Joining an ARC Team

ARC stands for Advance Review Copy. It’s an early copy of a book shared before release, so readers can help launch it into the world. If you love reading books before they’re published, reviewing fairly, and cheering for authors, ARC teams are a perfect fit for you.

Here’s what an ARC team member should do:

1. Read the book by the deadline
ARC books come with a time window. The biggest help you can give is finishing by the date of the deadline so you can post your review on time. A new book needs as many reviews as possible on the week it is released. Many authors ask for reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, BookBub, StoryGraph, or all four.

Because all the books I write are available on Kindle Unlimited, I personally ask for a review only on Amazon.

2. Leave an honest review
The key word is honest. Authors want real feedback, not forced praise. If the book wasn’t your vibe, a respectful review still helps.

3. Follow review platform rules
Each platform has guidelines. To write a review on Amazon, you must have an Amazon log in and have purchased at least $50 in merchandise from Amazon in the last twelve months. Amazon also scans your review to see if it seems genuine. For the sake of other readers, it’s best not to spoil the story by retelling it, but to satisfy Amazon, you could refer to the main characters’ names and mention an incident in the book that you particularly liked.

When you write your review, end it with a sentence like this: “I received a free advance reader copy, and I am leaving an unbiased review.”

4. Optional but appreciated: spread the word
Although it’s never required, it can really help an author if you spread the word about the book. Think: a quick Instagram story, a TikTok reaction, a Facebook post, or sharing the preorder link. Even a screenshot of your “currently reading” helps.

5. Communicate if life happens
If you can’t start or finish the book, tell the author. Ghosting is the only thing that really hurts, because the author is counting on a certain number of early reviews.

Here’s what an ARC team member should not do:

An Advance Reader Copy is for you only. Don’t forward the ebook or upload it anywhere. Authors can lose sales and get copyright headaches when files leak.