Hi! Welcome to todays blog where I give you all of the information I know of on how to get into getting approved for book arc’s (advanced reader copies, more polished versions of the book with limited errors or changes to the final) or Galleys (rougher drafts, more so used internally for early edits, but sometimes we get these too!) for authors! This is a long post, I know, but I felt like putting it into one post made more sense than making you click through 5 different ones. I know, it’s not the best “marketing” strategy, but I wouldn’t read 5 different pages, so I just wanted it all in one spot for one bookmark. A one stop shop if you will.
How to get started with arc reading
First up, you need to be prepared to write reviews. I will go into more details below on what makes a good review, where you can post your reviews, and how to find them to start with, but reviewing books is a main aspect to getting arcs or galleys.
Here is the rundown of what you need to know.
I recommend a few things to get started, just based off of my experience as a “bookish” content creator (I am not strictly bookish, I combine my crafts and real life within my socials. I don’t have a bazillion followers, but I do work with dozens of companies and authors. I do social media marketing and community management as my day job, my Instagram is meant for my brain to play and I plan to keep it that way.)
So the first thing I recommend is to figure out where you want to review your arcs. Do you want to go the Instagram route? Pinterest/Website? YouTube? TikTok? GoodReads? Facebook? Twitter? Amazon? There are plenty of spaces to go, you just have to pick one, or 3 😉.
Next, you need content. You need to show publishers and authors your style, how your community engages, how you engage with the community, and what your reviews look like. You don’t need to have a perfectly “aesthetic and trending” style. Be yourself, hop onto Canva and work with a few templates or search Pinterest for ideas, make them your own with your own photos (a camera phone works just fine), a few edits to brighten them up or filter them to your style, and get those posted. Popular books, indie books, it really doesn’t matter. Just make sure they are books you are into, and not just books you have on your shelf that look cool. If you promote you’re into horror, and then get offered horror books, but your main is rom-coms, that might get confusing and result in denials.
What if you don’t have any books? You’ve got a few options. First, just use the book covers you can save from Goodreads or Google, and put those over a collage graphic from Canva and BAM, a post. OR you can use your phone to open the cover on, or overlay the cover onto your ipad, really there are no limits with what you can do with a book cover image and a slightly blurry background.
And if the “flat lays” aren’t your vibe, here are a few spaces you can get books for free, even if all you have is your smartphone. (Side note: is it still “smartphone” or is that just me being old? I know that “old people phones” still exist, but I feel silly calling it a “smartphone”… Camera phone? A PHONE THAT HAS A CAMERA? I don’t know, I think I am overthinking this.)
- Libraries
- Obviously you can just head over to your local library and snag a few books right there. A lot of libraries tend to have “new releases” and “popular titles” up front, but just ask the librarian if you’re looking for something specific and they can let you know! (this is also a great time to take a few pictures and use them as a post on your socials!)
- You can also download an app called Libby and hook up your (free) library card to it to access books directly from your phone.
- Little Free Libraries
- Check your local area for “Little Free Libraries”! They are great spots to bring your arcs you’re finished reading that might not have been your cup of tea, and you can grab one or two on your way through! (another social media idea!)
- Used Book Stores
- This is one of my favorite ways to get new (to me) books! My favorite one here in Seattle, Mercer Street Books, is a gem and I adore walking into that space. It’s bright, friendly, and perfect for a quick browse in my favorite spots (crafting, rom-coms, queer studies, and fantasy) and I always take a video or two when I walk through there. PLUS they have a “dollar shelf” outside where you can snag books for $1! Not too bad of a way to find a new adventure is it?
- Friends & Family
- Have a reader in your friend group or family? Ask them to borrow a book they would recommend to anyone, and go on another adventure. Maybe your uncle really was into WWII, or your friends friend recommended them a shifter romance and now they can’t stop talking about it. It might not be your jam, but you’ll never know until you try and I recommend always trying. You can always stop reading, but if you don’t take the first step in cracking that book open, you may miss out on your most favorite adventure yet!
