How to Get ARCs From Publishers

When I started my bookstagram account, I had no idea how big a role book reviewers played in the publishing world, and I didn’t have the first clue for how to get ARCs (Advanced Reader Copy). I also didn’t know what an ARC was and that it was possible to get free books BEFORE they were published.

Social media is an incredibly powerful tool for publishers and book marketers. It gives books the opportunity to go viral and reach a huge audience—I personally have purchased & read so many books because I saw them on bookstagram!

That’s why publishers value book bloggers and bookstagrammers. Unlike some other influencers, bookstagrammers have a very niche audience that is absolutely going to be interested in whatever campaigns the bloggers work on.

If you’re wondering how to get ARCs and read books for free, this guide is for you! Keep scrolling to get a complete list of book influencer programs from publishers.

Build Up Your Audience

If you want to receive ARCs, especially physical ones, you have to have a platform that demonstrates why you deserve the book. Publishers gift books because bloggers can help spread the word, so you need to have an audience who will listen.

I have a helpful blog post on how I grew my bookstagram to over 20k followers, but here are a few easy bookstagram tips to get started:

• Take high-quality photos that reflect your own personal theme
  • Take photos in the daytime when the natural light is the best
  • Edit your photos with Adobe Lightroom (it’s free!)
  • Set up a photoshoot if you have time so you can take a bunch of photos at once to have content on hand
• Use effective hashtags to reach new users
• Ask engaging questions to get the conversations flowing

Optimize Your Profile

Although bookstagram influencer programs are a key way to get ARCs (scroll down for my complete list of programs!), sometimes publishers will reach out to you directly. That’s why you need to optimize your Instagram profile!

This is helpful because it helps everyone find you, not just book marketers and potential collaborators.

• Include your email in your bio
  • You can also have your email in the specific email section, but this doesn’t show up when people (aka publishers and authors!) browse IG on their desktops.
• Let people know you’re a bookstagrammer or book blogger by putting that in your profile name (not username).

Create a NetGalley Account

In the publishing world, a “galley” is a finalized version of a book that’s meant for editing/promotional purposes. They can be print or digital, and the site NetGalley connects readers with digital galleys from publishers, hence its name.

NetGalley is the best way to get started with receiving ARCs. It’s the number one website for eARCs, and all the top publishers use it to distribute books.

When creating your account, you can include links to your social media channels and write a description of yourself. Take the time to explain your dedication to books and why you love reading so much!

To request books, you can search for a specific title or click the “Find Titles” section to browse by category. You’ll find dozens of genres for both books and audiobooks.

Once you’ve found a title you’d like to apply for, you can select what appeals to you about the book and put in your application. The publisher will let you know whether you’ve been approved or not.

Apply for Publisher’s ARC Programs

Many publishers have bookstagram programs where they reach out to potential influencers to add them to a list. That’s how I got added to a bunch of publisher’s PR lists, but some publishers also have online forms that you can apply for!

These lists are mostly for bookstagrammers in the US and Canada, but the big publishers in other countries (like Australia and the UK) have their own programs and Instagram pages, and presumably their own forms for influencers so you can always reach out there.

Anyone can apply for them, but note the specific requirements that each publisher has for their own program. I compiled a list of the top online ARC programs:

Publishing House Bookstagram ARC Programs

• Random House Influencer Program
• Macmillan Influencer and Reviewer Program
• Viking, Penguin Books & Penguin Classics Influencer Form
• William Morrow Bookstagram Influencer Program
• Harper Bookstagram Newsletter
• Harper Perennial Influencer Newsletter
• Harper Wave Influencer Program
• Riverhead Book Influencer Program
• Knopf, Doubleday, Pantheon, Vintage/Anchor Bookstagram Program
• Grand Central Publishing Online Influencer Program
• Entangled Publishers Insiders
• Sourcebooks Casablanca Influencer Program
• Fierce Reads Blogger Form
• Fire Reads Influencer Database
• Atria Early Readers Program
• Celadon Books Readers Program
• Flatiron Books First Edition Newsletter
• Poisoned Pen Press Influencer Program
• Libro FM Advanced Listening Copies (ALC)
  • This one is a little different because it’s audiobooks. You’ll get access to 5 popular audiobooks each month.

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Individual Book Request Forms

• ABRAMS Books Social Media Requests
• The New Press Bookstagrammer Request Form
• Fierce Reads Galley Requests
• Chronicle Books Review Copy Requests

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Review Community / Book Tour Programs

Some independent companies work with authors and publishers to organize book tours and publicity campaigns. It’s another way to get involved in the book marketing industry and receive free ARCs!

