Saturday, January 14, 2012

Saturday Discussions: ARC Tours

Recently, I was approached by Shannon over at Stalking the Bookshelves to help her run an ARC Tour for Southern Book Bloggers. Naturally, it got me thinking about ARC tours in general and I thought it might be a fun topic for this week.

So basically, I'm wondering what you guys think about ARC tours.

There are tons of them out there and they seem to come and go like the wind. I know that they can be really frustrating because things happen--books get lost in the mail, people don't follow the rules, and it can be hard to get that surprise package in the mail and only have a week to read a novel.

But I feel like ARC tours are a really good thing. The point of an ARC is for reviewers to review it. If the ARC is not getting into reader's hands and getting talked about then it's kind of pointless. I've read plenty of articles talking about how ARCs actually cost more to produce than the books. And think about this, the publisher isn't getting any money back for those little suckers. So they have to make them and then pay to mail them out. That's a bunch of money they are never going to see again and this is for every book they create.

I'm not saying I think ARCs are wrong. I think they are super cool! I'm just saying that I think ARC tour sites are amazing because they get this book out to a lot of readers with the intention of reviewing the book. I'm a slow reader so I don't join a lot of ARC tours but I can say that I'm always thankful when I do join one and things run smoothly.

So how do you feel about ARC tours? What are some pros or cons and what have you found that you really like? We could always use some help making our tour site better!

8 comments:

  1. I am a member of two ARC tour sites, cant join yours cause Im in Oklahoma (LOL)but I am really enjoying and appreciating the time and effort the coordinators put in to them. I can imagine that this is a time consuming effort with all the scheduling and such. It is hard at times to think you have to get a book read in a week, but am normally able to do this without any problem.The problem I have comes, Like recently, I was sent a book and got it read and then BOOM another on showed up before I could get that one read and mailed. I am doing fine with the reading but there were a few other books I had planned to read and they had to be pushed back. Once again NOT really a huge problem but frustrating. Also for some reason I seem to read slower KNOWING I have a time line, like remember in high school when they forced you to read a book and therefore you just really didnt want to read it and you didnt enjoy it as much? I have that problem sometimes. But I appreciate the fact that I am getting books that are coming out and getting them reviewed for my readers before hand. I am also a book hoarder and this is a great way to read and move the book out instead of clogging up my already clogged bookshelves. All in all, I think you have to know your reading habits, and really consider what you are asking to read. I really am picky when I ask for a book, and dont ask for alot at once, because I do not want to end up with books at my house that I can not possibly read in time, nor have a interest in ( Rambling now will shut up LOL )

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    1. Tee, you make some really good points. As far as the book hoarding goes, it doesn't help me any because I usually buy the book when it comes out. I feel the same way though about the time crunch thing and receiving two books back to back can be stressful.

      Also, you can join in. TX and OK are welcome to join the books tours!

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  2. I love ARC Tour sites. They're especially nice for newer bloggers that don't have a connection with publishers. And I agree with you exactly about publisher spending all this money on ARCs, and these tours give them the best exposure they could get, more bang for their buck. That's why when I receive a title that I know hasn't been donated to the tour site I use, I'll read it and then donate it so others can read and review it as well.

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    1. That's awesome! It's always good to get new ARCs into the hands of people that will read them!

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  3. I haven't yet joined an ARC tour but I have been thinking about it. Right now I am swamped and I have only come across two ARC tours yours and one for Pandemonium. The later was tempting but I was worried something might go wrong. The rules were really strict. And your is totally off limits since I live on the Oregon coast, nowhere near the south. But I will likely try one out in the future if I can get my TBR pile under control. I do try to give all my ARCs away after I finish them so they get more exposure.

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  4. I really enjoy participating in the ARC tours that I belong too! I have found some really great authors that I might not have otherwise. Reading and books are super important to me so supporting and promoting authors and their books is fun!! As far as copies that I receive if I were to get rid of any then I would definitely donate them to a worthy cause and share the love!

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  5. I my self am a big fast reader, but im not a part of ARCs tours. I would love to join but im not apart of the right crowds. I hav won a few ARCs & am very excited to tell my friends about the books. I think its a creat idea. But thats just me, I read em dont write em.

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  6. I tried to be part of a few ARC tours but have stopped. Mostly because it's stressful for me to have to read something that much on a time frame! I think the idea of them are fantastic tho!

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