ARC readers vs beta readers: what each one does, and when you need them
Both read your book before the public does, and the two get confused all the time. Beta readers read a draft and tell you what to fix. ARC readers read the finished book and, if they choose, review it once it is on sale. Mixing them up costs you either useful feedback or launch-day reviews.
The difference, side by side
ARC stands for advance reader copy (publishers also say advance review copy). Beta reader is a borrowed software term: the beta version is the one you test before release. That is the whole difference in one line: beta readers test the book, ARC readers launch it.
| Beta readers | ARC readers | |
|---|---|---|
| What they read | A revised draft that can still change | The finished, proofread book |
| When | During editing, before the manuscript is locked | The weeks before launch |
| What you want from them | Private, specific feedback | An honest public review once the book is live |
| How many | A handful (three to five is a common range) | Dozens (Scribe's guide suggests a team of 30 to 50) |
| Who | Target readers, an expert, an editor or experienced writer | People the book is for, people in your field |
| What they get | Thanks, often in the acknowledgments | A free copy, nothing else |
| Rules that apply | None beyond courtesy | Amazon's review rules and the FTC's |
The same person can do both jobs, but not at the same time, and the second job comes with rules the first does not. More on that below.
Beta readers: who, how many, what to send
Who
The Scribe Method's chapter Should you ask people for feedback? names three kinds of people worth asking, and only three:
- An experienced writer or editor, for structure, pacing and clarity.
- An expert in your field, to catch factual errors and check that your advice matches practice.
- People in your target audience, to tell you which parts land and which confuse them.
The same chapter warns against two common habits: posting pages on social media for comments, and handing the draft to friends and family who fit none of those groups. They feel obliged to say something and usually lack the expertise to say something useful.
How many
There is no official number. Corina Koch MacLeod and Carla Douglas, writing on The Book Designer, called five their ideal and said three to five is about right, because past that the comments repeat and the volume becomes a burden. For a nonfiction book, a good mix is two or three target readers, one expert and, if you have no editor, one experienced writer.
When
After you have a full draft and have revised it once yourself, and before copyediting. In The Scribe Method the feedback step sits in the editing stage, ahead of locking the manuscript in copyediting. Sending a first draft wastes your readers' time on problems you would have fixed anyway; sending a copyedited book means you will resist big changes.
What to send
- The manuscript as a document they can comment on, with page or line numbers.
- A deadline, usually three to four weeks for a book-length read.
- Three to six specific questions. The Scribe Method suggests asking something like "Did any part feel unclear or hard to follow?" instead of "Tell me what you think."
- For the expert: the chapters that make claims in their field, and a request to flag anything wrong or out of date.
Questions that work for nonfiction: Where did you stop reading, or want to? Which chapter was most useful to you, and why? What did you expect the book to cover that it did not? Is there any advice you would not follow, and why?
ARC readers: who, how many, what to send
ARC readers are your launch team. The full playbook (who to invite, how to brief them, what to say and never say) is in the advance reader team guide. The essentials:
- How many: Scribe Media's guide to Amazon book reviews suggests aiming for 30 to 50 people and at least 20 reviews in the first two months after release. Not everyone who says yes will read in time, so invite more than the number of reviews you hope for.
- When: the same guide says to send the book a month before release. Six to eight weeks gives busy people a better chance of finishing. Trade reviewers need far longer: Publishers Weekly asks for galleys three, preferably four, months before the first day of the month of publication, and Library Journal six months ahead.
- What to send: the proofread interior, marked as an advance copy, in the format each person prefers. Add a short note with the launch date, where the book will be sold, and a request, with no conditions attached, to leave an honest review once it is out and mention they received a free copy.
Do not send ARC readers a draft. A reader who finds typos and gaps reviews the book they read, and that review will sit on your book page for years.
Where to find ARC readers
Your own network comes first because it is free and because people who know your work are more likely to read. When people search "ARC readers wanted," though, they usually mean strangers. These are the established routes, with prices from each service's own page:
| Route | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Your clients, colleagues and newsletter readers | Free | The readers most likely to finish and review |
| BookSirens Promote | $10 per book if accepted, plus $2 per reader it finds who downloads | Three months of promotion to its readers; readers you invite are free |
| BookSirens Author plan | $100 a year | Unlimited ARCs for two pen names, if the books meet its criteria |
| Booksprout | $9, $19 or $29 a month | 1 campaign of 25 copies, 3 of 50, or 10 with unlimited copies |
| NetGalley | $575 for a six-month listing bought directly | Reviewers, librarians and booksellers request copies; IBPA members can buy co-op listings from $179 |
| Goodreads giveaway | $119 Standard, $599 Premium (US) | Entrants add the book to their shelves; no review is promised |
BookSirens says plainly that it cannot guarantee every download leads to a review or that reviews will be positive. Treat every one of these as a way to put the book in front of willing readers, not a way to buy reviews. A giveaway can also build interest before launch: Joy Lane had 240 Goodreads giveaway sign-ups before she told her friends about her memoir, F College. That is one author's result, not a typical one.
