Five of the Worst Ways to Ask for Print ARCs
…And I did one of them!
5.The Threat:
To Whom it May Concern,
My name is Kat Kennedy from Cuddlebuggery and I am interested in receiving Print ARCs of your Young Adult titles.
The Print ARCs need to be untraceable, placed in unidentifiable garbage bags and delivered at 6PM on the corner of Barber and Kurt Street, Sydney.
Do this and I will release your daughter, unharmed. Well, it’s either your daughter or Zoey Deschenel. Actually, I’m not sure who it is, but she cries a lot and has eaten all my Canadian sausage. That’s not a euphemism. Please deliver the ARCs so I can get rid of her. That is a euphemism. I have enclose a picture of her so you know I am serious. She’s the one in the center crying:
Regards,
Kat Kennedy (Armed and Dangerous)
10 Ways not to be a douchebag with your ARCS
Shannon Messenger did a blog post yesterday about people selling their BEA ARCs on ebay. Selling ARCs on ebay is nothing new but it pisses me off every time I hear about it being done.
After all, ARCs specifically say on them–SEVERAL TIMES–that they are “NOT FOR SALE.” They’re a marketing tool the publishers produce–at a HIGHER cost per book than finished hardcovers–so that they can get the ARC in the hands of reviewers and hopefully generate some buzz and excitement for the book’s release. Authors also receive no money from the unauthorized sale of an ARC, so anyone who sells them is *technically* stealing from us.
When you sell ARCs on ebay it makes all book bloggers look shitty. Like all we’re out to do is take. I’m not saying my soul purpose in life is to be fairy dust on author promotions or anything ridiculous like that.
Great Posts From Other Blogs
There are No Such Things as Free Books – A great post from Anna of Literary Exploration discussing how to ask for ARCs and a sample request email.
Who Do I Email About Review Copies – Anna of Literary Exploration compiled a list of publisher emails for requesting ARCs.
And Piracy Strikes Again… — Scott of Scott Reads It addresses typical piracy questions with regards to eARCs.