The 10 Biggest ARC Reader Mistakes

As an indie author, I love early readers. These are the folks who get the word out about my book and champion it, often before the book has even released. They’re an integral part of the publishing journey!

Early readers receive an ARC, and that stands for Advanced Reader Copy or Advanced Review Copy. An ARC book meaning is basically that it’s a copy of a book that is given to a reader with the understanding they will leave an honest review. For readers, they receive the book for free, so it’s an appealing way to get to read books at no cost. For authors and publishers, it generates buzz, increases visibility, and gives feedback about the book.

Some people read ARCs on a casual basis; other readers are deep in the ARC ecosystem and always have an ARC to review on hand. Either way, even the most well-intentioned ARC readers can and do make mistakes. Here is what to look out for so you can be the kind of ARC reader authors and publishers simply love working with.

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Mistake #1 - Not Checking the Dates, Deadlines & Expectations

Every ARC is different, so make sure you know what you’re getting into before you put your hand up for an ARC. Some authors send out books 1 month before reviews are expected; others just 1-2 weeks. Some authors or publishers will request you to post to certain platforms. Some ARCs are delivered to you as an epub file through Bookfunnel, others (like ones from NetGalley) might not be Kindle-compatible. Always check all these details on the ARC reader application so you know in advance what you’re committing to.

Mistake #2 - Treating ARC Reading Like You’re a Beta Reader

Early readers encompass critique partners, beta readers, and ARC readers—but those roles aren’t interchangeable. Although ARC books may still undergo some small changes, the story itself is largely established and not going to change. So when you are reading this book, your feedback is not about improving the story so much as it is your reading experience. Developmental feedback and line editing notes aren’t really useful or applicable at this point, and that’s not what ARC readers are for. It is totally possible to be a beta reader for authors, but don’t confuse beta reading with ARC reading!

Mistake #3 - Treating an ARC Like a Finished Copy of the Book

In the same vein as Mistake #2, you also don’t want to go through the book and nitpick every minor typo or grammatical error. Those certainly happen in ARCs, and it’s understood that an ARC may be sent out before a final Proof Pass. If a book is riddled with errors, that is cause for concern—but a few here and there are to be expected.

Mistake #4 - Posting Spoilers Without a Warning

This is a no-no whether you’re an ARC reader or not: make sure to indicate spoilers if you’re going to include them. Obviously, within romance, readers know there will be a Happy Ever After (HEA) at the end—that’s not a spoiler. But if you’re going to talk about particular plot points that are revealed later in the book, it’s best to put a spoilers tag.

Mistake #5 - Not Reviewing in Time

Authors and publishers usually love for reviews to come out release week, so stick to that plan if you can—and the earlier, the better. You can post ARC reviews on Goodreads at any time, although Amazon reviews must come out after the book has published. Of course, we understand that life happens, and a late review is far better than no review. But do your best to keep on the requested schedule. I’ve even known avid ARC readers to have an Excel sheet to track their ARCs and posting dates so that they never miss a deadline!

Mistake #6 - Requesting Too Many ARCs at Once

One of my most important ARC reader tips? In order to avoid late reviewing (or skipping a review altogether), make sure you don’t go wild with requesting too many ARCs at one time. I get it—who wouldn’t want to go a little crazy requesting access to books at no cost? If you know where to look, you can find ARC reader signups all around. The only problem is what happens when you get approved for the 60+ books you requested…

Yeah, that’s a little overwhelming.

Keep things manageable by only requesting ARCs that you can confidently commit to.

Mistake #7 - Tagging the Author in a Negative Review

This ARC reader advice is for anyone reviewing books. Never, ever tag authors in negative reviews. My general feeling is that a 4- or 5-star review is totally fine to tag us in. But if you’re sharing your review and have a lot of negative things to say, just leave the author out of it. We understand that not everyone will love our books, and we don’t need to be subjected to critique at random.

Mistake #8 - Not Disclosing You Received an ARC

If you want to know how to be an ARC reader, you should always make sure to disclose that the book was an ARC. That can be as simple as:

• I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

• I received a free ARC from the author/publisher. All opinions are my own.

• Thank you to the author and the publisher for providing an ARC for review.

• I received a complimentary advance copy of this book for review purposes.

Disclosing this information builds trusts with readers and should be done for any ARC book review you write.

Mistake #9 - Selling Your ARC

If you receive a an ARC, you should never sell the digital or physical copy on any platform. ARCs are promotional copies that are not intended for sale, and in doing so, someone is profiting from a copy that was given to them for free. You might see readers doing giveaways with ARC copies, and that’s definitely a more nuanced situation. In general, it’s always a good idea to ask the author or publisher before doing a giveaway with an ARC, because some may outright request readers not to do this. It’s always best to consider an ARC your own personal limited-edition copy of a book vs. something you can make money off of.

Mistake #10 - Ghosting the Author or Publisher

Oof, this one hurts. An eager reader requests an ARC book, the author or publisher sends it to them, and then…nothing. As an author, I have no idea what happened here—did the person just not have the time to read the book? was it a DNF? were they just looking for a free book? I understand that life happens, and I am a firm believer that communication and reviewing late is far better than just disappearing. So if you just happen to review later than expected, that’s fine, just let me know. If you just don’t plan to leave a review, it’s still respectful to reach out and let me know why. That way I’m not sitting around and wondering what happened.

So to all you ARC readers out there: thank you! You’re a vital to the publishing process, and we authors appreciate the time and energy you put into reading, reviewing, and spreading the word about our books. We also know that most ARC mistakes aren’t intended to be malicious—they often happen because readers don’t realize what the expectations are. But if you follow the tips above, you should be on the right track for ARC reading success so you can keep discovering new books, sharing honest thoughts, and rallying for the stories you love. Authors need readers like you—and we’re so glad to have you.