Requesting an ARC
For readers and authorsUpdated 2 min read
When an author runs an active campaign, the book page shows Request this ARC and the ARC hub lists it under Opportunities with your openly computed match; a request carries a short note, waits for the author's decision, and can be cancelled while pending. There is no waitlist.
The short answer
What an ARC is here
An ARC (advance reader copy) is a protected file an author delivers to readers who agreed to read and review, before or around a launch. On Booklabria the whole thing happens in one place: the author runs a campaign, you request, the author decides, the file arrives through a protected link, and your review carries the ARC reader badge. It costs nothing, and readers never pay for anything here.
Finding campaigns
- The ARC hub (ARCs in the top bar) lists open campaigns under Opportunities, each with your match.
- Home › ARC Opportunities shows the same, as a tab of your feed.
- A book with an active campaign shows Request this ARC on its page, with the campaign's review deadline, formats (EPUB, PDF), remaining slots, requirements and a note from the author.
Your match is computed openly from your genres, tropes and language against the campaign's targeting. It informs the author; it never decides for them.
Requesting
- On the book page (or from the hub), press Request this ARC.
- Write a note to the author (up to 500 characters): why this book, and how you review. A sentence or two is plenty.
- Send request. The button reads Request sent.
If a requirement is not met or the slots are gone (Campaign full), the request is disabled with the reason. There is no waitlist: watch the hub, campaigns reopen when an author widens them.
After you request
Track it under My requests on the ARC hub:
- Pending: waiting on the author. Cancel request withdraws it; you can request again while the campaign stays open.
- Approved: the copy is yours to download (see Downloading your ARC); the book lands on your ARC Reads shelf.
- Declined: the author chose others; nothing about it is held against you.
You are told of the decision under the bell (and by e-mail at once if ARC e-mails are on: they are never held for the digest). See ARC reviews and your reliability for what happens after you read.
Where this lives
Related
- Downloading your ARC, and how the file is protected: An approved ARC downloads from My requests through a link that expires fifteen minutes after it is issued; each approval allows five downloads, every one logged; the file is never at a public address. If a link expires, ask for a fresh one; if you reach the limit, write to the author or support.
- ARC reviews and your reliability: An ARC review follows one extra rule, honesty; your reliability measures follow-through (reviewed, or honestly set down) and on-time reviews, never how kindly you rate. Set a book down from My requests rather than going silent; ask for more time before the deadline.
- Setting your reading preferences: Your genres, tropes, language and the content you avoid shape recommendations, your feed and your ARC matches. Set them in the onboarding wizard (every step skippable) and change them any time under Settings › Profile.
- Getting started as a reader: The first hour with a reader account: the five-step onboarding, where Home, Discover, Circles, Charts, ARCs and Library are, what to do first, and where your settings live.
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