How do I run an ARC campaign?
- Six to eight weeks before launch is the standard ARC window.
- Typical conversion is 25 to 40 percent of ARC recipients leaving a review.
- Amazon does not allow reviews of unreleased titles; Goodreads does.
- ARCs should be watermarked or stamped and clearly labeled as uncorrected proofs.
- Reviews cannot be paid for or exchanged for anything of value.
An ARC campaign means getting advance copies to readers six to eight weeks before launch, with a clear ask and two follow-ups. Recruit two to three times more readers than the reviews you want, because 25 to 40 percent will actually post. Deliver clean, watermarked files and make the review instructions impossible to misread.
Chapter i·Why it matters
Launch-week reviews decide whether a book looks alive to browsing readers and whether promo sites will take it. Most ARC campaigns underperform for logistical reasons, not enthusiasm: files that will not open, unclear posting dates, and no follow-up. Fixing the logistics roughly doubles conversion without recruiting a single extra reader.
Chapter ii·What to include
- A recruiting window that closes eight weeks out, so you know your number.
- EPUB and PDF both, delivered through a service that supports readers.
- An explicit posting date and where to post, repeated in every email.
- A reminder at two weeks and a final one on launch day.
- A disclosure line readers can copy: received an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
- A tracking sheet of who received, who posted, and who to invite next time.
Chapter iii·Example
An author recruited 140 ARC readers for a target of 40 reviews, sent files at six weeks, reminded at two weeks and on launch day, and got 51 reviews in the first ten days. Her previous book, with 60 readers and no follow-up, got nine.
Chapter iv·Related questions
In WriteLoom
A launch plan, not a launch day
WriteLoom's Sell studio tracks your ARC list, delivery dates, and who has posted, so follow-up is a filter and not an afternoon.
Not ready for a workspace yet? Get the free six-part series on winning the writing game: finishing drafts, editing in the right order, querying with real math, and launching on a runway.