An ARC, or advance reading copy, is a pre-publication copy of a book that usually is released 3-6 months prior to a book's publication date in order to give book reviewers, major book chains and the like an opportunity to review a book's potential. ARCs generally do not have the format, binding or dustjacket of the final finished book. The text of an ARC also may differ from that of the final product if the ARC is edited before a book is published in its final form. If issued as uncorrected bound proofs, also known as galley proofs, the advance copy usually is larger than the finished product. Color is often found in ARCs, but galley proofs are usually black & white. A confidentiality agreement may be required of ARC recipients for controversial books or books for which a sizable audience is anticipated:
First Edition, First Printing of Raymond Chandler's Farewell, My Lovely, next to its Advance Reading Copy
As noted in Carter's ABC for Book Collectors, an advance reading copy does not represent "a first or early issue in the proper sense of the word," nor does it "prejudice in any way the firstness of the first edition as issued on the day of publication." That said, there nonetheless are many book collectors who prize ARCs as being closest in time (if not always in content) to an author's original manuscript. And because most ARC print runs rarely exceed a couple of hundred copies, this automatically gives them the scarcity so valued by many book collectors:
Galley proof of J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter & The Prisoner Of Azkaban next to its true First Edition, First Issue
Although their print runs usually are many times smaller, ARCs and galley proofs often are much less expensive than an equivalent First Edition, First Printing of the same title (especially during the first year or so of publication, when ARCs and galley proofs are most often available in the marketplace). For many advanced collectors, this alone makes ARCs as attractive as pollen to bees....
Recent Comments