I Wonder about Arcs

I wonder how many advance copies each publisher allows for Bookish First. I feel that it is very difficult to be chosen for a book. Unfortunately, I had really wanted to use my points a while back to claim a book, but they ran out. Does anyone know how many books typically are given out for each title?

1 Like

I’m not sure, but I have pretty good luck with them. I try to do the first look on all the books for the points, althought I only ask for the ones I want to read… I tend to get a book at least once a month. If you still have your points, you can use them for the next book you’re interested in. Get in early so they don’t run out! I’m setting my alarm for The Kingdom of Back so I won’t be late.

4 Likes

Hi there! Typically each book’s raffle is for 100 ARCs, sometimes there are books with less on offer but that depends on the publisher.

As for claiming books with your points:
There is a cap on the number of book claims available for each book (to be fair to everyone trying to enter the raffle). Once the cap has been reached, the “Get it now” button will appear gray and a message will appear that there are no books left to claim. But you can still have a chance to win this book by submitting a First Impression and entering the raffle. Tip: If you would like to use your points to claim another book in a future raffle, we’d suggest doing so early in the week (Monday/Tuesdays are best) before the cap may be reached. This can be found in our FAQ: https://www.bookishfirst.com/pages/knowledge-base

Do let us know if you have any other questions about the raffle process!

13 Likes

Do the number of books that can be claimed come out of the total (100-ish) that are available for the raffle, or is there a separate allocated amount from the publisher in addition to those?

2 Likes

Yes, the claimed books come from the total for the raffle. The cap is just to ensure that people who don’t have points still have a chance to win.

3 Likes

Same, I do FirstLook for 100% of the books but only enter raffles for the ones I really want. There are some First Reads that I enjoy or can see how others would enjoy, but I don’t request them because I have too many higher priority books on my to-read list :stuck_out_tongue:

I do raffles for books I loved and want to read but don’t mind waiting for, and my points to guaranteed snag any SUPER good books that I can’t wait to continue after reading the excerpt - I feel like the points add up quickly, but not quickly enough to get the guaranteed book with points every single time I want one.

@dianaiozzia for points, it also helps to share your reviews on the publication date for extra points, and to share the review on as many sites as possible: GoodReads, Amazon, Barnes&Noble, LibraryThing, personal blog (you can make a free one on Tumblr or something), etc. - you can join GoodReads reviewer groups for more ideas. The more publicity for the author pre-publication, the better :slight_smile:

3 Likes

Some publishers will send you a copy if you ask, even if you’re not a super famous blogger or professional reviewer. There are articles on google about who to contact and what to say when asking. I think it’s worth a shot if you’re really interested, worst thing that’ll happen is that you’ll get ignored or declined!

You can also check the author and publisher website, blog, social media, and search the author/title name periodically - there are often giveaways (no review required, but polite to leave one) posted as part of the marketing.

If you have any physical ARCs on hand, look through the front and back covers (and sometimes insert that they send or first page of the book) for more info. They all have a description of their pre-release marketing campaign where you’ll see Bookish as well as their other distribution plans, and usually number of copies per method.

4 Likes

@avantgarde27 Thank you for this information! I’ve always been nervous about requesting ARCs since I mainly review on goodreads (I’ve been wanting to start a blog, but with college it’s hard :/) but I may try emailing the publisher about ARCs, because it wouldn’t hurt to try. :slight_smile: What publishers have you had luck with while requesting ARCs?

1 Like

I actually haven’t requested any that way, I’ve just read about it on those “how to get ARCs” blog posts and from the instruction pages on publisher sites. For the publishers that do post requirements, some say you need a blog with X views per month or whatever, but others explicitly state it’s ok if you don’t have a blog and they’re fine with just goodreads/amazon/twitter/instagram.

My to-read list is full enough already from the ARC programs I belong to (Bookish, Celadon, NetGalley, Edelweiss, LibraryThing), book giveaways (author or publisher Twitter/fb posts, GoodReads, LibraryThing, Porchlight, etc), and my regular to-read list (library, borrowed from friends, already owned books).

