ARC Manager

Author Launcher’s ARC Manager makes it possible to handle hundreds or even thousands of advance review copies with just a few clicks, so you can focus on writing while your reviews and launch buzz grow on autopilot.

By streamlining forms, approvals, and delivery, it removes the usual chaos of spreadsheets, manual emails, and file sharing that often slow authors down when managing advance review copy books.​

What an ARC manager does

An ARC manager is a specialized workflow that guides every step of your advance review copy process, from reader sign‑up through book delivery and follow‑up. It replaces a tangle of social media messages, email threads, and ad‑hoc lists with a single organized system for your advance review copies.​

Instead of tracking who asked for an advance review copy where, you see every request in one dashboard, along with each reader’s details, preferences, and status. This turns what used to be a time‑consuming, error‑prone process into a few quick decisions and button clicks, even when you are sending out hundreds of advance review copy books.​

Prebuilt ARC signup form

Author Launcher’s ARC Manager starts with a prebuilt application form that you can plug into your website or landing page in minutes. This form is designed specifically for advance review copy readers, so it asks the right questions to help you qualify each request without you having to reinvent anything from scratch.​​

You can customize the form to capture details such as preferred reading format, favorite subgenres, where they normally post reviews, and whether they have reviewed your advance review copies in the past. Those details make it much easier to decide who should receive your advance review copy books and to prioritize your most reliable early reviewers.​

Landing page and list building

The ARC Manager lets you hook that form up to a dedicated landing page, turning casual interest into a focused pipeline of advance review copy readers. This page explains what an advance review copy is, what you expect from ARC readers, and what they get in return, so expectations are clear before they ever see your book.​

As people sign up, they are automatically collected into a central list tagged for the specific title or series, so you can manage several campaigns and rounds of advance review copies at the same time. Over time, that list becomes one of your most valuable assets: a growing community of readers ready to receive new advance review copy books for every launch.​

Notifications and real‑time updates

Instead of constantly checking inboxes and DMs, you receive automatic notifications when a reader submits the ARC form for your book. This means you can respond quickly to strong candidates for your advance review copies and keep your momentum going without babysitting the process.​

Each submission shows up with the details you need to make a decision at a glance: what they read, where they post reviews, and whether they have been reliable with past advance review copy books. That makes it easy to approve, deny, or waitlist readers in seconds, even when you are dealing with dozens of new requests a day.​

Approve, deny, and prioritize with a click

One of the biggest challenges with advance review copies is deciding who gets a copy without spending hours in spreadsheets. Author Launcher’s ARC Manager turns that decision into a simple action you can take directly from each submission, with clear controls to approve or deny requests.​

You can set soft caps, such as aiming for 50, 100, or 500 advance review copy readers for a particular launch, and watch your accepted count climb in real time as you approve people. If you hit your target number of advance review copies, you can close sign‑ups or start a waitlist with a single change instead of manually messaging everyone.​

Automatic book delivery on approval

Once a reader is approved, they are automatically sent a copy of your book without you needing to attach files or paste links over and over. This automatic delivery is the heart of the ARC Manager: it turns your decisions into instant action, so every approval immediately results in an advance review copy reaching a real reader.​

You can configure whether they receive an EPUB, MOBI, PDF, or a combination of formats, so your advance review copy books are accessible on e‑readers, tablets, and phones. With the delivery handled for you, it becomes realistic to send out hundreds of advance review copies in a short window, which is essential for building a critical mass of launch‑day reviews.

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Handling hundreds or thousands of ARCs

When you are dealing with a handful of advance review copies, manual management might feel manageable. But as soon as your list grows into the hundreds, the friction multiplies: tracking who has an advance review copy, who has opened it, and who has reviewed it becomes a full‑time job without a tool built for scale.​

Author Launcher’s ARC Manager is designed so that approving 10 or 1,000 advance review copy books takes essentially the same amount of effort. Filters and bulk actions let you work in batches—for example, approving all applicants who review on a specific platform, or sending reminders only to advance review copies that have not been opened yet.​

Tracking ARC status and engagement

A serious ARC process is not just about sending advance review copies, but about knowing what happens after they arrive. Good practice is to track who has received an advance review copy, who has opened or downloaded it, and who has followed through with a review, so you can refine your team over time.​

