Book Conditions & Formats

Advance Reader's Copy (ARC)

Quick definition

An advance reader's copy, or ARC, is an uncorrected pre-publication edition sent free to reviewers, booksellers, and librarians, printed with a notice stating it is not for sale.

ARCs turn up constantly at library book sales because librarians receive them in volume. They usually have plain or simplified covers, a printed line reading 'Uncorrected Proof' or 'Advance Reader's Copy — Not for Sale', and sometimes a publication date and marketing plan printed on the back.

Because they carry a not-for-sale notice, major marketplaces including Amazon prohibit listing them, and eBay restricts them. Selling ARCs can put a seller account at risk, so they are best treated as reading copies or giveaways.

There is a narrow collector market for ARCs of books that later became notable, particularly signed proofs, but that value is realized through specialist channels rather than general marketplaces.

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