Navigating the ARC Site Frontier: Part One

The ARC Site Odyssey

My self-publishing journey now ventures into uncharted territory: the world of Advance Reader Copy (ARC) sites. In this three-part series, I will navigate this terrifying new landscape:

Part One - The ARC Site Odyssey

This installment covers my initial research on ARC sites and my experience submitting my dystopian, post-apocalyptic novel, "THE END OF THE WORLD," to these sometimes complicated platforms.

Part Two - Unpacking ARC Site Promotions

I'll delve into the details of various ARC site promotional packages. (ETA: January 2024)

Part Three - The ARC Site Verdict
As a debut sci-fi author, I'll assess whether investing time and money in ARC sites proved worthwhile. (ETA: March 2024, post-book launch)

Understanding ARCs and ARC Sites

Advanced Reader Copies (ARCs) are pre-release copies of books distributed to reviewers, bloggers, librarians, and other book enthusiasts before the official publication date. ARCs serve the crucial purpose of garnering early buzz and collecting honest reviews, benefiting authors, publishers, and self-published writers alike. ARC sites play a pivotal role in facilitating the distribution of these ARCs to a broad audience for review.

Key Functions of ARC Sites

Here's an overview of what you can typically expect from an ARC site:

1. Distribution of Advance Reader Copies: ARC sites serve as a bridge between authors, publishers, or self-published authors and potential readers who are willing to read and review books in their pre-release form. These books can be provided in various formats, such as ebooks or print copies.

2. Reviewers and Readers: ARC sites attract a community of reviewers and readers who are passionate about books. These individuals are eager to read and provide feedback on upcoming releases, contributing to the book's promotion.

3. Review Requests: Authors or publishers list their books on ARC sites and invite reviewers to request copies for review. Reviewers can express interest in specific titles and request to read them.

4. Reader Engagement: Some ARC sites offer tools and features for authors and publishers to engage with readers, answer questions, and cultivate a sense of community around their books.

5. Review Tracking: Many ARC sites provide features for tracking the progress of reviews, ensuring that reviewers fulfill their commitments within a reasonable timeframe.

6. Targeted Distribution: Some ARC sites enable authors and publishers to target specific genres, demographics, or reader interests, ensuring that their books reach the most relevant reviewers.

7. Curation: Certain ARC sites curate their reviewer communities, ensuring that reviewers have a history of providing thoughtful and honest reviews.

8. Costs: ARC sites may have various pricing models. Some charge authors or publishers fees to list their books, while others offer free or subscription-based services.

9. Promotion: Participation on ARC sites can help generate early publicity for a book, building anticipation among potential readers and aiding in marketing efforts.

10. Reviews and Feedback: Authors and publishers receive valuable feedback on their books from ARC reviewers. This feedback can be used to make improvements before the official release and may also be incorporated into marketing materials.

My ARC Site Journey

My journey began with a goal: to launch "THE END OF THE WORLD" on November 1st as an ARC, allowing ample time for readers to complete their reviews. In mid-October, I started signing up for various ARC sites recommended by self-publishing communities on different forums. Here's the list of ARC sites currently under review:

1. NetGalley - https://www.netgalley.com/

2. Booksirens - https://booksirens.com/

3. Reedsy Discovery - https://reedsy.com/discovery

4. Booksprout - https://booksprout.co/

5. Voracious Readers Only - https://voraciousreadersonly.com/

6. HiddenGems - https://www.hiddengemsbooks.com/

ARC Site Comparison: Navigating the Landscape

As I immersed myself in the world of ARC sites, I recognized the value of sharing my experiences in a format that's both informative and user-friendly. Thus, was born the ARC Site Comparison table!

This side-by-side analysis of the sites offers a detailed overview, highlighting key features and considerations. Whether you're a seasoned author or just starting your publishing journey, I’m hoping this comparison will be a valuable tool in helping you choose the ideal ARC site for your publishing needs.

Lessons Learned and Tips

Through this process, I've gained valuable insights:

• Setting up profiles and testing my ePub/PDF files ahead of uploading was more time-consuming than I anticipated. It took approximately two weeks to get everything in place, with NetGalley being the most time-consuming and complex among the sites.

• I recommend adding a cover directly to your ePub/PDF files. The ARC sites do not add the cover file to the ARCs you upload. This caught me by surprise because I was accustomed to uploading ePub and PDF files minus the covers to distributors like Amazon (they add the cover from a separate file). This meant I had to return to my formatting software, Atticus, to create new versions with covers.

• Consider adding a watermark or altering the words on your title page to identify the copy as an ARC and specify the site of upload. This helps track the source of pirated copies if you encounter any.

• Signing up for six ARC sites was an experiment and an excuse to blog. I wouldn’t do it again for my second book. In the future, I’d prefer to focus on the one or two that worked best for promoting my particular flavor of fiction.

In future installments of this series, I'll delve deeper into my experiences and the outcomes of this ARC site experiment. Stay tuned to learn whether the investment in time and resources pays off.

AI art generated by Midjourney