• BookSparks Review Community
• StoryGram Tours
• BiblioLifestyle Book Tour Host
• Hear Our Voices Tours
• Turn The Page Tours Sign Up
• Rockstar Book Tours

For this article, I just did some Google and Instagram sleuthing to create this resource guide! I found most of the applications from the Instagram bios of the publishers as well as their story highlights. If you know of any more, let me know so I can include them!

Reach Out to Publishers

If you have a specific book in mind you’d like to receive an ARC for, definitely try reaching out directly to the publisher. Not all books have social media campaigns, so even if you’re on publishers’ influencer lists, you might not hear about all the available books.

Your first step is to identify what imprint the book is published under. Traditional publishing houses have a variety of imprints under which they publish books. For example, although the bestseller The Kiss Quotient is ultimately owned by Penguin Random House, its specific imprint is Berkley.

You can determine a book’s imprint by viewing the book’s information on Goodreads.

It’s important to reach out to the correct imprint contact because those are the editors and marketers who work on the book. They’re also the ones who make decisions about ARCs to send out!

Once you’ve identified the imprint, your next step is to find the best contact or email address to reach out to. This can be tricky because specific publishers and editors may work on some books and not others, so your best bet is to email the general publicity or review copy address in the list below.

Bookmark this page because I compiled a list of media & editorial emails for the top publishing houses.

• HarperCollins Imprint Contacts
• RandomHouse Imprint Contacts
• Macmillan Publishers Contacts
• Hachette Book Group Contacts
• Simon & Schuster Media Contacts
• Scholastic Media Contacts
• Bloomsbury Contacts
• Chronicle Books Contacts
• Disney Books Contacts
• Amazon Publishing Requests
• HMH Contacts
• Workman Books Contacts
• Gray Wolf Press Contacts

Smaller Indie Publishers Review Requests Information

• Quirk Books
• Crooked Lane Books
• Catapult Books
• Hanover Square Press
• Akashic Books
• The New Press
• Oceanview Publishing
• Bellevue Literary Press
• BOA Editions
• House of Anansi
• Enchanted Lion Books
• Melville House
• Permanent Press
• Rare Bird Lit

Smaller publishing companies can be a good start to get ARCs. Indie publishing houses are looking for bloggers to generate buzz for their books, and having some ARC reviews under your belt signals trust and experience to bigger publishers when you reach out!

Emailing Publishers Directly

Once you’ve figured out the book’s imprint and identified the email address to reach out to, you’ll need to craft a compelling email!

This also applies to smaller publishers—even if they don’t have a bookstagram program, you’re still considered a “reviewer” which falls under the media category, so most publishers’ websites will have information on who to contact for media/review requests.

I want to note that you shouldn’t abuse this process and ask publishers for books just for clout. Take the time to reach out for books you truly want to read and review—your enthusiasm will show through and build trust with publishers.

Here’s a general overview of what to include in an email when asking for an ARC:

• The title & author of the book
• Why you want to read this book
  • Have you read other books by this author?
  • Have you posted about other books by this author?
  • Is this your favorite genre?
  • Are you an #OwnVoices reader?
• Why you should receive an ARC
  • Share your social links to wherever you post about books (Instagram, Twitter, your blog)
  • Here’s where you hype yourself up. Include your stats like Instagram followers, engagement rate, etc. Tell the publisher (in a nice way!) why you’d be a great fit to receive this ARC and what you’d do to support the publisher.
• Your address. Sometimes publishers will just send you the book without replying to your email, so it’s helpful to provide them with your address in the first place.

The KDPG Bookstagram Program FAQ has a great sample pitch email you can use. This is coming directly from a Penguin Random House imprint, so this is how they like to receive email pitches:

Keep your email concise but friendly. Publishers have a lot going on, so you want to make your email stand out and position yourself in a way that you can help the publishing company, while also displaying your authentic passion for the book.

Enter Giveaways

Entering in giveaways is something anyone can do, and you’ll never win if you don’t take advantage of them! Sometimes publishers host their own giveaways for ARCs, so make sure to follow them on social media.

You can also enter Goodreads giveaways, which hosts hundreds of new and older releases listed by the publishers. Winning a giveaway isn’t the same as receiving an ARC directly from the publisher, but you do get access to an unreleased title and how cool is that?

You can enter the Goodreads giveaways here, and filter through print and Kindle giveaways, as well as featured books, giveaways that are ending soon, and the most popular giveaways.

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Bookmark this page, save it on Pinterest, email it to yourself, do what you have to do to save all the contacts and ARC programs you’re interested in! Let me know if I’m missing any opportunities.