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.
A Note About ARC Access
Before I dive into the post, I would be remiss to not mention the inherent privilege of ARC access – particularly to the point of being overwhelmed. For many readers outside of the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia, access to books is difficult. The issue of access is exacerbated with Advanced Review Copies (ARCs).
Learn more about the struggles of an international book blogger from Marie @ Drizzle Hurricane Books and consider the ways you can use your privilege to support and advocate for international readers.
How I Manage ARC Stress
This post has been sitting in my drafts since May 2019, shortly before I attempted my first ARC Ban (spoiler alert: it didn’t work). Over the years, I’ve tried a number of methods to tame ARC Mountain because let’s face it: I have self-control issues and mood reading leads to many slumps.
Keep a List of Review Obligations
There are many ways a reviewer can receive books for review and it is easy to lose track of them if you don’t have a system in place. One of the first things that gave me ARC-related stress was the fear that I’d forget about a book I agreed to review.
One of the best ways to calm task-related stress is to create a list. Because I receive ARCs from various sources (authors, publishers, Netgalley, and Edelweiss), I needed a central place track them – thus the first iteration of my Reader Spreadsheet Template was born in mid-2018.
📊 Related Post: Grab a free copy of my Ultimate Reader Spreadsheet Template!
Consult List of ARCs Before Accepting/Requesting New Ones
Once you get into the habit of tracking all ARC obligations in one place, you can understand your current time commitments at a glance. This makes it very easy to determine if you have the bandwidth to accept the new book within your personal preferences. (I aim to review in the month prior to publication when possible.)
⏳ Related Post: Want to figure out how long it takes you to read a book? Check out the Bookly App and get organized with your reading!
The vast majority of the book blogging community review as a hobby in their spare time along their jobs, families, and school obligations. We all have varying amount of time and read at different paces, and the best way I’ve found to manage ARC stress is to carefully consider each book before adding it to my list.
You know how long it typically takes to read a book and how much time per day you are able to dedicate to reading in a perfect world. I refer the estimated amount of time available to read as “Unicorn Time” because no day or week works out as planned. Some days are busier than others. Others we are drained and unable to read. Slumps happen and sometime all you want to do is re-read your favorite books. Very few weeks work out as we expect, so when they do they are as rare as a unicorn!
Limiting ARC Requests
Limiting the number of ARCs you accept goes hand in hand with consulting The List of ARC Obligations. If you know at best you finish one book a week, it might make sense to limit yourself to no more than four ARCs per month. If you like to balance your backlist with ARCs, take that into consideration when setting your loose limits.
That’s right, I said loose limits. These are just guidelines and sometimes publishing conspires against us and publishes all the books you’re anticipating in the same month (or week). Depending on how much time you have before publication (next suggestion) and other factors only you can determine, you can choose to accept more than your guideline. The key is to know how many requests you have pending and make a conscious decision every time.
📝 Related Post: Unsure what to include in requests? Check out ARC Request Templates!
I personally began limiting myself to 4 ARCs per month in 2019, which has been cut in half since the pandemic. I’ve found limiting my ARCs per month has helped curb unweildy TBR piles of review obligations, but it’s also helped in unexpected ways. Most interestingly, I am now pickier with my ARC requests and as a result I don’t pick up as many ‘meh’ titles anymore. I go with the books I’m confident that I will love and steer clear of “my gut isn’t sold but it sounds kind of neat?” books (looking at you Rule).
Try to Request ARCs Months Before Publication
It’s a truth universally acknowledged that the further in advance you get your hands on a review copy, the more time you have to read it. This comes in very handy for me as a mood reader whose moods cannot be trusted to adhere to TBRs and reading schedules.
Having more time to read a book is useful and helps alleviate a lot of my ARC-related stress. Often times I read a book months in advance because the mood was right, and then I have the review ready for whenever I plan to schedule it. (But this also helps when you have review writing slumps as it gives you more time to write them.)
Writing Reviews Once a Book is Finished
If you have the memory of a goldfish like me, writing your reviews as soon after finishing them is crucial. This also allows for you to plan your reviews within your blog’s content schedule! I love writing my reviews really early and scheduling the post out.
A lot of the time though, I don’t write my full review right away because I also experience writing slumps (which are the literal worst). I always try to write a “word vomit” review draft after finishing a book where I don’t worry about the review’s grammar or flow. I get my immediate thoughts on the page with my favorite quotes and save it as a draft to capture my thoughts and feelings, and then go back to edit it into a finished review later.
⏳ Related Post: Want to begin taking notes while reading and don’t know where to start? Check out How I Annotate Books for Reviewing!
