Advance Reader Copies (ARCs)

What Is an ARC?

An Advance Reader Copy is an early, gated release of a book. Instead of publishing to everyone, the author sets the book's visibility to Approved Readers Only and offers it to a smaller group of readers who agree to read it and post a public review.

Compared to a normal book on Wisppal, an ARC:

• Can only be opened once you've claimed it - claiming is your promise to read the book and review it.
• May have requirements you need to meet before you can claim it (see below).
• May be invite-only, meaning the author has listed specific readers by email or username.
• May be watermarked on every page, and may allow you to download the PDF - both are the author's choice.

Tip: Only claim an ARC you genuinely intend to read and review. Unreviewed claims count against you and can pause your access to new ARCs.

Finding ARCs

There are three ways an ARC reaches you:

• The ARCs tab. Go to Library → ARCs to browse every advance copy currently on offer.
• An email invite. If an author added your email address to their approved readers list, you'll get an invite email with a link straight to the book. Invite links stop working 30 days after they're sent if you haven't accepted, so don't leave it too long.
• A notification. If an author invited you by username, the invite arrives in your Wisppal notifications.

Book covers carry small badges so you can tell what you're looking at:

• ARC - an advance copy open to any eligible member.
• Invite-Only ARC - the author has set an approved readers list; only the readers on it can claim it.

You can browse ARCs while logged out, but you'll need to sign in to claim and read one.

ARC Requirements

Authors are trusting you with an unreleased book, so they can ask for a few things before you claim it. If you don't meet a requirement, the book page tells you exactly which one is missing. The options an author can choose from are:

• A profile with a website URL
• At least 1 social media profile
• A custom profile picture (not a default themed avatar)
• An Amazon profile link
• A GoodReads profile link
• A BookBub profile link
• A Litsy profile link
• A 75%+ ARC feedback ratio
• A minimum membership length - any, 1, 3, 6 or 12+ months on Wisppal

Most of these are fixed in a minute from your profile settings - add your links, and a profile picture, and you'll qualify for far more ARCs.

Note: Requirements only apply to open ARCs. If an author invited you directly by email or username, you're on their approved readers list and can claim it regardless.

Claiming an ARC

Open the ARC's book page. Instead of the book you'll see a short panel telling you where you stand:

• You're eligible - click “Claim advance copy” and the book opens immediately.
• You've not met the requirements - the panel lists which ones, so you know what to fix.
• You have advance copies still waiting on a review - your claiming is paused until you catch up (see Feedback Ratio below).

Claiming records your promise to review the book, so it's a deliberate step rather than something that happens just by opening the page. Once you've claimed, the ARC stays in your Library → Claimed ARCs tab and access never expires - you can come back and finish it whenever you like. The author is notified when you claim.

Reading & Downloading an ARC

An ARC reads exactly like any other book in the Wisppal flipbook reader - page turns, zoom, full-screen, Read Mode and keyboard shortcuts all work the same way. See Using the Flipbook Reader for the full rundown. Two things are different:

• Watermarks. If the author turned watermarking on, every page is stamped to mark it as an advance copy. This is normal and isn't a display fault.
• Download. If the author allows it, a Download button appears in the reader toolbar so you can read the PDF offline. If there's no Download button, the author has chosen not to offer one.

You can rate an ARC once you've claimed it - the star rating is hidden until then, since only readers with a claim can rate it.

Please don't share it. An ARC is an unpublished book. Don't re-post, forward or upload the file anywhere - the watermark identifies it as an advance copy.

Submitting Your Review

When you reach the end of the book, the Share your review prompt opens automatically. You can also open it any time from the “Submit your review” button below the reader.

Here's how it works:

• Post your review publicly wherever you like - Goodreads, Amazon, TikTok, Instagram, X, YouTube, your own blog.
• Paste the link to it into the prompt and submit. If the author has social links on their profile, they're shown in the prompt so you can tag them.
• The author is notified and reviews your submission. They can verify it, or reject it with a short reason (for example, a broken or private link) - you'll get a notification either way.
• If it's rejected, just fix the problem and resubmit using the “Update your review” button. There's no deadline on resubmitting.

