I can't seem to get enough of these discussion posts now. Haha. I admit I have a lot of stuff to say when it comes to current events in the our country and the world in general. I work with US clients so I might have used the "Trump" card (excuse for the pun) as small talk. In the book world there is always going to be much to talk about - hyped (or not so hyped) books, author gossip, cover reveals, reviews, piracy (an entirely different can of worms), etc.
One of the recurring issues that seem to pop up every now and then are ARCs - how to get them, who usually gets them, and can they be sold or bought. I did a little rant about getting ARCs on a previous post you can find here. On this post I'll discuss the issue of buying and selling ARCs.
What is an ARC?
If you are a long time reader or book blogger, you probably know what an ARC is. For those who are new to the scene it's the acronym for Advanced Readers Copy or Advance Reading Copy. Readers/Bloggers usually get this directly from an author or their publisher upon request, while merchants (bookstores/outlets/online stores/etc) sometimes get sent these. ARCs are sent out before the books are published and might not have the final editing or actual cover of the books that will go out for selling. Reviewers (bloggers/media) use the ARCs for pre-marketing purposes of the book and will help publishers gauge the response of the public in anticipation of the actual release date.
Please note that ARCs do cost money to produce and are shipped to select few at the authors or publishers cost.
So here is what's going on
Recently some people have been selling ARCs on eBay again. I say again, because like I said at the beginning that it's on on going issue. Authors and readers alike have been taking their frustrations in Twitter:
Seeing these tweets, I totally understand where the authors are coming from. Despite us international bloggers not really getting any ARCs (unless from really sweet Authors), selling ARCs paints a bad picture about the people who do get them. From the standpoint of a reader/blogger like me, I 100% agree with them. It is sleazy and underhanded for people to sell books they got for free. I treasure all the ARCs (and e-ARCs) I've gotten and they will eventually be proudly displayed in my shelf (once I get it..Hehe).
Not for Sale
It's big enough to read and easy enough to follow. Legally there is no law that will prohibit a sale of a book that we already own, ARC or not. To my fellow readers and bloggers, we just need to practice a little bit of discretion when it comes to the ARC that we get. If the book has not been released yet then our job is to read the book, write a review, and help the author "market" their work.
But what if the books have already passed the publicity and hype stage? Like if they've been on the shelves for at least a few years? I'm a book hoarder so I would still keep the ARCs and consider them part of my collection. Eventually these books are going to become collectibles or memorabilia. It wouldn't matter if I bought a finished copy, the ARC would still stay. If you didn't want to keep an ARC a few years old then maybe that is the time they can be sold, to collectors or readers looking for books that are already out of print. I used to sell 2nd hand books, but time has changed my view and I would just pass them on to those who want to read them or want them to be part of their collection. I would buy an ARC for my collection, but in respect to authors I wouldn't buy one before the final copies are actually released.
I am one of these less fortunate (marginalized/international) bloggers and I am open to get those ARCs if you don't want them.
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What do you think of about the reselling of ARCs? Do you think the authors are just making a big deal out of it? What would you do to an ARC you didn't like or did not request? I'd like to here your thoughts on the matter.
Labels: ARC, blog, book blogging, discussions, diversity, international book blogger, rant