If you want, I can share my list of ARC/giveaway links that I get books from - none of them require a blog or a major online presence. I’ve also found a ton of ARC/giveaway sites for genres I don’t really read (romance, YA) and can post those too, but can’t vouch for quality since I haven’t tried them myself.

4 Likes

I think the definition for “blog” is also flexible. If you’re not trying to make income or have 10k daily viewers, you can make an maintain a blog with like 5 min or less of effort per book:

  • make a free account on Tumblr, WordPress, Blogger, etc. just for books
  • post title format: “to-read/read/review” + book title and author
  • for all book posts, link to: author website, book on publisher’s site, where to buy the book (Amazon?)
  • add one of the following: to-read (“added this to my to-read list!”), read but not reviewed (rate out of 5 stars), read and reviewed (copy paste the review you already wrote for bookish, link to other places your review is posted)
  • can also make posts with: book/reading memes, links to articles or posts you’ve found
  • goodreads widgets: options that’ll post for you automatically https://help.goodreads.com/s/article/How-do-I-add-a-widget-to-my-blog-1553870933491

Voila, you’re a blogger!

5 Likes

Here’s my list of sites, still working on adding descriptions and making sure I didn’t miss anything https://avantgardereads.tumblr.com/links

1 Like

Another great way to get ARCs is to attend big book festivals. If you’re into YA, both YallWest and YallFest are great places to snag up & coming books. :slight_smile:

2 Likes

Thank you! This is very helpful. :slightly_smiling_face:

1 Like

How does that work?? I’ve only been to one festival and it was a few years ago, and there weren’t any ARC opportunities I noticed… so I think I missed something and need a “book festivals for dummies” guide lol

It just seemed like a regular convention: authors at tables with their books to sell on the spot or answer questions (like vendor booths), handful of raffles, basic free stuff (pens, sticky pads, tote bags, flyers, catalogs) at booths, scheduled panels, etc.

Well it really depends on the festival to be honest, and usually smaller/local festivals don’t have ARC opportunities. It’s mostly the big, well-publicized festivals. In those cases, the publishers usually have a tent and do timed “ARC-drops”. Basically, they’ll announce at what time they’ll have ARCS for what books, and you can stand in line to try and get one. I go to YallWest in Santa Monica every year, and I usually come home with anywhere from 10-15 ARCs. :slight_smile:

The only problem with attempting to get ARCs at festivals is that you then sometimes miss the other cool things going on like panels/signings/etc.

Good luck on your ARC-hunting adventures!!

2 Likes

I usually bookmark the page of the book I want, if I think it’ll be popular and I have the points. I keep a check on the “days”, “hours” counting down and as soon as it pops up - I hit GET IT. I’m doing that now with one I’m interested in. Have it bookmarked on my phone as well as my computer. I’ve only “won” (non-points) two books on here. One back in March and one in November. Like others, I do the first-looks for points as well, but only enter the ones I HAVE to HAVE to give others a chance. Good luck!

3 Likes

Always check first thing Monday morning at the best chance to get a book when you’re using your points. I claimed this week’s book around 9 am this past Monday morning and there were only 3 copies available left to claim.

I always do First Looks and sharing past reviews for points, and only use my points to claim books I either really, really want to read or want to read but may or may not be a top seller. (I could kick myself for not claiming Whisper Man when I had the chance) This way, you allocate points and have 2k-4k points where you always have the option of claiming a book or two without worrying about the points. I also share my reviews to Amazon, Goodreads, B&N, then two of my personal blogs, that way I allocate a chunk of point by sharing for those times I want a certain book.

3 Likes

I wish those festivals were near me! I’m in Texas so that’s a no-go. I love a good YA book though!

Blog tours are another way to get arcs.

1 Like

I live in Phoenix & drive to Santa Monica every year for Yallwest. TOTALLY worth it. There’s gotta be something closer to you though!

1 Like