End Notes
I hope these methods help you manage ARC stress and maintain (or regain) your love of reading! We all started reviewing books because of our passion, but if you’re anything like me the stress sucks the fun out of it sometimes.
Ultimately the pressure we put on ourselves to read and review books is largely unfounded. Every publisher I’ve worked with over the years has understood and many don’t expect “timely reviews” anyway. Besides, I don’t think that it necessarily is in the book’s best interests to have all reviews published within a 6 week window. Since publishers tend to do their book marketing in the month prior and two weeks post publication, reviews posted weeks or months later serve an important role in getting the book out there to a new audience!
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❓ What are your tips for reducing ARC-related stress?
Kal, this is an excellent post. I feel like you and I think very similarly with respect to this topic and approach. I think the only thing out of this list I don’t do is keep a spreadsheet since I only use NetGalley, so it’s pretty simple to look up the pub dates on just one site. I was a bit heavy handed when I first got a NG account and I’m still digging myself out of that hole. I’ve made a lot of progress, though. But since then I’ve decided to be much more selective and only request ARCs that I’m really interested in. I’m also a big fan of giving myself as much lead time as possible, i.e., spacing books out and requesting ARCs spanning a long time rather than 4 “due” in the same month. Anyway, I think this will be a very helpful post to many!
Ahhh, thank you so much Celeste! I feel you on the Netgalley hole — it took me almost a year to get out from under the review obligation pile I did to myself when I first started. I just didn’t think I would be approved! Once you get more reviews in, it’s easier to maintain a high aspect ratio. Thanks for sharing what works for you!
I think one of the best things that has happened, it that we can now cancel ARC requests on both NG and EW. I did start tracking how many books I requested and keeping it to 12 per publication month, but it’s nice to have some control, to cancel outstanding requests for whatever reason.
OMG I totally agree – canceling Netgalley requests has been life-changing! One too many times was a request approved either on publication day or even once after publication. Like??? I am all for having a modicum of control. Thanks for sharing what works for you — 12 per month is impressive! I can’t keep up like that anymore, sadly.
This is a fantastic and helpful post! I used to keep track on my ARCs that I need to review, but then with NG making most of the ARCs as “wish for it”, I barely got ARCs anymore that I tend to review them on time 😂 It can still be a source of stress though, but having a list to consult is definitely helpful!
Thank you, Tasya! I’m sorry that your ARC options are limited but also yay that you’re mostly able to read on time!
A well thought out post.
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!
Limiting ARC requests and requesting them months before publication is honestly one of the most tried and true methods that I kept from the moment I signed up for Netgalley way back in the day while trying to manage high school life, although somehow that sort of fell through around 2016 and I’m kind of paying the price (though definitely not as dramatic as 100 ARCs).
One day I’ll get back to that habit again! I think having a Notion list also helps me as well in a way. Sometimes I’ll actually sign up for the blog tour for the ARC that I have, which sort of forces me to read the book? (Though sometimes that also backfires in my face, especially if I don’t like the book, but it’s a bonus if I love the book.)
All the time to wait for the right reading mood and not taking on too many are key — but that doesn’t mean I don’t have a backlog right now, oops. I think I have like 30+ from 2021 and earlier oops again.
Blog tours are a great way to follow through with that external motivation/timeline! It’s blown up in my face too many times so I don’t do that often these days. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
For me it went out of control since I started getting preapproved widgets and they usually comes very near to publication dates that leave very less time to read by timeline. Of course, I have choice whether to doanload it or not and it’s hard choice to make, I often end up downloading them all! So my only stratergy is not to worry about publications dates unless widget is sent with at least 2 months of time for me.
THE PREAPPROVED WIDGETS WILL BE THE DEATH OF ME! Literally that’s what gets me every time ahah. That’s a good strategy for you though, especially if the book is sent close to publication. I don’t think there’s really any harm to late reviews
We tend to get overwhelmed when we request too many books, but keeping a schedule is a great idea.
I too get overwhelmed, but sadly that doesn’t stop me sometimes — there are just too many books! Hope a schedule helps you out.
This is such a detailed post on how to avoid ARC stress. I feel like if you let it get to you then it can cause you to get into a book slump. For me, it’s maintaining my 100% feedback ratio and keeping it under five at all times. I try to never go above that number and I also only request books I would purchase myself. Because then I know it’s a book I am really interested in reading.
Oooh I love your personal rules for managing stress! I honestly wish I could only have like 5 at a time — it would certainly be a lot more manageable, but I do consider carefully if I really want to read the book or not. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Very helpful post. I kind of let my ARCs pile up and it is stressful at times!
Thank you and I hope some of these tips will help you in managing your own arc stress!
