Being able to read and review upcoming books before publication is a perk of running a book blog that I love. How doesn’t like free books? With Advanced Reader/Reviewer Copies (ARCs) comes responsibility because they are a publisher’s marketing tool to generate word-of-mouth buzz for a book. It’s exciting to be part of that. But every book reviewer needs a plan to manage ARC stress to avoid burnout.

It’s a “great problem to have,” but ARC-related stress is still stress and the best way to manage it is to get organized. Here are 5 tried and true methods to manage ARC stress that I’ve cultivated over the last four years.