I just recently received an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of “The Kneebone Boy” by author Ellen Potter and I was really excited. The ARC is a copy of a book privately released by its publisher before the book is printed for mass distribution. In others words it’s like getting a sneak peak and enables you to see the book before it is released. These copies are not sold in stores.
Publishers do this for review purposes and to generate buzz. The role of the ARC was mentioned in author Jody Hedlund’s blog post about Influencers. Since these copies sometimes contain errors and text that will not be included in the final copy, ARC’s are often sought after by collectors.
When I attended Book Expo America in May, several publishing houses were giving out ARC’s for books that they were promoting, and I was able to pass some of them on to friends and family. If I go back next May you can be sure that I will make a point to try and collect more.
I will be reviewing “The Kneebone Boy” shortly after Labor Day. I have just begun reading the book, but let me tell you what I have read so far is very yummy!
**Spoiler Alert!**
Here is the tag for Chapter 1-
“In which we meet the Hardscrabbles, unearth a triceratops bone, and begin to like Lucia even more.”
Intrigued? Be sure to check back after Labor Day for a full review.
Suzanne Santillan
Writing on the Sidewalk
I’m finding that ARC’s can be a useful tool primarily for those in positions of power within the book world. An acqusitions woman for a major book chain read my ARC (sent to her by my publisher), and because she liked it, she bumped my book to the first page of their catalog!
But in the hands of ordinary readers, ARCs can be useful too in starting some buzz for the book.
Wow Jody, that’s wonderful news. I am looking forward to reading your book when it is released. Thanks for sharing an additional perk of an ARC.
[...] was fortunate to receive an advanced copy of the The Kneebone Boy (Feiwel & Friends, 2010) from author Ellen Potter a few weeks back. I [...]