So you were fortunate enough to have pleased the almighty publishers and they granted you an ARC….YES! But your job isn’t done yet. This week, we’re going to talk about some of the after parts of requesting ARCs.
1. Read it. I feel like this is a no-brainer but you obviously asked for this book intending to read it. So read it. However it is you read things, have fun. Get your candles burning, grab your bookmark, and your fluffy blanket and tuck in!
2. Make some notes! I personally like to use Post-It tabbies to mark good lines or plot points or characters. Some people use a notebook and write things out. Do you fam.
3. Talk about it online! I have an Instagram account that is solely dedicated to books. I’ve seen some that have Twitter or Facebook or whatever to talk book stuff…whatever it is, talk about the book there. Your page could be the deciding factor between someone checking out a book once it’s released, the difference between it hitting THE LIST or not.
4. Give a thoughtful review. Thoughtful meaning more than “I liked it” or “It sucked.” Put some time into this review. If you were on the fence about reading this book, what are some things you’d want to know, without spoiling the story? Is there some trigger subject matter (maybe not for you, but for others)? Is the story paced well, meaning do things flow? Are there serious grammatical issues? Is there a made up language that the reader has to get used to before cracking it open? It doesn’t need to be long but give a good review.
4.5 Quick note: MAKE SURE YOU MENTION THAT YOU RECEIVED AN EARLY COPY FROM THE PUBLISHER IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW. This is, at its roots, a business transaction. Selling/buying ARCs is illegal. Simply disclosing that you got the book for free to review covers your back and the publisher’s too. You can say it before your review, or after it’s all done. Just make sure you say it.
5. Say thank you! In addition to actually reading the book you’ve been gifted, thank your publisher/publicist/whomever it was that sent you the book. Say thank you. I tend to do an unboxing (or open the package) on my Instagram story and tag the publisher, the imprint, and the author saying thank you. Again, boosting views of the book. If you had previously emailed the publisher and they emailed you back, send them a thank you via email! If they sent the book in the mail, you can send a little thank you note via post.
None of these (EXCEPT # 4.5) are hard and fast rules. These are just my personal practices. I’ve been doing this sort of pattern since I first started reviewing on Netgalley, and it’s easier to start a good habit than to pick one up halfway through. If you have any questions about these last three weeks, or something else you want me to discuss, leave me a comment or send an email to meee!
Stacia Loves To Read 