Running an ARC campaign
For authorsUpdated 2 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.
- How readers get it: the formats you offer (EPUB, PDF) and a message to your readers: what they should know before they start. Warmth welcome; honesty required.
- 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 get download access. 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
- ARC delivery and tracking: Upload the campaign's EPUB or PDF on its Delivery tab; approved readers download through signed links that expire after fifteen minutes, five downloads per approval, never from a public address. 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 catalogue without deleting anything.
- Requesting an ARC: 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.
- 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.
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