Why should I use a service to send out ARCs / review copies?
Ok, so hopefully you are sold on the idea that sending ARCs is a valuable addition to your book marketing toolbox. But why should you use a third party service to send out ARCs?
Grow Your ARC / Street Team
If you don't have your own fan reader list, sending out review copies via an outside service like ours is probably your best alternative. It will save you hours of reaching out to potential reviewers on your own. Hours that you could spend writing your next book.
Furthermore, we are always fine-tuning our processes to make the reader experience as friendly as possible. Little things like the ability to download your book directly to Kindle, ability to see your book's details all in one place across different devices, and getting reminded to leave a review... matter a lot.
Even if you have a mailing list and a system in place, there are advantages to using an outside service like ours. Here are a few:
- Your fans are your most likely buyers. They have joined your list and have expressed interest in what you publish. By sending them a free review copy, you are losing a likely sale and a potential verified review on Amazon.
- Your fans are not as disciplined about leaving reviews. We can't speak for everyone, but we regularly hear authors complaining about how their mailing list's review rates are in the ~15 to 25% range. Our system is carefully designed to cater to readers who enjoy writing reviews, so you are not squandering away free copies with no return.
- Your fans are more likely to be biased. Either they will never write anything bad by habit or they may feel pressured to write something positive so they can remain on your list. As Amazon's algorithms get more sophisticated at spotting biased reviews, your fans' reviews may be increasingly at risk of being taken down in the future.
- Peace of mind. You should focus on what you do best — writing your next book. Let us worry about reviews while you play to your strengths.
Save Time and Manual Effort
If you were to manage your ARC distribution on your own, you would need to probably do the following:
- Use email or a web form to track sign ups
- Manually vet readers who signup to ensure they are not just looking for freebies
- Deliver your files to readers who make the cut
- Address any technical issues that arise due to the myriad for reading devices out there
- Followup with readers, reminding them to leave a review
- Track who leaves a review and who doesn’t so you can be smarter about who gets future ARCs
Quite the time commitment, huh? You might be able to use services to help you for some of those steps. But still, it feels like a lot, especially if you want to do things right and put your absolute best foot forward.
The good news is that BookSirens automates all of those steps for you and more, saving you hours of administrative work. With BookSirens, the only thing you need to do is submit your book to us and share the landing page we make for you with your readers / reviewers. This takes 30 minutes tops. If you're planning to bring your own readers, we do this at no monetary cost to you, no matter how many books you add or how many readers download your books.