I realize ARCing isn't quite a real verb; however, I'm sure that fellow readers can understand the actions involved in experiencing ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) books, so please indulge my creative use of this word.
I started reviewing ARCs 18 years ago, and though I certainly haven't been consistent, I'm grateful to have picked up a thing or two since that time, with many more lessons learnt since I've ramped up my volume in the last several years.
Some of the biggest discoveries I've made in my reading journey have included the following:
1. Be discriminate, in the best ways. Over time, it's been easy for me to spot beloved publishers and even have an idea of an author's content and style, even if they're new to me by checking out author's websites and platforms, along with review sites. This mostly applies to traditional publishing where it can be easier to source information, but the principles apply to indie books and authors as well. As a result, I do not accept or make requests without conducting any form of research beforehand which has (largely) spared me from some of the ARC dramas I hear about when a book is not a good fit for the reader. I'm not immune, but I prefer that books find the right readers, not just any reader (including me).
2. Decline books for now. I've mentioned this before where a "no" doesn't necessarily mean a "never" as a number of things can factor into my decision at the time. A few questions I'll ask myself include:
- Have I heard of this author before? Am I connected to other readers who have read this author? What do I know about the author's background or theological perspective?
- Am I interested in this genre? If it is outside of my usual genres, do I have the mental capacity to take it on (e.g. fantasy, sci-fi, etc.)? How long is the book? Do I have time for it? How does it rank against other books I am prioritizing? What format does the book come in? Will that format affect when I can read?
- Is this book part of a series? Am I interested enough to read it out of sequence? Will I need to read other books before reading this book to have full understanding? Does this book end on a cliffhanger?
As you can see, there are so many things that come into my mind, so if a book doesn't seem like a great fit for these criteria, I'll usually make note of it to come back to outside of an ARC read, if possible. Other times, it is a hard no, which is a huge relief off my mental load.
3. Don't worry about variety or depth. I used to think that I wouldn't be taken seriously unless I could show that I could read almost any genre or type of book, but I've long since moved past this belief. It's a nice idea if I had a lot more time, but even then, it's perfectly fine that my interests aren't all over the place. Does this make my reviews potentially repetitive? Maybe. But I don't think that is problematic if I'm genuinely interested in the book I'm reviewing. Is it obvious that I have favourite authors based on what I promote? Absolutely! You can't blame me for sharing authors who keep writing books I love. I also don't feel like I have to take on deep or long books just because, which is nice as I'm not reading books to impress anyone.
4. Shift from a catalogue perspective to a diary perspective. This is more recent for me where I've had the happy problem of learning about more books than I recognize I have time for. I don't want to lose my love and enjoyment of books, so I've had to change my mindset to keep from burning out on what could easily become a chore. After all, it's not really that different a task than having to produce book reports in school 😆 While I've had to take more breaks due to factors beyond my control right now, thinking of writing reviews as sharing a diary or journal of what I love has kept it fun with less pressure that I have to keep up any appearances. I'm not reviewing any books that I feel I need to—without actually wanting to—and have fully embraced that I will miss out on what's trending in favour of what I love.
5. Trust the Holy Spirit. This ties back into the first point about being selective, but it also requires discernment. Since I only take the time to review Christian books, I feel an added responsibility in faithfully reporting back on what I read. It's a fine balance between giving the author the benefit of the doubt for things like slight errors or tertiary things I disagree with versus needing to call out teachings or values that are contrary to the Bible, which is why I choose to be careful with ARCs. I'm also mindful that I purposefully promote books that are Christian as that has been my stated intention all along, so I have to rely on God's help to follow through in sharing books that point to Him in an honouring way.
If you're interested in curating your ARC list and approaching your books more deliberately, these are some practices I've taken on that have helped me immensely:
- I have turned off message requests on Instagram. I realize I may be missing out on some amazing opportunities, but I was receiving so many cold (and unrelated) requests that it was becoming stressful. I'm not completely closed to cold requests but the majority of the ones I was receiving had little to do with the books I tend to share. If I can plead with authors to do just one thing when they market their books, it's to conduct a modicum of research on readers before asking them to take on something that doesn't fit their usual reading material. While I used to kindly refer authors to other accounts, I found that it took time away from authors I was already trying to support. However, if authors do a little bit more research on me and find a good fit, I am welcome to those inquiries 😊
- For completely new authors to me, I sometimes go the route of reading their book on Kindle Unlimited if it's available (and for as long as I choose to subscribe to the service). I find this to be a win-win because authors can get compensated for pages read but if I don't find the book to be aligned with my tastes or beliefs, I'm not obligated to share a review of the book. In full transparency, this is hit or miss for me where I will either love the book or be quite disappointed and not reference it anywhere. It's also a time commitment so I still try to conduct research before undertaking a book.
- I utilize the wishlist feature on NetGalley to track titles that catch my eye so that I can keep my ARCs manageable and my ratio high. I only review the list once I have capacity to take on more or to take books off if I receive widgets from publishers (it's always a gift when that works out!). I've heard stories of readers that request every book they can, but quite frankly, I don't want to be on the hook for books I might not like, even if the review is only published in select locations. Because those reviews go to the publishers directly, I'd rather wait for titles that will resonate with me so that I can establish a pattern of books I enjoy in order for publishers to reach out or consider me for similar titles down the road. So far, this has worked well and I'm deeply appreciative when publishers think of me for related books.
- Near the end of last year, I started using the ShelfControl app to track my ARCs and it has been a blast to try out. While I still keep a master list of my ARCs on Notion for a bird's eye view of all of my commitments, I like how fun it has been to see if I can beat the number of pages I need to read to stay on pace with my ARCs. The app has some handy trackers such as where reviews need to be posted, graphs indicating the rate of reading, and so forth, so it's worth checking out if you need some sort of system to stay on top of things. I try to cap how many ARCs I can take on, so I consider this app to be beneficial with its features, but likely more essential for others who may have countless deadlines to meet.
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