Writing Craft Guide

How to Build an ARC Team

An ARC team (Advance Reader Copy team) is a curated group of readers who receive pre-publication copies of your books in exchange for honest reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, and other platforms. Unlike a street team (which does promotional work), an ARC team's primary function is review generation. The quality of your ARC team — how consistently they read, how reliably they post, how well-matched they are to your genre — determines how strong your launch day review count will be.

10–30 readers

Optimal ARC team size

Consistent posters

What to prioritize when recruiting

6 weeks before launch

When to send ARCs

Build an ARC team that actually delivers

ARC team vs. street team — know the difference

An ARC team and a street team are two distinct programs with different expectations. ARC team members receive pre-publication copies of your book and post honest reviews on retail and reading platforms. Street team members do promotional work: sharing posts, recommending your books in communities, amplifying your marketing. Some readers do both, but the roles should be communicated separately. Combining them into one program with mixed expectations leads to confusion about what readers are signing up for and what you are asking of them.

Recruiting ARC team members

The best sources for ARC team recruitment are your existing newsletter list, genre reader groups on Facebook, BookTok and Bookstagram communities, and Goodreads groups dedicated to your genre. Post a clear call for ARC readers that specifies your genre, release date, and what you are asking. Require an application rather than a simple click — even a brief form with two or three questions filters out low-commitment sign-ups and helps you find readers who are genuinely matched to your work.

Vetting ARC readers before they join

Not every reader who applies will be a reliable reviewer. Before accepting someone, check their Goodreads or Amazon profile for a consistent reviewing history. Look for reviews posted within a few weeks of reading, written in enough detail to be useful to other readers, and spread across multiple books rather than clustered in obvious bursts. Ask directly about their reviewing history. The goal is not to be selective for its own sake — it is to build a team where most members actually post, which protects the program's value for everyone.

Managing ARC distribution — formats, timing, reminders

Send ARCs six weeks before launch day. Offer both ebook formats (epub and mobi) and be clear about where you want reviews posted — Amazon, Goodreads, or both. Use a service like BookFunnel or StoryOrigin to distribute files cleanly and track who has downloaded the book. Send a reminder two weeks before launch and one more a few days out. Keep reminders friendly, not pressuring — a single sentence that says “reviews go live on [date]” is enough.

What to do when ARC readers don't post

Some percentage of ARC readers will not post regardless of how well you vet and remind them. This is normal. Do not chase readers who go quiet beyond one polite reminder. Track who follows through across multiple books and build your core team around consistent posters. Over time, you will identify the 10 to 15 readers who are genuinely reliable — those are your anchor members. Keep recruiting to maintain volume, but invest your relationship energy in the people who show up consistently.

Growing your ARC team over a series

A series gives you a natural mechanism for ARC team growth. Each new book is an opportunity to add new members, retire inactive ones, and deepen relationships with your core reviewers. Readers who follow the series and post reviews for every book are your most valuable asset — acknowledge them publicly, give them first access to future books, and treat them as insiders. By book three or four, a well-managed ARC team compounds: each launch builds on the last, and review counts accumulate across the series rather than resetting.

Write your book with iWrity

iWrity helps you write books worth reviewing. Plan your series, hit your deadlines, and launch with confidence.

Start for free

Frequently Asked Questions

Are ARC team reviews compliant with Amazon's Terms of Service?

Yes, provided you give the book for free with no strings attached and the reviewer discloses that they received a free copy in exchange for an honest review. Amazon's policy prohibits reviews that are paid for or that require a positive opinion — it does not prohibit honest reviews from readers who received a complimentary copy. The required disclosure is standard practice in publishing.

How do you find ARC readers who actually post their reviews?

Before accepting someone onto your ARC team, check their Goodreads or Amazon reviewer profile. Look for a history of reviews posted within a reasonable timeframe of reading. Genre reader groups on Facebook, BookTok, and Bookstagram are good recruitment grounds. Ask applicants directly: “How many ARCs have you reviewed in the past six months?” A reader who can answer that question specifically is likely to follow through.

Should you pay ARC team members?

No. Paying ARC team members in exchange for reviews violates Amazon's policies and can get reviews removed or accounts flagged. The compensation is the free book and early access. Some authors offer non-review perks — swag, exclusive content, recognition — but these should be clearly disconnected from the act of reviewing.

What should you do with negative ARC reviews?

Nothing. Negative reviews from ARC readers are honest feedback that you solicited by asking for honest reviews. Do not ask readers to change their reviews, do not remove them from the team for posting critically, and do not respond to negative reviews publicly. A mix of ratings actually increases perceived authenticity. Use critical feedback privately to inform your next book.

How do ARC team reviews differ from NetGalley reviews?

ARC team reviews come from readers you have recruited personally and who are matched to your genre and readership. NetGalley distributes ARCs to a broad pool of reviewers, many of whom are librarians, booksellers, and media contacts rather than regular readers. NetGalley reviews tend to skew more critical and professional; ARC team reviews tend to be warmer and more representative of your actual reader base. Both are valid, but they serve different purposes.