How to get Advance Review Copies
Do you have #bookmail envy? When I first started my bookstagram, I saw all these people posting stacks of Advance Review Copies (ARC’s) from publishers, and I was like, how? At this point, I was buying all my books! But I began to research, and I learned some tips and tricks to get my own stacks of free.
Netgalley
Netgalley is the easiest way to start getting free, advance copies of books. You can create an account and start requesting books from publishers. They are all e-books, but it’s so easy to use! Maybe even too easy, so make sure you don’t request too many right away. NetGalley gives you a score based on how many books you’ve been given and how many you’ve reviewed, and publishers use this to decide whether or not to approve your requests.
I got denied a lot at first, but some publishers will take a chance on you. The more you read and review, the more likely you are to get approved! Also, look at the Read Now books. These don’t require approval and are a great way to build up your score.
LibraryThing
LibraryThing gives away paper ARC’s every month. I’ve found having an active account on LibraryThing and posting my reviews there helps me get selected for free books.
Goodreads
Winning a Goodreads giveaway is like the holy grail! They get so many requests that you won’t win most contests you enter. I check it weekly, and I still only win a few a year. But it gets bonus points for being easy to enter and not being based on your activity on the site.
Requesting books from publishers
The absolute best way to get ARCs is to build a relationship with publishers. However, this requires a platform. They want to see that you’re posting about the books and helping them build excitement ahead of the release. I built my platform on Instagram, but you could have a blog, TikTok, or something else.
The important thing is having a decent amount of followers. I found that getting 3,000 followers was the magic number where I started to get multiple publishers saying yes.
How do you find publishers?
Look at the spines of your favorite recently published books, then check out those publishers’ websites. Then check for catalogs or upcoming releases. You’ll want to request a book that is three months or more away form the publication date. Once you’ve found a book you’d like to request, return to the publisher’s website and look for the publicity email. Write up a professional email listing your platforms, follower counts and the reason why you are passionate about that particular book.
Don’t be scared to reach out! The worst thing that can happen is you won’t get a response. And that’s not that bad!