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An advance copy—also known as an ARC (advance reading copy or advance review copy), ARE (advance reader's edition), reader's edition, or galley—is a free copy of a new
book A book is a structured presentation of recorded information, primarily verbal and graphical, through a medium. Originally physical, electronic books and audiobooks are now existent. Physical books are objects that contain printed material, ...
given out by a publisher before the book is widely available. ARCs are intended to generate reviews and publicity for the book in advance of its official publication date.


Overview

Historically, publishers relied on traveling sales representatives to promote books by providing them with copies to showcase to potential buyers. By the 20th century, the practice evolved, and publishers began sending ARCs directly to reviewers and booksellers. ARCs are distinct from proof copies, which are intended for authors,
editors Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, organization, a ...
, and proofreaders. They may lack binding and
cover art Cover art is a type of artwork presented as an illustration or photograph on the outside of a published product, such as a book (often on a dust jacket), magazine, newspaper ( tabloid), comic book, video game ( box art), music album ( album ar ...
, and may be in a different format from the book's final version. The content of an ARC can also differ from the book's final content: it may have typos and other mistakes, and the manuscript may change in response to reader feedback. As a result, publishers often discourage reviewers from quoting directly from the ARC. An ARC can also be distributed in electronic format, in which case it is called an eARC (electronic ARC), e-galley, or DRC (digital review copy). Websites such as NetGalley and Edelweiss provide eARCs that can be downloaded to mobile devices and
e-readers An e-reader, also called an e reader or e device, is a Mobile computing, mobile electronic device that is designed primarily for the purpose of reading digital e-books and Periodical literature, periodicals. Any device that can display text on ...
such as the Kindle and Nook. These websites prompt users to leave a review on
Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology company * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek myth ...
and
Goodreads Goodreads is an American social cataloging website and a subsidiary of Amazon that allows individuals to search its database of books, annotations, quotes, and reviews. Users can sign up and register books to generate library catalogs and readi ...
after they finish reading. In the case of the highly anticipated memoir ''Spare'' by
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, (Henry Charles Albert David; born 15 September 1984) is a member of the British royal family. As the younger son of King Charles III and Diana, Princess of Wales, he is fifth in the line of succession to t ...
, publisher
Random House Random House is an imprint and publishing group of Penguin Random House. Founded in 1927 by businessmen Bennett Cerf and Donald Klopfer as an imprint of Modern Library, it quickly overtook Modern Library as the parent imprint. Over the foll ...
declined to offer electronic ARCs to make the book's contents more difficult to copy. According to
Federal Trade Commission The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is an independent agency of the United States government whose principal mission is the enforcement of civil (non-criminal) United States antitrust law, antitrust law and the promotion of consumer protection. It ...
guidelines, book reviewers in the United States generally do not have to disclose that they received an ARC when writing a review, since these copies are given out for free. However, some online reviewers on platforms like Goodreads choose to disclose this information, mainly for reasons of transparency.


Role in marketing

ARCs are commonly sent to trade review publications such as ''
Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...
'', ''
Library Journal ''Library Journal'' is an American trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey. It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional prac ...
'', ''
Booklist ''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is ...
'', and ''Kirkus Reviews''. These publications produce reviews of upcoming books several months before their release date, helping libraries and bookstores make their purchases. Publishers typically send ARCs to these publications between four and six months before the book's expected release. Publishers also send ARCs to media outlets (such as ''The New York Times'', ''The New Yorker'', and literary magazines) early enough so that a review can appear close to the book's release date. ARCs sent to these publications often include a letter and additional materials, such as a press release or an author biography, to convince recipients that the book is worthy of review. They may also include a review slip with the author's or publisher's contact information. ARCs are distributed through other channels as well; for example, they may be given away at
American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world. History 19th century ...
conferences and other meetings of professional associations. In recent years, publishers have evolved their ARC marketing strategy, distributing ARCs of highly anticipated releases to celebrities and book influencers on platforms such as
TikTok TikTok, known in mainland China and Hong Kong as Douyin (), is a social media and Short-form content, short-form online video platform owned by Chinese Internet company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which may range in duration f ...
and
Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...
.
Sarah Jessica Parker Sarah Jessica Parker (born March 25, 1965) is an American actress and television producer. In a career spanning over five decades, she has performed across several productions of both Sarah Jessica Parker filmography, screen and stage. List o ...
was photographed with an ARC of ''Intermezzo'' by
Sally Rooney Sally Rooney (born 20 February 1991) is an Irish author and screenwriter. She has published four novels: ''Conversations with Friends'' (2017), ''Normal People'' (2018), ''Beautiful World, Where Are You'' (2021), and ''Intermezzo (novel), Interm ...
in summer 2024, ahead of the book's release date in September. The term "galley brag" has been coined to describe readers showing off their ARCs as a
status symbol A status symbol is a visible, external symbol of one's social position, an indicator of Wealth, economic or social status. Many luxury goods are often considered status symbols. ''Status symbol'' is also a Sociology, sociological term – as part ...
on social media. The publisher may label popular ARCs with a unique name and number for each recipient, creating a sense of exclusivity. Beyond traditional publishing, ARCs are also used in
self-publishing Self-publishing is an author-driven publication of any media without the involvement of a third-party publisher. Since the advent of the internet, self-published usually depends upon digital platforms and print-on-demand technology, ranging fro ...
, in which case the author is responsible for finding reviewers and distributing copies.


Collecting and sale

ARCs are often of interest to book collectors, who consider them to be distinct from a book's
first edition The bibliographical definition of an edition is all copies of a book printed from substantially the same setting of type, including all minor typographical variants. First edition According to the definition of ''edition'' above, a book pr ...
. Collecting ARCs is especially popular among readers of genres such as
fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures. The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...
,
science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...
, and
young adult literature Young adult literature (YA) is typically written for readers aged 12 to 18 and includes most of the themes found in adult fiction, such as family dysfunction, substance abuse, alcoholism, and sexuality. It is characterized by simpler world build ...
with "niche but passionate fan bases". Early 20th-century ARCs were rare, and were typically made from higher-quality materials. These older ARCs may include handwritten corrections and can provide insight into the author's writing and revision process. ARCs of classic works such as ''Cannery Row'' and ''The Old Man and the Sea'' have been listed for tens of thousands of dollars. The sale of ARCs by readers and bookstores is controversial, since they are marked as "not for sale" by the publisher and the author does not earn a profit. According to Katie Moench of ''Book Riot'', ethical questions around selling ARCs include whether the sale is before or after publication, as well as the amount of profit made by the seller. Amazon only allows for selling ARCs of books that are
out of print An out-of-print (OOP) or out-of-commerce item or work is something that is no longer being published. The term applies to all types of printed matter, visual media, sound recordings, and video recordings. An out-of-print book is a book that is ...
, although this is difficult to enforce in practice. Conversely,
eBay eBay Inc. ( , often stylized as ebay) is an American multinational e-commerce company based in San Jose, California, that allows users to buy or view items via retail sales through online marketplaces and websites in 190 markets worldwide. ...
is much more permissive with ARC sales, with some fetching hundreds of dollars for the seller.


See also

*
BookTok BookTok is a subcommunity on the social media platform TikTok that focuses on books and literature. This book club emerged in late 2019 as TikTok was becoming more popular. Members of this subcommunity, known as the BookTokers, make videos review ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Advance Copy Books by type Book terminology