Submitting your link stops the review clock straight away - you're not penalised while the author looks at it.

Tracking Your ARCs

Library → Claimed ARCs lists every advance copy you've claimed, with a badge showing where each one stands:

• Awaiting Review (yellow) - you've claimed it but haven't submitted a review link yet.
• Review Submitted (grey) - your link is with the author, waiting on their decision.
• Review Verified (green) - the author accepted your review. Done!

Books stay in this tab even if the author later opens the book up to everyone, so you always have a record of what you claimed.

Feedback Ratio & Keeping Access

Your ARC feedback ratio is simply the number of ARCs you've had a review verified for, divided by the number you've claimed. It appears on your profile's About page once you've claimed 3 or more ARCs - below that there isn't enough history to judge, so it isn't shown or used against you.

Two things to keep in mind:

• A claim with no review submitted after 14 days is counted as overdue.
• If you have 2 or more overdue ARCs, or you've claimed at least 3 and your ratio has dropped below 50%, new claims are paused until you catch up.

Nothing is deleted and there's no penalty beyond the pause - submit reviews for the ARCs you already have and you can claim again. Only reviews the author has verified count toward your ratio, which is why it's worth posting a real, findable public review.

Good to know: If an author later turns their ARC into a normal book, any review you still owed on it is cleared - no penalty. Reviews you've already had verified still count in your favour.

For Authors: Publishing an ARC

ARCs are available to every author on Wisppal - you don't need a Premium plan. Upload your book as normal (see Uploading Books), then on the book details step:

1. Set “Who can view this book?” to Approved Readers Only.
2. Open the Advance Reader Copy (ARC) section below and choose your settings.

The settings available to you are:

• Watermark every page - stamps every page of the PDF as an advance copy. Applied automatically while your book is being processed.
• Let approved readers download the PDF - adds a Download button in the reader for readers who have claimed. If the watermark is on, the downloaded file is watermarked too.
• Approved readers (optional) - invite readers by email address and/or by Wisppal username. Leave both empty and your ARC is open to any member who meets your requirements; add anyone here and only those readers can claim it. You can add up to 50 email invites and 200 readers in total per book.
• Reader requirements - tick the boxes a reader must meet (website, socials, profile picture, Amazon/GoodReads/BookBub/Litsy links, 75%+ feedback ratio) plus a minimum membership length. These only apply to an open ARC - invited readers always get in.

A few rules worth knowing before you publish:

• ARCs can't be scheduled. An ARC goes live as soon as it's processed, and invites are sent at that point.
• You can't turn an already-published book into an ARC. ARC visibility can only be chosen when you first publish, or while the book is still a draft.
• You can always take a book out of ARC. Switching to a normal visibility at launch is the expected flow - any outstanding review obligations are cleared for your readers, and reviews already verified are kept.

For Authors: ARC Analytics

Your Analytics → ARCs tab (also reachable from the “View ARC Performance” button on your own ARC's page) shows, per book:

• Reads, average read time and completions
• Claims, how many readers saw the review prompt, and reviews received
• A per-reader table - look a reader up by email or username to confirm whether someone you invited has actually claimed and read the book

This is also where you handle review submissions: open a reader's row to verify their review, or reject it with a short reason so they know to resubmit. Only verified reviews count toward that reader's feedback ratio, so do keep on top of the queue.

Common Questions

Does claiming an ARC cost anything?

No. ARCs are free to claim, and free to offer.

Do I lose access if I take too long to read it?

No. Once you've claimed an ARC it stays in your Claimed ARCs tab and you can read it whenever. The 14-day window only affects your feedback ratio and whether you can claim new ARCs.

Does my review have to be positive?

No. Authors are asking for an honest public review. Post what you actually thought - just make sure the link works and the review is publicly visible.

I clicked my invite link and it didn't work.

Invite links expire 30 days after they're sent if the invite hasn't been accepted, and each one is tied to the address it was sent to. Ask the author to re-invite you, or get in touch via the contact form.

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