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Dana Jean

Dirty Pirate Hooker, The Return
Moderator
Apr 11, 2006
53,634
236,697
The High Seas
As a reviewer,I get a buttload of ARCS (yes, that's a technical term now ;D)--no SK-- but I feel weird about doing anything but shelving them them once I'm finished. Curse my honorable streak--haha. I've seen first-hand that it can hurt sales when they're passed around, especially pre-publication. Hell, my own daughter found an ARC of Lauren Oliver's new book at a thrift store long before publication, passed it around to her friends, and now none of them will be buying that particular book. Ms. Mod, as a spokesperson for an author, what would they prefer a reviewer do with an ARC?
I think they all got together and decided that they should be sent to me.
 

skimom2

Just moseyin' through...
Oct 9, 2013
15,683
92,168
USA
I think they all got together and decided that they should be sent to me.

HAHA! Good plan! You probably wouldn't like most of what I get--ARCs of 'Women's Lit'. Not a lot of bodice rippers (I turn down as many of those down as I can, and no BDSM--hard limit for me), but many, many earnest women books. I have read some stunners, a few horrors, but most are middle-of-the-road family or romance novels. :)
 

Uncle_CreepShow

Active Member
Mar 3, 2014
40
242
49
Oh it makes me too sad to not be able to join in here. Silly New Zealand!!!

Its a real bummer, aye. :(

Who knows, though - with media rate/budget shipping, it might be worthwhile, for a small batch of paperbacks....

I'm NOT a fan of shipping ANYthing without a confirmation code/insurance, but it can be a jab to the gonads when its time to once again ship 10+ Pratchett paperbacks to my buddy in the Netherlands. :sulkiness:
 

AlecRM

Member
Mar 5, 2014
9
33
28
sklitter_zps02232fec.jpg

id really like a book, if you still have any left

FREE TO A GOOD HOME

This litter is of varying breeds and conditions,
and needs to be re-homed. Moving to an
insane asylum and not on approved reading list.
Little maintenance needed or required, just give
them your time and attention. Good with troubled
adults and weird kids. All house broken and
comes with guaranteed hours of enjoyment,
intrigue and terror. Would prefer they go to
a home in need, but not required.
Will ship for free via media mail to any
continental US location.


Will also throw in gratis air guitar.
:)
_ _ _ _ _

(and I’m still holding a free UK hc copy of
The Eyes of the Dragon, just waiting to
hear from king family fan. nudge nudge)
 
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jchanic

Well-Known Member
Jul 11, 2006
3,164
6,097
79
Cleveland Ohio
OMG!!! How in the hell do you GET all those??!! And what led you to collect UK versions?

I got them with lots of work and searches on-line. I do have a number of contacts that help me also.

I don't really know why I started with the UK proofs, but I really enjoy them. I think it's neat that there are many versions of UK proofs of the same book. This happens occasionally with the US ones, but more so with the UK ones.

John
 

not_nadine

Comfortably Roont
Nov 19, 2011
29,655
139,785
Behind you
Is that how it works, Ms Mod? I never thought about the "publicity" side of books.
Do you get feedback to include in the inside covers? And what about the bad ones.?

You do so much, Marsha :love-struck: that we (or I) do not know about the inside working of the process of getting a book out a book.
 

Moderator

Ms. Mod
Administrator
Jul 10, 2006
52,243
157,324
Maine
Is that how it works, Ms Mod? I never thought about the "publicity" side of books.
Do you get feedback to include in the inside covers? And what about the bad ones.?

You do so much, Marsha :love-struck: that we (or I) do not know about the inside working of the process of getting a book out a book.

The ARCs are done by the publishers and they're the ones who distribute them to potential reviewers. Sometimes errors are caught at this stage of the process and those might be corrected before the final print books go out. The reviewers don't typically send their reviews to the publisher--that goes directly to the publication for which they are doing the review so they find out about the bad ones at the same time as the good ones. My understanding is that they solicit blurbs from writers they think will like the book and whose opinion would be valued by potential readers as well as comments from the good reviews and then use those for cover quotes.
 

skimom2

Just moseyin' through...
Oct 9, 2013
15,683
92,168
USA
The ARCs are done by the publishers and they're the ones who distribute them to potential reviewers. Sometimes errors are caught at this stage of the process and those might be corrected before the final print books go out. The reviewers don't typically send their reviews to the publisher--that goes directly to the publication for which they are doing the review so they find out about the bad ones at the same time as the good ones. My understanding is that they solicit blurbs from writers they think will like the book and whose opinion would be valued by potential readers as well as comments from the good reviews and then use those for cover quotes.

