the imprint’s media or pr address. Typically, these can be found on the publisher’s contact page. If the publisher is an imprint of a larger publishing house, that publishing house will often provide a list of these contacts on their contact page.
Don’t have a clue what to write? Mine will often start something like this:
Subject Line: Arc Request: Title – Author
Hello! My name is [name] and I currently review books on [platform] and [platform]. I’m reaching out to express interest in receiving an arc copy of [title] by [author]
From there, you will want to explain why you are requesting that book and what benefit you provide upon receiving it. Will you review it to Goodreads? Your Blog? Instagram? Tiktok? Will you take photos of it for your feed or your story? Remember that a side of ARCs is the marketing side, and so letting them know exactly how you plan to share the book is helpful. But don’t forget to explain what interested you about the book in the first place. Maybe it was the genre or the characters. You don’t have to get too detailed, but a why for your request never hurts, either!
And there you have it! The three ways that I request Advanced Reader Copies. Have you ever used one of these? How did it go? Share with me all your success and happy reviewing in the future!
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