I don’t read that many ARCs in general (access is an issue for me haha), but I thought this was a really comprehensive and helpful post. If it really gets to the point where you feel overwhelmed by your obligations, having a list to consult can be such a life saver (in this context). Great post, Kal!
Aww thanks so much for reading and sharing your thoughts (and sorry you have poor arc access)! LISTS ARE LIFE SAVERS!
This is an AMAZING post!! I love all the different ways you’ve outlined to prevent becoming stressed out about ARCS. I started a Notion template to help me keep track and it’s done wonders for my mental so far!
Aww thank you SO MUCH, Kaya! I’m really happy to see you enjoyed it — I’ve been meaning to try notion out personally but I am so stuck in my spreadsheet ways haha. Glad you have something that works for you!
Gah, I remember when I had more access to ARCs back then. I think the upside of me starting my blog from scratch is I don’t tend to get approved as much as I did before. That kind of helped me control my requesting habits hahahahaha!
But I also tend to be pickier with the titles request. Most of the time, I only request books written by my favorite authors.
I think it is natural to get pickier with the titles we request the longer we’ve been reading & reviewing, too many books out there and not enough hours in a day. Silver lining with the less approvals there, haha!
That’s such a helpful post that hopefully aids many in reducing arc stress! I’m always stressing about them. I’ve tried to many ways to keep up with them but I haven’t found anything that works for a longer period of time 😀 How do you keep up the discipline to make your methods work? Because I definitely am weak when it comes to 3am requesting ;D
I am also ALWAYS stressing, so I’m glad you found this post helpful! Discipline is the hardest part for sure, especially at 3 a.m. when my willpower is at the weakest haha. My trick is I literally only go on Netgalley for specific books (or to submit reviews) and I never, ever browse. This requires knowing what books are upcoming that you want to prioritize, but for the most part it works well for me!
I never had a problem with too many ARC’s until I involved in another activity involving reading (like a seasonal game) and that threw me off. I think I spent too much time trying to figure out everything for that other activity and reading books that qualified for that, that my ARC’s fell off my radar and now, well I feel defeated. I did buy a calendar and I started to fill that in this year to help me get organized and that helped vs. looking at a spreadsheet. The ones from previous years, I really need to tackle and that’s my next project. Your post is great and has some excellent points – I really needed to read it and thanks for posting it. It has lit a fire within me again
Oh no, I can totally see how trying to fit reading into games & prompts would affect your ability to read! I’d feel defeated, too. I’m glad to see a calendar helped you — I have so many journals with the intention of using them for bookish things but for some reason I just don’t do it consistently. Thanks for reading & I’m glad you found the post helpful! YOU CAN DO IT!
Kal, this is SUCH a solid list of guidelines and I love it! Limiting the amount that I take on has been the hardest part of reviewing ARCs, but has been an effort well worth making – I’m so much less stressed now than I used to be over review copies! Also, seconding your point about not requesting/accepting anything we aren’t totally sold on… *sighs at Rule forever* 😂
Thank you so much for your comment, Destiny! Limiting is so HARD when there are so many books I want to read! I’m still behind because slumps but it isn’t insurmountable anymore, which is nice.
Rule will forever by in the back of my mind, asking if I really think this book is for me. I think our experience definitely helped me become better at not requesting books I’m unlikely to enjoy.
Such a great post, Kal! ❤️ I don’t get too many Arcs nowadays, but I still have some overdue books 😅 I track my Arcs with Notion and that definitely helps to keep an overview of everything! I have also gotten better at not requesting too much, though sometimes the mood for a requesting spree strikes me 😂
I also have overdue books… I feel like I will just always have some and it’s a fact of life now! Oooh tracking arcs on notion is a great idea, glad you have a method that works for you. Thanks for commenting and I feel you on the requesting sprees. I need to stop them lol
I needed to read this today! I am in a major reading slump after requesting too many tours. I can’t put those books on a back burner and catch up on them later, I have to read them in time for my tour commitment and it’s really sucking the fun out of reading.
I’ve also realised that I love buddy reading, my reading buddy is dyslexic so only listens to books, which means her arcs are very limited. Usually if there’s a book I really want to read, I really want to do a buddy read and if I have an arc, then I can’t do that and still review for publication date.
I really need to get on top of my review backlog and then rethink my arc strategy.
I’m so glad this post found its way to you when you needed it! I am in a similar spot right now as I’m coming out of a massive slump and now trying to figure out HOW to read & review all these books with my schedule decreased to once a week. That’s a big reason I don’t sign up for tours anymore… it stresses me out to have the deadline. I hope you’re able to enjoy the books you need to read!
Buddy reading is so fun! I should do them more often tbh haha. Thanks for stopping by!