ARCs. Advance Reader Copies/Advance Review Copies. How to work this?
According to what I’ve learned lately, in order to really put the Writer Master Plan into effect, I need more reviews in the first week. The way to do this seems to be ARC readers. The question at hand is, “How to handle the ARC readers?” Can’t just put the book up here. This is a business, after all. So, I’ve got three options, that I can think of.
Option A: A subscription service, like Nick Cole and Jason Anspach have put together on galacticoutlaws.com. For a small fee, subscribers get the content in intervals as it’s produced.
Option B: Put eARCs, PDF files of early copies of the book, up for sale right here (or on americanpraetorians.com, more precisely). They would cost more than the final release Kindle copy. This is something Baen has been doing for years now.
Option C: Set up a volunteer mailing list, limited to 25-30 people, who will get the early version of the story as I write it. The caveat being, to stay on the list means emailing a link to the Amazon review within a week of release.
So, good readers, what do you think?
[polldaddy poll=9815181]
I’d like to get this figured out soon, since production is about to go into full swing on Brannigan’s Bastards.
I take it, Amazon does not provide info on those who pre-order? Otherwise, you could just supply these folks with an ARC, once they request it here, in PDF or any other format.
Of the choices you are proposing, I’d choose b. Provided that once the book is out, you supply the eARC purchasers with the final version.
I like option c. Option b as an alternative.