How to Get ARCs & Start as a Reviewer

Want to become a book reviewer and start getting ARCs but don’t know where to start?

It’s probably easier than you think. The best place to start is just by talking about the books you’re reading. Post ratings and reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. If you want to go beyond that, you can create a profile on one or more social media sites. The most popular, from what I’ve seen, are Instagram, TikTok, and now Threads. Your posts don’t have to be fancy. Just talk about the books you’re reading and why you love them.

Ways to get ARCs

NetGalley & Booksirens

These are probably the easiest places to start. Both sites allow publishers and authors to list their upcoming titles for you to request. Netgalley will have mostly traditionally published books while BookSirens is more open to indie authors.

Signup directly with authors

Most indie authors will send out ARCs before they release books. They usually share those opportunities on social media and in their newsletters. Start by following your favorite authors there. You can also search social media to see if authors you may not be familiar with have open ARC campaigns. Some ideas of hashtags to search are:

• #arcreaderswanted

• #arcreadersneeded

• #arcreadersignup

• #arcreadersearch

• #arcteam

• #arcteamopenings

• #arcteamsignup

Author assistants and PR companies

They generally share when authors they work with have open ARC campaigns. But a lot of them (like me!) also have their own ARC reader master list that they notify when they have an ARC opportunity.

Facebook Groups

If you search on Facebook for “ARC readers,” you'll find a ton of groups that exist just to connect ARC readers with authors who need them.

Things to keep in mind

While getting free books is great for you, authors give out ARCs as a way to boost their books. If you get an ARC and like the book, make sure you actually share it. You don’t have to use social media if you don’t want to. But Amazon and Goodreads reviews really help authors reach new readers.

If you get an ARC and, for whatever reason, don’t like the book, that’s okay. You can still post an honest review. Just make sure you don't tag the author in the post if you share it on social media and be respectful.

Things not to do

• Do not ask authors to pay you for a review. It’s against Amazon’s TOS & it’s just icky.

• Don’t message authors out of the blue asking for a free book without even following or interacting with them.

• Unless they explicitly say they have paperback ARCs available, don’t ask for one instead of an ebook. They are not cheap for authors. 

• NEVER tag an author in a negative review on social media. I know I already said it, but you'd be surprised by how many people do it.