Bound Galleys & Advance Review Copies
Authors benefit from having their books reviewed before publication so the reviews appear simultaneously with the publication date. Book reviews can often take months to receive, and because bookstores require quick turnaround for the shelf life of new books, an author usually cannot afford to wait for post-publication reviews. Authors and publishers should send out pre-publication copies of books to ensure timely book reviews.
Bound galleys and advance review copies (ARC’s) are sent to pre-publication reviewers 5 to 6 months prior to publication date. Keep in mind the reasoning—not only does it take time for the mailing and reviewing process, but most publications and periodicals have editorial calendars at least 4 to 6 months prior to production. For example, Christmas themed books must be sent out for review in June or July at the latest, because by the beginning of September, the publication is already in process. Many publications will feature Christmas themes as early as in their November issues.
Bound Galley
A bound galley looks like and is the same size as the final book but has a plain cover. The cover may be white or colored. If you are using a colored cover, be sure the black printing is easy to see on it. (Red or dark colors are not a good idea. Use white, yellow, buff, light blue). The cover doesn’t indicate what the final book will look like and will still need several passes of editing. It is created at least 6 months prior to publication date. Bound galleys are sent to pre-publication reviewers.
Advance Review Copy
An ARC looks like and is the same size as the final book. It indicates what the final book will look like, but it still needs one more editing. It is created at least 6 months prior to publication date. ARC’s are sent to pre-publication reviewers and may be used instead of bound galleys.
The front cover should look exactly the same as the final publication; however, “Advance Review Copy—Not for Sale” must be printed on it. The back cover looks exactly like the final copy, including the synopsis, author bio, ISBN, etc. The spine must include the book title, author’s name, and the publisher. ARCs are sent to pre-publication reviewers.
Our Suggestion
We encourage authors to go the most inexpensive way in production of a pre-pub review copy. It makes no difference to the reviewer whether or not the manuscript is a bound galley or an ARC, therefore we suggest galleys.
Our Galley/ARC Package Includes
- Twenty professionally bound galleys or ARCs
- Press release, sell sheet, cover letter
Distribution
- Five complete packages distributed to the major reviewers (Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Kirkus Reviews, ALA Booklist, and Foreword Magazine) (Includes postal tracking of receipt.)
- Fifteen complete packages distributed to other online reviewers (Includes postal tracking of receipt.)
- Follow-up with reviewers
We need from you
An edited version of the galley in Word or pdf (formated the same size as book.)
Our fees
Bound Galley (printed and distributed, including press release and cover letter)
- up to 250 pages $795.00
- up to 300 pages $915.00
ARC (printed and distriguted, including press release and cover letter)
- up to 250 pages $995.00
- up to 300 pages $1115.00
Our guarantee
We guarantee the galleys or ARCs will be sent to the five major pre-publication reviewers as well as the remaining fifteen copies to various online reviewers. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee a review for every distributed publication, however, we work our very hardest to secure as many reviews as possible for you. Our list of selected reviewers is hand-picked and we have a good relationship with them, however, as in most cases it's whether or not the galley/ARC gets picked by a reviewer.