Running an ARC campaign
For authorsUpdated 3 min read
Studio, Campaigns, New campaign walks through the book, dates and reader spots, ideal readers (genres, tropes, languages, regions, requirements), delivery (formats, files, your message) and how to launch (draft, scheduled, or now). Applications gather under Applications with each reader's match and reliability; approve or decline one by one or in batches, and every decision notifies the reader.
The short answer
Setting it up
Studio › Campaigns › New campaign is a wizard:
- Which book: a published or coming-soon book of yours.
- When it runs, and for how many readers: a start date, a review deadline after it, and the number of reader spots.
- Who it is for: the ideal readers (genres and tropes, languages, regions; at least one language and one region), a minimum of published reviews an applicant must have (zero or more), and the requirements readers agree to (complete the short feedback form after reading, cross-post the review to at least one retailer or review site), plus optional external links with a label. The match readers see on the campaign is computed from this. Here you can also tick the verified badge types you approve automatically (Verified professional badges); a giveaway has no such option.
- How will readers get it?: under How readers get the book, tick Read on Booklabria (the file stays on the server, readers open the book here or in the app, you see progress by chapter), Protected download (readers download the EPUB or PDF up to five times, every EPUB watermarked, you see downloads) and/or Send to Kindle (we e-mail the watermarked EPUB to the reader's own Kindle address, up to five times, you see that it was sent); with two or more ticked, each approved reader picks one; the formats you offer (EPUB, PDF; reading on Booklabria and Send to Kindle need the EPUB); the files; and a message to your readers: what they should know before they start. Warmth welcome; honesty required. See ARC delivery and tracking.
- Review and launch: save as draft (nothing goes live), schedule (applications open on the start date) or publish now (readers can apply at once). Opening a campaign tells everyone following your pen name that an ARC is available; that announcement cannot be undone.
Upload the files on the campaign's Delivery tab before you approve anyone (ARC delivery and tracking).
Applications
Requests gather on the campaign's Applications tab and, across all campaigns, under Studio › Applications. Each shows the reader's match against your ideal readers, their ARC reliability (on-time reviews, set-down copies, active ARCs now, completed campaigns; a new reader shows as such, which is not a mark against them) and their history with you. Sort by best match, most reliable or newest; filter by state.
Approve one at a time or approve selected in a batch: approved readers are notified and can open, download or receive their copy. Decline: the reader is told the request was not approved, and it does not affect their reputation. Once every spot is filled the campaign says All spots filled.
While it runs
- Pause: new applications close; current applicants keep their status; resume any time.
- Close for good: no new applications and it stops showing as open; readers who already have the copy keep it and their deadline and can still post reviews. Closing cannot be undone.
- Write an announcement: an ARC announcement entry in the Journal puts the campaign in your followers' feeds.
- Extension requests: a reader may ask for more time before their deadline; under Studio › Applications, approve with this date, propose a different date, or decline. The approved date is what their reliability measures against.
Suspended accounts cannot apply, and a campaign whose owner is suspended stops issuing downloads. Readers find campaigns on the book's page and under Discover › ARCs; see Requesting an ARC for their side.
Where this lives
Related
- Verified professional badges: Librarians, booksellers, book reviewers, media and educators can apply under Settings › Professional verification for a verified badge, one type per application, with a confirmed work e-mail or a public link as proof. We usually decide within 3 working days, documents are deleted once we decide, and a badge lasts a year. You choose who sees it in Settings › Privacy › Professional badge. An author can tick the types they approve automatically when readers request an early copy.
- ARC delivery and tracking: You choose per campaign how readers receive the book: Read on Booklabria (the file stays on the server, readers open it on the site or in the app, and the Reading tab shows progress by chapter, who finished and where readers stop, as counts), a Protected download (signed links that expire after fifteen minutes, five downloads per approval, every EPUB watermarked) or Send to Kindle (we e-mail the watermarked EPUB to the reader's own Kindle address, five sends per approval). Tick one or more; with two or more, each approved reader picks one. Upload the EPUB or PDF on the Delivery tab; reading on Booklabria and Send to Kindle need the EPUB. The Activity tab notes approvals, downloads and reviews as they happen; the analytics funnel shows how many downloads became reviews.
- Publishing your first book: Create a book from Studio, Books, New book, with its synopsis, up to three genres and six tropes, content level and warnings, language, page count and a cover (uploaded, or a pattern with the title drawn on). It starts as a draft only you can see; set it to Coming soon (with a date) or Published when ready. Add a sample and buy links from the edit page; archiving takes it off the catalog without deleting anything.
- Requesting an early copy: When an author runs an active campaign, the book page shows Request this copy and the **Early copies** page lists it under **Free early copies** with the reasons it fits you; a request carries a short note, waits for the author's decision, and can be cancelled while pending. There is no waitlist.
- Early copy reviews and your follow-through: An early copy review follows one extra rule, honesty; your follow-through counts reviews (or honest set-downs) and on-time reviews, never how kindly you rate. Set a book down from My early copies rather than going silent; ask for more time before the deadline.
- Several campaigns at once: On the Publisher plan, Studio, Campaigns lets you pause, resume, close and export up to 25 campaigns at once, decide the requests of every campaign of a pen name in one queue, and create campaigns for several books from one template. Every campaign, request and book answers for itself on its row. The export is one CSV of the approved readers and their reviews; a held review exports as held only, and review text, readers' notes, match scores and e-mail addresses are never in it. During the beta every author tool is unlocked, this one included.
Was this helpful?
Still stuck?
Still stuck? Ask Booklabria AI
It reads this article and the ones around it, and cites its source.
Write to a person
Support reads every note, with this article attached so the team knows what you already read.
Contact support