In my experience, even ARCs are pretty set in stone, as far as content. I reviewed one three months before pub date that had a HUGE timeline error--it looked like the author had roughly combined two scenes into one and it never got edited to get rid of clothing/setting/timeline inconsistencies. Anyway, when I let the author and publisher know, I got a very nasty letter stating that it was way to late for changes and that the average reader wouldn't see it anyway :inspect:. Other responses haven't been as nasty, but all say some variation of, "Tough luck."

Ms. Mod, I asked earlier (you probably missed it in the mosh): in your experience, what would authors prefer that reviewers do with completed ARCs? I have a shelf ful, because I feel weird doing anything else with them (and have a horror of throwing away perfectly good books--lol).
 
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Moderator

Ms. Mod
Administrator
Jul 10, 2006
52,243
157,324
Maine
In my experience, even ARCs are pretty set in stone, as far as content. I reviewed one three months before pub date that had a HUGE timeline error--it looked like the author had roughly combined two scenes into one and it never got edited to get rid of clothing/setting/timeline inconsistencies. Anyway, when I let the author and publisher know, I got a very nasty letter stating that it was way to late for changes and that the average reader wouldn't see it anyway :inspect:. Other responses haven't been as nasty, but all say some variation of, "Tough luck."

Ms. Mod, I asked earlier (you probably missed it in the mosh): in your experience, what would authors prefer that reviewers do with completed ARCs? I have a shelf ful, because I feel weird doing anything else with them (and have a horror of throwing away perfectly good books--lol).

If it involves a lot of rewrites, then those don't usually get fixed until possibly the second printing of the book unless they're so bad that it would mean a major rewrite. In that case, the editor should have caught it before it even got to the ARC--should have being the operative phrase as it still happens even with the best of editors--but the typo sort of mistakes can be fixed at that point. Maybe your comment ruffled their feathers because they realized they screwed up. ;)

Sorry, I did miss this earlier. I'm not sure what the publisher likes to have done with them but what they don't like is having them sold ahead of pub date. Have you ever offered to return the ARC to the publisher if it is in a time-frame that they could send it out to someone else? Once the book comes out for the general public, they're not as concerned with what happens to them. Maybe a used book store might be interested in taking them off your hands. dunno.gif
 

skimom2

Just moseyin' through...
Oct 9, 2013
15,683
92,168
USA
If it involves a lot of rewrites, then those don't usually get fixed until possibly the second printing of the book unless they're so bad that it would mean a major rewrite. In that case, the editor should have caught it before it even got to the ARC--should have being the operative phrase as it still happens even with the best of editors--but the typo sort of mistakes can be fixed at that point. Maybe your comment ruffled their feathers because they realized they screwed up. ;)

Sorry, I did miss this earlier. I'm not sure what the publisher likes to have done with them but what they don't like is having them sold ahead of pub date. Have you ever offered to return the ARC to the publisher if it is in a time-frame that they could send it out to someone else? Once the book comes out for the general public, they're not as concerned with what happens to them. Maybe a used book store might be interested in taking them off your hands. View attachment 1358

Maybe so! Or the library... I like the idea of returning them, as well. You have my brainwheels working now. Thanks!
 

skimom2

Just moseyin' through...
Oct 9, 2013
15,683
92,168
USA
More good ideas! I wasn't sure what the thinking was post publication--everything I get when I get ARCs notes that they are for review purposes only and aren't to be sold, etc. Makes sense that after pub it would be okay to pass them around, though. I'm an inveterate rule-follower--lol
 

Neesy

#1 fan (Annie Wilkes cousin) 1st cousin Mom's side
May 24, 2012
61,289
239,271
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Its a real bummer, aye. :(

Who knows, though - with media rate/budget shipping, it might be worthwhile, for a small batch of paperbacks....

I'm NOT a fan of shipping ANYthing without a confirmation code/insurance, but it can be a jab to the gonads when its time to once again ship 10+ Pratchett paperbacks to my buddy in the Netherlands. :sulkiness:
Where you from @Uncle_CreepShow? I notice you said "aye" =D