ARCs Update August 2020

I’ve been moving away from advanced reading copies (ARCs).

When I first started on my journey to being a book blogger/influencer, ARCs seemed like the unattainable goal. I yearned to be like the other book bloggers who had a tall pile of ARCs waiting to be read and reviewed.

I finally reached that goal. For a solid few months my ARC stack was high. They started as e-books on my kindle. My spreadsheet that helped me track my ARC reading never seemed to be complete. Soon, the hardcovers were getting mailed to me. I quickly ran out of space on my bookshelf. I had reached the unattainable goal.

The only problem was…. it soon became a chore. I was neglecting books I had on my To Be Read (TBR) list because I needed to read and review ARCs in a timely manner. Every time I caught up, more books would come in. The cycle wouldn’t end.

Until quarantine.

The world stopped and the ARCs did too. I finally had the time to read for me. And as much as I loved reading ARCs and being exposed to books I wouldn’t have found otherwise, it was nice being able to sit down and read without obligation.

Which brings me to my next point.

Even though everyone says that just because you receive an ARC doesn’t mean you need to leave a glowing review. I still felt a taciturn pressure to do so. Or at least leave a positive review that will encourage someone to read it. “This book didn’t really work for me, but if you love XYZ you should check it out!”

That pressure was heightened this past weekend when I saw an author “vent” on social media about a “bad review”. In reality, the bad review was not bad. It was not venting. It was lying and defaming the character of a book influencer. And while this type of behavior from an author is rare (at least from what I’ve seen), it made me want to take a step back from the ARC world. I don’t feel a need to request an ARC.

I am always honored and appreciated when a publishing company reaches out to me to provide an ARC. It feels like I am being trusted with someone very special. But the competitive edge I felt to reach out myself and request is gone. Reading as a chore is gone too, though.

I now am back to a place where reading is relaxing and enjoyable. I don’t feel bad declining ARCs, and I don’t feel like I’m behind as a book blogger by not requesting them. I’m back to where I was when I started. Just wanting to share my love of reading.