A Publisher's Conversation with Authors: To ARC or to Release

 

It is Tuesday. Monday's madness is over, and Wednesday will take us over the hump, so Tuesday it is--for some serious discussion with authors. Tuesday talks mean to address authors in waiting and self-published authors who would like to go a more traditional route or who would at least like to take their steps with a publisher by their side.

Today's topic is one that you do not see discussed very often, and it should be. Authors are always faced with the question of when to release a book. Release does not have to happen immediately. It can come after a period of putting out an Advance Review Copy (ARC). Some publishers routinely put out ARCs, but that may not be the right answer for any given author. So, let's take a look at each option.

ARC 

As with anything else in life, there are both upsides and downsides to producing an ARC and waiting through a 6-month or so period prior to releasing a book. Here are some of them; you might be able to think of others (or have experienced others).

• Upsides include
• the opportunity for pre-publication reviews -- they can add a considerable number of sales to the total of the first few months; they can also position a book launch for success
• time to get ready for a launch
• time and the chance to build a readership ready for your book (a tried-and-true approach to ultimate success)
• being able to be in control of dates for important dates (if your book is associated with a holiday or would sell well on a holiday, you can put out teasers in advance, take pre-orders, and be ready to have readers receive the book right on time)
• Downsides include
• lost time - if you are not waiting for a specific time or event, you can end up losing time after a book is ready for sales but you are holding back or just taking pre-orders
• waster time - if you spend a lot of time trying to get pre-publication reviews (which are harder and harder to get because there are fewer sources and geometrically greater competition post-covid)
• assumptions that do not work out:
• Pre-orders are greater than first-day orders -- not always true, and sometimes people pre-order and then change their minds
• Pre-orders will bring readers in -- not always true and sometimes difficult: if a book signing is held at a bookstore, often that store will not allow books purchased elsewhere ahead of time to be brought in for signature so you might very well get no more of a crowd than you would have with immediate release

Immediate Release (without ARC) 

Immediate release is basically "here you go, ready or not." Without an ARC planning period in which you have a definite book at the ready, you will need to do the planning in advance and be ready to launch with a bang once the book is released. Of course, you can push out the release date to a date that is advantageous for you.

Bottom line: There are pros and cons to both approaches: ARC and no ARC. Each author will need to examine his or her own situation, needs, desires, and advantages and make that determination (unless, of course, the publisher has a policy).

Lesson for today's Tuesday talk: Don't make assumptions, and don't follow blind policies. Figure out what is the best release date for your book and then determine whether you want an ARC, based on whether you have ways in which to use that period of time advantageously. (Even if it is only to play catch-up -- though, of course, that is not advised. It is always best to "be prepared.") 

 Read more posts about publishing HERE.

The Tuesday talks reflect real discussions between the management of MSI Press LLC and our own authors or those would-be authors who come through our doors but don't make the cut--yet. If you have a topic that you would like addressed, leave the question in the comment section. Chances are, in our 18 years of publishing first-time and experiences authors, we have had a conversation with one of our authors that we can share with you.

                             

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