The launch budget guide compares these with the other paid options, and says which are worth paying for at each budget.
Amazon's and the FTC's rules on free copies
Beta readers are a private arrangement. ARC readers are not, because their reviews are public endorsements. The rules that matter:
- Free copies are allowed; required reviews are not. Amazon's community guidelines let customers review free advance reader copies from authors or publishers, but the author cannot require a review in exchange or try to influence the reader's opinion. KDP's customer reviews page says offering anything other than a free or discounted copy, including gift cards, will invalidate a review.
- No compensation of any other kind. The guidelines forbid reviews in exchange for payments, refunds, discounts, products, gift cards, warranties or services.
- No reviews from people too close to you. The guidelines do not allow content about products offered by friends, relatives, employers or business associates, and Amazon's customer reviews rules exclude reviews by someone perceived to have a close personal relationship with the author. A beta reader who became a close collaborator may fall in that group.
- Reviews come after launch. The guidelines say reviews should be based on actual experience and not posted before the product has been delivered. Plan for reviews to start on launch day, not before.
- Disclose the free copy. The FTC's Endorsement Guides FAQ says reviewers who got a product free should say so, even when no money changed hands. Its reviews rule, in effect since October 21, 2024, bans incentives conditioned on a review expressing a particular sentiment.
The safe request, word for word: "Here is a free advance copy. If you would like to, please leave an honest review once the book is out, and mention that you received an advance copy." No stars, no conditions, nothing else offered.
What most authors get wrong
- Using ARC readers as beta readers. Asking your launch team for feedback on a draft gets you polite notes now and a review of an unfinished book later.
- Too many beta readers. Twenty sets of comments on one draft rarely agree, and you cannot act on all of them.
- Only friends as beta readers. Kindness is not feedback. Ask target readers and an expert.
- Sending ARCs two weeks out. People read slowly. Reviews that arrive two months after launch help less than reviews in the first weeks.
- Paying for "ARC reviews." Any service that promises a number of Amazon reviews for a fee is selling what Amazon and the FTC forbid.
The launch timeline shows where both rounds fit, counting back from launch day, and the free launch planner dates the ARC steps for your own launch date. Scribe Media, which makes this site, sells book publishing and marketing services; if you want a person to look at your plan, book a free consult.
Common questions
What does ARC reader mean?
ARC stands for advance reader copy (some say advance review copy). An ARC reader gets a free copy of the finished book before it goes on sale, reads it, and may leave an honest review once it is out. Amazon's community guidelines allow reviews of free advance copies as long as the author does not require a review or try to influence it.
What is the difference between ARC readers and beta readers?
Beta readers read an unfinished manuscript and tell you what to fix. ARC readers read the finished, proofread book shortly before launch and are asked, without conditions, for an honest public review. Beta reading happens during editing; ARC reading happens in the weeks before launch.
How many beta readers should I have?
Fewer than most authors think. Two authors writing on The Book Designer called five their ideal and three to five about right, because feedback gets repetitive after that. For nonfiction, include at least one person who matches your reader and one expert in your field.
Do ARC readers get paid?
No. They get a free copy of the book and nothing else. KDP says offering anything other than a free or discounted copy, including gift cards, invalidates a review, and the FTC's rule bans incentives tied to a positive review.
Where do I find ARC readers?
Start with people you know who are not close friends or family: clients, colleagues, newsletter readers. To reach strangers, paid services such as NetGalley, BookSirens and Booksprout list your book for reviewers, and a Goodreads giveaway puts copies in readers' hands. None of them can guarantee reviews.
Sources, checked October 21, 2026 unless noted: The Scribe Method, feedback chapter; Corina Koch MacLeod and Carla Douglas, Managing the beta reading process, The Book Designer (2015); Scribe Media, Amazon book reviews (2019); Amazon community guidelines; Amazon customer reviews; KDP customer reviews; FTC Endorsement Guides FAQ and reviews rule Q&A (checked October 20, 2026; the FTC site was down on October 21); BookSirens; Booksprout; NetGalley; IBPA, Goodreads, Publishers Weekly and Library Journal (checked October 20, 2026). Published by Scribe Media.