Breakfast with the Bookie is a semi-weekly feature here @ Badass Bookie which is making a reappearance in 2012. Every other Wednesday morning, let's all grab our teas and coffees to gather and discuss and share our opinions! Everyone is welcome to join and make sure you leave a comment to state your opinion. Don't be shy!This Week's Topic: ARCs - The Do's and Don'ts'?
One of the perks of being a book blogger is ARCs. For those who don't know what they are ( although who doesn't!) they're Advanced Reader Copies. Often a publisher would produce a small quantity of books months earlier to it's release date and distribute them to librarians, booksellers and book bloggers. Basically, we read and review the book prior to the release date to create a hype or just to make others aware of the upcoming release.
There is this whole controversy regarding ARCs and I thought it'll be cool if we all created a list of the Do's and Don'ts' regarding them! I've listed a few things below that I think are important.
Do - Feel grateful when receiving an ARC whether from a publisher, author or blogger! Remember to thank them!
Don't - Feel obliged to receive ARCs. Quite frankly, you're not. We're not. You are not entitled to them so don't parade them around, don't whinge when you don't receive one and definitely don't persist people for one!
Do - Think carefully before requesting an ARC. They're very expensive to produce and if you're requesting one just for the sake of requesting one - you shouldn't! Show a genuine in the book, do some research, READ THE BLURB and have a good feeling that you'll enjoy it!
Don't - Request an ARC that you know you're not going to enjoy or you're not going to finish. I often know before reading a book whether it will be my cup of tea or not! Do not request an ARC based on it's cover, popularity or whether other bloggers received a copy or not!
Do - Put thought into your review. Don't just write the first thing that comes to mind and definitely don't write a 400 word synopsis and then say "I liked it - read it!" at the end. That's not a review. If you don't like the book - not slam it. Talk about why, talk about the parts you do like and recommend it to the people you think WILL like it.
Don't - Not review the book, if you're like me and you are a slowish reader with not a lot of time that's fine! BUT don't request an ARC and not read it! Always keep in mind of the book you haven't read before you request new ones! :)
That's a list of six do's and don'ts' any that should be added to the list? Pop them in the comments!
Badass Bookie xx
Great topic. There really is a sense of entitlement when it comes to ARC's these days.
ReplyDeleteI rarely request any because I have plenty of books already & honestly I feel like I have more freedom with my reading that way.
If you get one from any source be grateful but you really can survive and buy the book when it comes out like we used to in the good old days lol
I would add - never sell them.
Great post! What bothers me most is when I see bloggers request ARCs and then write a crappy 200 word review which is basically just a rehashing of the synopsis. I only request ARCs or review copies of books that I think I'll enjoy and write a thoughtful review of.
ReplyDeleteKaren added a good point about not selling them. Besides, they make great giveaway prizes!
Great post. I have just recently been lucky enough to receive a few arcs that I really want to read, and I was like a giddy little kid. It is a privilege and I feel honored that I can read and review the book for the author and publisher. Even when I have won an arc from another blogger it's really exciting. I want my review of the book to be great and I will put all my effort into writing a well thought out review for them. (I mean I do that for all of my reviews, but I feel it's especially important when it's an arc) After I have read the arc, I think the best thing to do is pass the book on to another blogger, library, or do a giveaway for it so someone else can enjoy it.
ReplyDelete