Nathan Bransford - The Forums

So I just finished reading my first ever ARC! (A Million Suns by Beth Revis - sequel to Across the Universe) and I'm so excited!

It's neat to know you've read something in advance of the general population.

Have any of you been able to read ARCs? Which ones?

CV

I have not read any ARCs before, but I'm pretty jealous of you getting to read A Million Suns! I love Beth!

Ooo, lucky! How'd you land that? And what did you think?

I've been offered ARCs for non-fiction nature books (I seem to have made it onto Princeton's bird book mailing list, possibly because I was the editor of our provincial birding organization's newsletter) but have never taken advantage of it. I do get occasional recently-published nature books sent to me by my editor, but they're not ARCs.

However, I anticipate that in, oh, four or five months I should be seeing ARCs of my own. For a field guide, mind you, so it'd be a rather boring read... but ARCs nonetheless.

*Jealous*

Lucky! Was it good? no, don't tell me. I want to be surprised.

I have never read an ARC before.

I just got a job as an intern for a small publisher, and I got to read a couple galleys. It's exciting, getting to read something before the rest of the world does.

I haven't, but I'm regularly confused by people commenting while they read ARCs because I think I've mis-remembered the release date.

I'm eagerly awaiting Haruki Murakami's 1Q84, and someone I follow on twitter has been reading an ARC. Every time she mentions it, I get very excited, then very sad.

Years ago, my local indie bookstore closed and gave away a bunch of ARCs it had received. So, yes, I've read a few ARCs...but I did so long after the final books came out. I still remember feeling thrilled to have my hands on those advance copies. It was like an inside glimpse into the world of the author and publisher.

I've also read and edited galleys for work, but it's not quite the same thrill.

I feel so silly asking but, what is an ARC?

Some say ARC stands for advance reader copy, others, and how I know it, advance review copy. An ARC purpose is to garner back jacket blurb copy. Another, peer review, refereeing by a target audience sampling. It's as much an obligation as it is a thrill reading ARCs. I've read a few. I've circulated a few. I've reviewed a few, for refereeing, not for promotional or critical review purposes. One was for a re-release publication project proposal.