If you spend any time in book spaces online, you've probably come across the term "ARC reader." It isn't a new thing, but a lot of people have no idea what it means or why it exists. Have you ever seen a book coming out that you're just desperate to read, and people on social media are already reviewing it? Yeah. Those people are early readers.
The term stands for Advance Reader Copy. It's a partnership between an author and a reader: early access in exchange for a review. A review can't be required, and it can't be made to be a specific rating (that's actually against the law), but leaving one is a common courtesy, and a nice gesture to do. Wherever you post it, Amazon, Goodreads, wherever, it helps.
And it does real work for the author. In the first two weeks of a release, an author has a window to seriously boost their views and push the algorithm toward their book, and reviews are a big part of that. It's crucial for indie authors especially, because there are millions of books coming out all the time, and if you aren't on top of it, a book can get buried fast.
What You're Actually Signing Up For
Being an ARC reader is a small commitment, but it is a commitment. Read the book by the deadline. Leave your honest review where the author asks. And be someone they can count on, because that's what gets you invited back.
One more thing that matters more than people realize: if your review is under three stars, contact the author's assistant, never the author directly, and let them know you'll be reviewing but you'll hold it until after the first two weeks. That first two weeks is the hot launch period, and a low review dropped right in the middle of it can really hurt momentum. Communicating that ahead of time is the mark of a reader authors want to keep around.
Where to Find Authors, and How to Fill Out Their Forms
The process is simple. Find an author you want to ARC read for, then search the term on social media and pull up as many posts as you can, and interact with them. That tells the algorithm you want to see this kind of content, so more of it starts showing up for you.
This works across all three of the big platforms. On Threads, indie romance authors are everywhere right now and ARC calls move fast, so reply quickly when you see one. On Instagram, watch author stories closely, a lot of calls go up as story posts with a signup link and vanish in 24 hours. On TikTok, follow indie authors in your genres and check their bio or linktree, since that's usually where the signup link lives.
Once you've done that, find one or two you actually want to apply for and go fill out their form. And I mean actually read the form. Review the trigger warnings if there are any, and complete the whole thing.
How to Find Every Link They Ask For
They'll ask for links, and this is the part that stumps new readers. Make the job of the person reviewing these responses as easy as humanly possible, and make sure every link is active and correct before you submit. One trick that applies to all of these: they're far easier to grab on a computer or in your phone's browser than inside the app, where the links are often buried.
Exactly where to find each one:
- Goodreads profile. Go to your profile page, and the URL in your browser's address bar is your profile link. For your review of a specific book, open that review and copy the URL it opens at.
- Amazon profile. Go to your account, find "Your Profile" under the account menu, and the page it opens is your public profile. Copy that URL. Your individual review links live on that same profile page under your reviews.
- BookBub profile. Open your profile and copy the address bar URL the same way. Your reviews are listed on that profile too.
- TikTok and Instagram. If they want your socials, it's just your profile URL: open your profile, tap the menu or share icon, and choose "copy link," or grab it from the address bar in a browser. This is how they check that you actually post about books.
A Few Things That Get You Picked
- If you're not on BookFunnel, make an account before you fill out the form, and use that email on the form so your ARC copy goes to the right place.
- Keep an ARC calendar so you always know when each review is due. Once you're on a few teams, those deadlines pile up fast.
- Fill the form out completely and be honest about your reading tastes. Saying you love a genre you don't will just land you a book you won't finish.
Bonus: Going Straight to the Publishers
Everything above is about indie authors, which is where most people start and honestly where the community is warmest. But once you're comfortable, you can also request ARCs straight from the big publishers and their imprints. A lot of them have a set email or a form just for this, and knowing where to send your request saves you a ton of guessing.
I keep a running list of publisher ARC contacts over on the resources page, with where to send requests for each imprint and a downloadable PDF you can keep on hand. It's a starting point, not a guarantee, so always confirm the current address or form on the publisher's own site before you reach out. But it'll point you in the right direction.
Just Show Up and Be Real
Be communicative, social, friendly, and engaging on your socials. That alone will help you get ARCs. Some indies may even come to you. It's not really transactional, it's a community, and it's a genuinely fun one to be part of.
So go follow a few indie authors on Threads, Instagram, and TikTok, watch for that next ARC call, and when it comes, fill out the form and say yes. Your next favorite book might be one you get to read before the rest of the world does.