I get asked all the time, “how do you get books for free?” Well, friend, I finally sat down to lay it all out for you! It’s not an overnight process, but if you’re consistent with working toward this goal, you can definitely begin to receive free books too!
Over the past six years, I’ve worked to build online platforms like this blog, Instagram, TikTok, and email newsletter that reach bookworms all over the world! Publishers leverage influencers like me to help spread the word about books they are releasing! Don’t worry if you don’t have a large social media following, you can still receive free advanced copies through other avenues!
Let’s start with WHY publishers send out early copies of free books:
Publishing is a quick turn over industry and the market is saturated with new books that release each Tuesday. Great news for readers – yay for constant new releases! Much more difficult for publishers to ensure their new releases make it to the top each week. Not only do individual publishing houses often have multiple books publishing on the same day that compete against each other, they’re also competing against every other publishing house releasing new titles.
The competition alone can make for a very difficult book launch, especially when this cycle happens week after week. The first week of sales is the most important measure of a book’s predicted success. This includes pre-orders, publishing day sales, and publishing week sales. It encompasses physical, audio, and digital copies of the book.
So, what do publishers do to get a book out there before this vital selling time?
They run marketing and publicity campaigns before the book hits shelves! Marketing before the book is released is crucial to building familiarity and success of a book’s debut. A few things these campaigns include are:
- Marketing emails from publishers with upcoming titles that encourage pre-orders.
- Submitting titles to subscription companies like Book of the Month for selection consideration. These companies have niche, loyal audiences that generate large-scale, steady sales. I’ve personally been a member for seven years and love it! You can use this link to try it for $5!
- Submitting titles to celebrity book clubs for selection consideration. Similar to subscription companies, these book clubs have loyal audiences that help generate higher sales and plenty of social media buzz.
- Releasing a “chapter sampler” of the book in digital formats to give readers an early taste of the book.
- Sending advanced copies to influencers – this is what you’re here to learn more about!
What’s an early reader?
It’s pretty self-explanatory – A reader with early access to books before Pub Day. Publishers send out advanced reader copies (ARCs) in the hopes that readers will read and share about the book prior to its release. Although publishers cannot require you to read and share about the book when it is a gift, this technique is very beneficial to their strategy of increasing familiarity of a book through social media and review sites like Goodreads and NetGalley!
ARCs can come in three forms – physical, audio, and digital (ebooks). You may have heard that you must start out by receiving digital copies of advanced copies. This is not necessarily true, but it may be the quickest way to start getting them. More on that in a minute!
Reading influencers have done the leg work of building a niche audience that looks to them for recommendations on their next read. Influencers may read and review the book, but they may also share it in different ways! Often, they will share things like book mail unboxings, posts about books publishing that month, or even just a “thank you” to the publisher for sending them a copy of the book. Each of these pieces of content are touch points for building familiarity and intrigue for the title.
What’s the difference between physical, digital, and audio ARCs?
Digital ARCs are probably the most commonly distributed because it’s the most economical for the publisher and you don’t have to have a large social following to begin being approved. The most common platform for requesting digital copies is NetGalley.
Audiobook downloads are also very common review copies! You can also request audiobooks on NetGalley. As your account grows and you will be invited to apply for influencer mailing lists, be on the lookout for influencer audiobook lists too! More on that below!
Physical copies are probably the most coveted – Physical books (ARCs!) sent directly to you for free! A bookworm’s dream! This doesn’t happen overnight and usually requires quite a bit of commitment to building your own platform and audience.
This sounds amazing! How do I get connected to start receiving free books?
NetGalley Requests – the fastest way to get started
You can create a free account and begin requesting! Some books are listed as “Read Now” or “Listen Now” and do not require approval. There is a balance to keep in mind, though. Your “feedback ratio” is important to publishers. The more reviews you leave on NetGalley, the higher your ratio will be and the more likely that you will be approved for more titles. This is how most reviewers begin receiving advanced copies. You do not necessarily have to have a social media platform to be approved for advanced copies on NetGalley, making this the most accessible way to read and review early books.
Influencer mailing lists – including audiobooks
Once you’ve begun building a social media audience, you can start applying to individual publishing house’s influencer mailing lists. This is usually a once a year event, so follow and keep up with the publishing houses you’re interested in working with. Some have requirements on account size, so don’t be discouraged if you’re not accepted the first time around. There are other ways to get your foot in the door with physical copies. Publishers may also reach out to you via email or DM with individual offers for titles.
Email – download my free email template below
An email pitch to a publisher is a great way to request specific titles you’re interested in reading and reviewing. It’s also a great way to begin building your network of connections in the industry. You may be able to find the specific email of a book’s marketer via the publishing or author websites, but most often you’ll direct your first email to the general marketing email that can be found on the each publisher’s website. For example, marketing@whateverpublisher.com. It is someone’s job to be sure your email gets forwarded to the right person.
Be specific about which titles you’re interested in reviewing and be sure to follow up!
You can download my free email template below!
DM etiquette – what to do and not to do
Sometimes publishers will reach out to you! Isn’t that amazing?! This most often happens when there is a specific book that a marketer is looking to promote. The social media accounts of publishing houses are overseen by many employees. This is not the place to ask lots of follow up questions. If a marketer reaches out to you about a book, they will often send a sign up link for you to fill out or ask for your mailing address. Keep your response polite, short, and sweet! Something to keep in mind – it is not okay (or beneficial) for you to DM publishers asking for ARCs. One, it’s almost certainly not going to be seen by the right person. Two, it comes across unprofessional for you to reach out in that manner.
Yes, I know I just said they may reach out to you that way. It doesn’t work both ways.
Do only reading influencers receive free books?
No, but it certainly helps! You don’t have to have a large account to begin receiving ARCs! Having a dedicated space within the reading niche and being consistent with it is the best way to begin attracting the eye of publishers. Your account doesn’t have to be perfect or well-curated to start growing. Put yourself out there, let go of perfectionism, and embrace messy action! It may take a while for you to find your style – that’s perfectly fine!
Let’s recap: How do you get books for free?
- Have a voice for books and be willing to share it! This could be on social media platforms, Goodreads, or NetGalley.
- NetGalley is your best friend for digital and audiobook copies – be sure to keep your feedback ratio high!
- Email publishing house marketing departments and follow up! Get my free email template below!
- Build a social media account and apply for influencer mailing list applications from publishers!
- It’s not a good look to DM a publishing account requesting books. Put it in an email!
Let me know if you found this post helpful or if you have more questions on receiving gifted advanced copies of books from publishers!