ARC Manager lets you see statuses such as “Applied,” “Approved,” “Book Sent,” and “Review Confirmed” for each reader and each advance review copy campaign. Over multiple books, you can identify your most engaged reviewers and prioritize them for future advance review copy books, building a reliable inner circle of super‑fans.​

Why advance review copies matter

Advance review copies are one of the most powerful tools for seeding early reviews and social proof before launch day. When you send out advance review copy books to a motivated group of readers, you are effectively creating a launch team that can post reviews, share word of mouth, and help boost your book’s visibility across retailer algorithms.​

Getting enough genuine reviews early is critical for discoverability, especially for indie and small‑press authors. A structured ARC system means you can consistently send advance review copies two to four weeks before release, gather feedback, fix any lingering issues, and show up on launch day with reviews already in place.​

From chaos to repeatable ARC campaigns

Many authors start by manually recruiting people for advance review copies through social media and newsletters, then scramble to keep track of who is reading what. This approach can work once, but it is hard to repeat and scale, especially when you are juggling multiple series or rapid‑release schedules.​

Author Launcher’s ARC Manager gives you a repeatable template: reuse the prebuilt form, clone successful landing pages, and duplicate campaigns for sequels or new genres. Over time, you build a playbook for advance review copy books that you can run again and again, confident that hundreds of advance review copies will be organized instead of overwhelming.​

Integrating ARCs with your broader author CRM

Because ARC Manager lives inside your broader author CRM system, every ARC reader you collect becomes a long‑term contact, not just a one‑off email address. You can segment them based on which advance review copies they have received, which genres they prefer, and where they leave reviews.​

This means your next launch can start with a targeted campaign to people who have already shown they will read and review your advance review copy books. You can also nurture these readers between launches with updates, exclusive content, or early peeks, keeping your advance review copy team warm and ready for the next book.​

Automation and reminders for reviews

Sending the advance review copy is only half the battle; following up for reviews in a respectful, organized way is just as important. With automation, you can schedule gentle reminders a few days after sending advance review copies, another reminder closer to release day, and a final thank‑you once the review is posted.​​

Because the ARC Manager tracks who has already reviewed, those reminders can go only to readers who have not yet finished their review, avoiding spammy duplicates. Over time, this structured follow‑up significantly raises the percentage of advance review copy books that turn into actual reviews, which is what really moves the needle for your launches.​

Improving ARC quality over time

Every ARC campaign gives you information you can apply to the next round of advance review copies. You can analyze which channels brought in ARC readers who actually reviewed, which types of landing page copy converted best, and which segments of your list respond most strongly to particular subgenres.​

That data helps you adjust your form questions, refine your ARC expectations, and decide how many advance review copy books to send for each title. After a few launches, you will know exactly how many advance review copies you need to hit a target number of reviews, and you can set those goals confidently inside the ARC Manager.​

Keeping expectations clear with ARC readers

Successful advance review copy campaigns depend on clear expectations: what readers are getting and what you are asking in return. Your landing page and confirmation messages can remind readers that an advance review copy is a free early copy provided with the hope (not demand) that they will leave an honest review.​

You can also use the form and follow‑up emails to clarify your timelines for reading, where you prefer to see reviews posted, and how you handle early feedback from advance review copy books. This transparency makes readers more likely to stick with you across multiple campaigns and to value their place on your ARC team.​

Making ARCs sustainable for busy authors

Most authors do not have hours a day to manage advance review copies, especially while drafting, revising, and marketing. By using a focused ARC Manager that automates repeated steps—collecting applications, notifying you, approving or denying, and delivering advance review copy books—you reclaim that time for creative work.​

Because the system is built to handle scale, you can grow from a dozen to hundreds or thousands of advance review copies without burning out or losing track of readers. That combination of automation, structure, and visibility is what turns advance review copies from a stressful extra task into a reliable, sustainable part of your launch strategy.​

If you share details about your current ARC process and how many advance review copies you typically send, a more tailored workflow can be mapped out step‑by‑step inside your author CRM using the ARC Manager.