Advance review copies: running an ARC without breaking Amazon's rules

An advance review copy (ARC) is a free copy of your book that you give to readers before it comes out, so there are honest opinions around when it launches. It's also the best early warning you'll get: if readers stall in chapter six, you'd rather know before release day than after.

This guide covers the rules that matter, the choices you'll make, and how to run one that readers actually finish.

What Amazon allows

Amazon's rules are short and worth reading in full. On KDP's customer reviews page, Amazon says:

"You may provide free or discounted copies of your books to readers, as long as you do not require a review in exchange or attempt to influence the review."

And:

"Offering anything other than a free or discounted copy of the book, including gift cards, will invalidate a review, and the Amazon Community team will remove it."

Amazon's community guidelines say the same thing from the reader's side: readers may review free advance copies from authors or publishers, but authors "can't require a review in exchange for free books or try to influence your opinion."

In practice:

• Don't make a review a condition. "Here's a free copy, and I'd love to hear what you think" is fine. "You get a copy if you promise a five-star review" is not.
• Don't ask for a good review. Ask for an honest one, or better, just ask what they thought.
• Don't add anything else. No gift cards, no prize draws for reviewers, no swag in exchange for a review.

Kindle Unlimited and ARCs

If your ebook is going into Kindle Unlimited (KDP Select), the exclusivity rule applies to ARCs too. KDP's Select page says:

"During the period of exclusivity, you cannot distribute your book digitally anywhere else, including on your website, blogs, etc."

KDP's terms tie that to the time the book is enrolled ("while your book is in KDP Select"). They don't mention ARCs, and they don't say whether copies you gave out before enrolling count. The safe reading:

• Stop giving out digital copies, and close any online access, before you enrol.
• If you enrol early, for example for a pre-order, that's the point to close it, not release day.
• Print ARCs are a different matter: the Select page says you can keep distributing "in physical format, or in any format other than digital."

If you're not going into Kindle Unlimited, none of this applies, and readers can keep reading after launch.

Ways to deliver an ARC

Email the file. Free and simple, but once a file is out, it's out. You won't know who read it, how far they got, or whether it ended up on a piracy site.

A paid ARC service. Services like BookSirens, Booksprout and NetGalley find reviewers and deliver the file for you. Prices vary widely; see our promotion sites guide for what they charge.

An online reader. The book is read in the browser, with nothing to download, and you can see how far readers get. Bervet's advance copies work this way and are free: you upload the manuscript, choose who gets in (or share a private link with your own readers), and see how many readers reached each chapter, their chapter reactions, and the typos they send. When the book's out, one button tells your readers where to find it.

Running one that readers finish

Pick readers who read your genre. A small group of the right readers beats a big group of the wrong ones. Your newsletter and social followers are the best place to start: they already like what you write.

Say what you want to know. "Does the middle drag?" and "Did the ending land?" get more useful answers than "Any thoughts?".

Make it easy. No files to side-load, no app to install. Every step between "yes please" and chapter one loses readers.

Watch where readers stop. If lots of readers stall at the same chapter, that's worth a look before launch, while you can still change it.

Tell them when it's out, once. A single, friendly message on launch day with where to find the book. Reviews are welcome, never required.

Say thank you. Readers who give you their time are the start of a readership. Treat them that way.

Disclosure

Readers should be open that they read a free copy. On Bervet, reviews from advance-copy readers are labelled "Got a free or advance copy" automatically. Elsewhere, many reviewers add a line like "I received a free advance copy". Encourage it; don't script it.

More: ARC services compared · Getting Amazon reviews without breaking the rules