- Amazon Prime/Kindle Unlimited
- Okay yes, this isn’t technically free, but if you already have Amazon Prime you are a part of the Amazon First program, which gets you 1 or 2 free books every month. It varies in genera’s, but there are normally 6-9 books to pick from and hey, free is free(ish).
- Kindle Unlimited is another option if you are on the Amazon network and want to pay an extra $11.99/month, you gain access to thousands of books, and for every page turn the author makes money!
There are a ton of other spaces for books, but these are the ones I started with and think help the most in the beginning.
But where do you find the good stuff, the arcs?
You can find arcs in a variety of places. There are tons of websites, reaching out to the publishers or author/authors team directly, and sometimes you may be offered a galley/arc in exchange for a review. There are also street teams and influencer programs you can (eventually) join once you get going.
NetGalley ARC program
This is the first place I recommend stopping by and creating an account with. Once you are in, the first thing you want to do is complete your profile. This is where publishers are able to see what kind of reviewer/reader you are, and if their books will be something you are truly interested in.
After you complete that, there are pages and pages of arcs you can request, but there are also books you can “read now” or “listen now” to which will help get your account going. With NetGalley you want to be aware of a few things. Every time you request a book, there is a chance you will be approved, so be sure to only request what you are wanting to read and will have time to review before the deadline. There is something called a “feedback ratio” and that keeps track of the percentage of “feedback to approved books and audiobooks (this includes Read Now, Listen Now, Invites, and Wishes Granted). Publishers and authors rely on your feedback and are more likely to approve members who provide meaningful feedback and recommendations about their books.”
I love NetGalley. I have an 82% on my feedback ratio rating at the moment, and wayyyy too many books in my backlog. Do not follow my lead, follow my advice, don’t go ham on requesting books. It will (more than likely) backfire.
BookSprout arc program
This is another arc platform, not quite as in depth as NetGalley in my opinion, but it’s a good spot to look too. I work with a company called PR Forward and they have most of their galleys go through there.
Anywhere else I can find arcs?
Here are a list of Publisher Influencer Programs. Not all are accepting applications at the moment, but keep an eye out on their socials (Instagram mostly) and sign up for their newsletters! (Any bolded are ones I currently work with or have worked with previously.)
- Astra Publishing House Influencers
- Atria Books Influencer Program
- Berkley Influencer Program
- Bloom Books Influencer Program
- Celadon Books Influencer Program
- Dell Romance Influencer Program
- Dreamscape Audiobook Influencers
- Entangled Publishing Influencer List
- Epic Reads Insiders
- Flatiron First Edition Newsletter
- Forever Reviewers
- Grand Central Publishing Ambassadors
- Greystone Books Influencer Program
- Grove Atlantic Influencer Program
- Harper Influencer Program
- HarperOne Shelf Seekers
- Harper Perennial Influencer Newsletter
- Henry Holt Influencer Program
- HTP The Hive Influencer Program
- Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group Influencer
- Libro.fm Audiobook Influencer Program
- Macmillan Reviewer Program
- Orbit Books Influencer Program
- Penguin Random House Influencers
- Penguin Random House Audiobook Program
- Penguin Teen Influencer Program
- Random House Influencers
- Riverhead Reader Program
- Saga Press Books Influencer Program
- Scribner Books Influencer Program
- Simon Books Buddy
- Simon Teen Influencer Program
- Sourcebooks Fire Influencers
- Sourcebooks Landmark Influencers
- St. Martin’s Press Early Readers Program
- Wattpad WEBTOON Influencer Program
- Zando/Slowburn
There are more, but this is the list I compiled between my active list of companies, and a few other lists I found from other blogs. I just organized them alphabetically and found the updated links. If you have any that you worked with, or even just heard of, reach out and I can get them added to the list!
Authors? Really?
