Free Books to Read and Review

You want to support your reading habit, but how? Or maybe you wish to advance your blog or Bookstagram book reviews.

How about receiving books for free? – It sounds fantastic, no?

How about receiving free books before they are published? – It sounds really fantastic, no?

Imagine that you have the rare opportunity to read the book before it is published and available for everyone to read. Considering that, let’s have a little debate….

Welcome to the fascinating world of ARCs. ARCs, or advanced reader copies, are free copies of unpublished publications sent in exchange for honest reviews.

Yes, you heard correctly: free books! 

Free books are obviously a big plus for readers, but this may also support the expansion of your review sites, such as Bookstagram, BookTok, and the old-fashioned classic book blogs.

Authors and publishers gain from providing ARCs to consumers since it creates content for marketing campaigns and increases anticipation for a book’s release.

The publisher and the ARC reader can communicate with each other via a variety of web channels. NetGalley is the one with which I have the greatest expertise. I’ll mention a few of its characteristics below, in no particular sequence.

You can be accepted as a reviewer on NetGalley right away for books that offer the Read now option. For these books, no request is necessary. Avoid taking on more than you can handle since failing to submit a review will undermine your credibility.

You may go through publishers and study their specifications as well. In this way, you are fully aware of what each of them anticipates from a reviewer and are able to behave accordingly. Both ebooks and audiobooks are available on NetGalley.

Additional trustworthy third-party websites where you may get ARCs are:

• Edelweiss — functions similarly to NetGalley, where applicants may submit requests to read and evaluate ARCs.
• Hidden Gems Books — Join the mailing list to receive emails about books that are available for review.
• LibraryThing Early Reviewers —Available ARCs are advertised by authors and publishers, and reviewers can apply to read them.
• Amazon First Reads —If you have Amazon Prime, you can read one book ahead of time each month.

It would be wonderful if you could share your review on social media, Amazon, or Goodreads… Your chances of receiving ARC copies increase as you write more reviews.

It should be noted that ARCs are not proofread. Whether they are electronic or bound physical copies of new works, they are often mostly finished. But they haven’t yet been made available for purchase to the general public.

Additionally, the final published book may include somewhat different text (to fix grammar issues and/or make modifications in response to early reviews). Once the book is finished and published, the format, binding, and dust cover could also change.

There are other additional websites that provide the same possibility in addition to the ones I listed. Of course, there are  BookLikes, Goodreads Giveaways, PublishersWeekly, and a plethora of additional contests.

You have nothing to lose by giving it a shot, it is only just a few clicks, and it still feels nice to receive free books. Just request and book and look forward to an email that begins with “Congratulations.” You have been chosen to obtain an early review copy of…