Advance copy
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An advance reading copy, advance review copy, advance reader's edition, advance copy, or a reader's edition (ARC or ARE) is a free copy of a new book given by a publisher to booksellers, librarians, journalists, celebrities, or others, or as a contest or school prize,[1] before the book is printed for mass distribution.
Overview
ARCs may lack the final dust jacket, formatting, and binding of the finished product. The text of an advance edition may also differ slightly from the market book (the final version that is distributed for sale), because changes may be made after advance readers make comments or find errors in the manuscript. They sometimes also lack the interior illustrations shown in the final product. When a celebrity reader or journalist gives an endorsement, that may be added to the dust-cover and other promotional items.
ARCs are normally distributed three to six months before the book is officially released to the general public.[citation needed]
Book collectors often seek ARCs, which may contain text errors or typos that add value, as coins or stamps with errors do.
On rare occasions (for instance, on the publication of an eagerly awaited or controversial book), a publisher may require the recipients of an ARC to sign a
Before it was a common practice to produce and distribute ARCs in this way, publishers used uncorrected, bound galley proofs only for the editing and proof-reading process. Typically, they were bound in plain paper covers without illustrations, printed in black and white, and significantly larger than their market book counterparts. In contrast, ARCs usually are printed in full color, and have bindings, format, and illustrations that are similar to those of the market book. The phrase 'uncorrected proof' appears on the ARC cover.
ARCs are usually paperback, and may have alternate cover art, a placeholder, or resemble the final cover. Most advance copies have a printed-on label on the spine and possibly the front cover with the release year and month of the final book.
Although ARCs are usually free promotional items, some early versions of books, even some labeled by the publisher as ARCs, are sold to the public. An example is Captain Vorpatril's Alliance by Lois McMaster Bujold. More recently, 'collectible' ARCs have been made to promote certain books, often with multiple variations in cover or format.
Digital advance copies
Publishers who produce galley proofs in electronic form rather than as a physical book do not use them as ARCs. However, with the rise of ebooks and ereaders, it is now common for ARCs (in contrast to galley proofs) to be distributed as
References
- ^ a b Tim (May 2007). "Archive for May, 2007". The Librarything Blog. Archived from the original on May 19, 2007. Retrieved 25 February 2012.
- ^ Lili. "The In's and Out's of NetGalley". NetGalley. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
- ^ "eBooks and Advanced Reading Copies (eARCs)". Bite The Book. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
- ^ "eARC". Archived from the original on 2005-06-23. Retrieved 10 January 2021.