YES! It never hurts to reach out, KINDLY, to an author about a book of theirs you would like to review. Write up an email or use their contact form on their website, I don’t recommend dm’s unless that is the only way they have open (new indie authors might not have a website yet.) In the email be sure to introduce yourself and your community, a few reasons as to why that book specifically fits into your space, and a polite request to review it in exchange for an early copy.
Example:
"Hi [author name], my name is Sam and I am a book reviewer and crafter from Seattle, Washington! I have been looking at your book [title] on your [social platform] and I really think this would be right up my communities path. The [trope] and [trope] have me foaming at the mouth. I was just wondering if there is any way I might be able to get an early copy of [title] in exchange for an honest review on my [where you post]. Thank you so much for the opportunity to read for you! Xx, Sam"
Just something short, sweet, and direct will be perfect, don’t over think it. DON’T USE THIS ONE DIRECTLY OR YOU WILL ALL SOUND THE SAME. Sometimes they will ignore you or won’t see it, sometimes they will direct you to their management team or their publisher, and other times they will respond back and give you a yes or no! Either way, shoot your shot, the worst they say is no, it’s not like they are going to take your books away from you. 🙂
I’ve reached out to some of my favorites, like Bailey Seaborn, Brittany Ann, and Brynne Weaver and now I am proud to say that I am friends with Bailey, and I am on all 3 of their review/street teams, AND I have worked with Zando/Slowburn for other authors now. I know it might not happen the first try, these authors were much further in my review time so I had built up a profile for myself, but it doesn’t hurt to at least ask what the process to join/review may look like.
What does a good review look like?
A good book review has a few parts to it, at least for me. I like to see the title, author, rating, the tropes, a quick synopsis of what you enjoyed, and if you recommend it who is the ideal audience. DO NOT tag authors in reviews that are less than 4 stars imo. I tend to be a little more particular about tagging authors, and I tend to just tag the publisher if possible, because I don’t want to upset the author if they happened to see it. I also don’t really rate anything less than a 5 star. I either devoured it and won’t stop talking about it, or I didn’t finish it. Life is too short to be spent on books I am not enjoying, it’s just not that serious.
And for the love of all things kind and good, DON’T USE AI TO WRITE YOUR REVIEW! Most publishers won’t accept them, NetGalley will hide them, and they are just all around a terrible way to work with the book world. AI is used, but highly frowned upon by most in the industry, so a rule I stand by is to just NOT use AI in any way. The whole point is that the authors, your community, and the publishers want to know what YOU think, not what a fake robot trained with stolen work thinks.
Anything else I should know?
This is YOUR adventure. You get to decide how “into it” you go. Want to create a business out of it? Work your ass off, which I know, isn’t helpful, but if you need help building a content plan or a marketing strategy or even just to brainstorm content ideas, that is literally my day job, so reach out. I offer free consultations and we can work out the rest if we match up!
But if you’re just wanting to help authors, or just do this for fun, do it for fun. Not saying that you can’t have fun if you go the business route, but if you’re just vibing, just vibe baby.
Either way, don’t stress, don’t worry, and don’t feel like if you don’t read 300 books by June 1st then you’re a failure. You’re reading at the pace that works for you, you’re enjoying the books you want to read, and you’re reviewing them when it makes sense. It’s not brain surgery, it’s not rocket science, it’s books, it’s not really that serious.
To be clear, the reviews ARE VERY important, they help the author beyond words, and they are a great way to learn something new, but if your kid is sick or your dog eats a shoe or you just don’t have the spoons that week, just stay in touch with the person running the campaign and you’re gonna be fine. I’ve missed review dates for many books due to illness/kids and it’s never been an instant removal from the program. Actually, I’ve never been removed from a program, that’s rad to think about! Just don’t ghost them, they are real humans too and have real lives and get it, just be straight forward and you’re gonna be alright.
Alright pals, that’s it for this one. If you want to check out what I’ve been reading you can always head over to my GoodReads and/or StoryGraph (both need an update but it is what it is), and add me there! If you have any questions, drop them below!
I hope your drink is always the right temperature!
Xx,
Sam
