What is an ARC: An ARC is an advanced reviewer’s copy of a book that is not in it’s final format. These are done different way, but generally speaking mine are formatted and in the final stages of editing. There might be minor revisions before publication.
Lottery Style ARCs vs. Permanent ARC list: There are two ways to get an ARC from H.M. Ward – either by Lottery or via the Perm ARC list.
More than 99% of the reviewers get their ARC via Lottery Style.
How: Signups are announced on the Facebook page as we approach release date and you must apply for each book you wish to receive, every time.
What’s the difference? Permanent ARC list recipients get ARCs automatically, with the understanding that they have to review ALL of the ARCs that are sent to them. To get on that exclusive Perm ARC list, they had to do several things. (explained below)
THE BASICS: LOTTERY STYLE ARC
This is the type of ARC that most of my readers apply for. It has to be done every time, for every book. This allows the reviewers to pick and choose what they’d like to review. It also gets you on my radar to be shoulder-tapped for the Perm ARC list. Everyone has to start here. The lottery style ARC has minimal requirements and is open to everyone who would like to apply.
As stated in the name, it’s lottery style, which means that a select number of people who signed up will receive the ARC. Just because you didn’t get it one time, doesn’t mean you won’t be chosen the next. It’s random. So sign up and give it a shot.
COMMON MISTAKES WHEN APPLYING FOR LOTTERY ARCs
- NO LINK OR A BAD LINK TO AN AMAZON REVIEW of an H.M. Ward book. This is the most common mistake. Do NOT copy/paste the actual contents of the review. I need the permalink. To do this: find your review, right click on “permalink” or keep your finger pressed on “permalink”. Choose “copy link” and paste it to the application form. To make sure the link works, SIGN OUT OF AMAZON and try your link. If it brings you to page with ONLY YOUR REVIEW, then we’re golden!
- Empty fields: I can’t send an ARC to someone who doesn’t provide a full name (first and last).
- Mistake in email addy: Precious ARCs have bounced back due to this. Make sure your email addy is correctly entered on your form.
THE VIP PERMANENT ARC LIST
There is a lot of confusion as to what the Perm ARC list is about, so I listed a bunch of frequently asked questions on the topic. If you are interested in making the Perm ARC list, please read through, as I’ve had people apply who haven’t read the requirements and then wondered why they haven’t made the cut yet.
- Only 0.05% of my reviewers are currently on the list, so don’t feel bad if you’re not on it yet.
- Applying for perm ARC does not guarantee you a spot.
- It requires HUGE trust on my part to add someone on the perm ARC list
- it adds HUGE responsibilities your part.
- The process is also VERY TIME CONSUMING.
- So while you wait, keep on improving your reviewer profile and maybe one day you’ll get the highly coveted congrats email that says you’ve been offered a slot on the PERM ARC LIST.
- Until you get one of those, make sure to apply for the lottery ARCs, because that’s where I’m picking my Permanent ARC reviewers.
PERM ARC FAQs:
Do you still have my PERM ARC application? I have all applications on file, the exception being the very, very first batch, way back in early 2014 (this pre-dates the Ferroaholics group). All 3 signups from 2015 are still good.
If I apply twice for Perm ARC, what happens? One of your two applications gets deleted, but not both. It’s one application per person. This is to ensure that EVERYONE has a shot at Perm ARC.
How do I know if I made it on the PERM ARC list? You’ll receive a congrats email, welcoming you to the Perm ARC list.
Where am I on the PERM ARC list? Will it be my turn soon? There’s hundreds of people on that list and it is constantly evolving, based on real time reviewer performance. There’s no specific way of saying for sure. If you’ve kept up with your reviews and have followed the requirements listed below, your name should remain towards the top of the list.
If I haven’t made it yet, does that mean that I was rejected? No. Unless you’ve violated the Lottery ARC terms or it’s clear from your reviews that you don’t like my work, no one gets rejected. Whenever spots open up, ALL applicants are looked at to select the next few Perm ARC’ers.
I applied for PERM ARC, should I still apply for lottery? YES YES YES! Frequent applications to lottery ARCs are a crucial factor in determining who will be selected next for Perm ARC. It tells me that you still want to be an H.M. Ward Perm ARC reviewer.
Since I first applied for PERM ARC, I’ve added a whole bunch of new reviews. Will those be taken into consideration too? OF COURSE! That’s why it’s important to keep up with your awesome reviews.
Will you be having more PERM ARC signups? YES! Watch the Facebook page closely (make sure you’ve clicked LIKE / GET NOTIFICATIONS / SEE FIRST).
What does it take to make it on the PERM ARC list? (see requirement list below)
Do I have to review ALL of your new releases to be eligible for PERM ARC? YES! This is the whole point of the Perm ARC list, to give easy ARC access to those die-hard reviewers who were reviewing every single one of my releases the moment the book came out. It’s a form of thank your for being so amazeballs! As a Perm ARC’er, this will be your first and most important responsibility. If you only read certain series, THAT’S GREAT TOO, but maybe Perm ARC isn’t for you… but keep on applying to Lottery ARC, for the titles you want.
How many books do I have to review to be eligible for PERM ARC? There’s no magic number, but keep in mind that choosing someone for the Perm ARC list is based on the person’s current reviewing habits, so the more, the better (and copy/pasting the same review 30 times in one mad dash doesn’t count!)
When you apply for Perm ARC, this is the list of requirements you will see:
- You have reviews for my books posted on AMAZON (that is the minimum requirement). Any other sites are a plus. The more sites you post your reviews on, the better your chances.
- Your reviews should be posted RAPIDLY after the book’s release (i.e. during release week).
- Your reviews are HELPFUL to future readers and SPOILER FREE. It is not a retelling of the story. Let the potential reader know why you like/disliked the book.
- You vote up helpful reviews and vote down unhelpful reviews. This is part of the review process. Personal attacks towards an author and that have nothing to do with the actual book can and should be reported.
- As a reviewer, you do NOT engage in arguments or fights with other reviewers when you do not share their opinion, as this reflects negatively on the author. Again, personal attacks towards an author can and should be reported.
- When you find errors, typos and inconsistencies while reading the ARC, you let the author know rapidly so that she can fix the issues PRIOR to publishing by using the provided form. Do not post publicly that the ARC contains errors. ARCs are only partially edited.
- You have a consistent history of applying for ARCs for ALL of my stories/series/genres. As a Perm ARC’er, you will receive ARCs for ALL of my new releases and are expected to post reviews for them
Here is a concise list of criteria looked at when selecting PERM ARC applicants:
- I need a WORKING LINK TO YOUR REVIEWS ON AMAZON (see Lottery ARC section). The review process starts there. If you gave me a bad link or no Amazon link at all, I have no way of finding you and your application is sent to the end of the pile
- Past Lottery ARC activity (I’m looking for the die hards who apply every time)
- Reviews to ALL books/series (not just selected titles, and this includes the co-authors, standalones, non-Ferro books, etc.). If you don’t read all formats or titles, stick with the Lottery ARCs
- Review efficiency (ARC/review ratio and speed at which they post review: do you post a review for EVERY ARC you’ve received and/or are you quick to post your review on Amazon once the book is released)
- Number of H.M. Ward reviews on Amazon: although not an absolute, when it comes down to the crunch, someone with 50 kickass reviews will have a better shot than someone with 10 equally kickass reviews
- Quality of reviews: Common mistakes that may hinder your acceptance: getting character names or plot lines wrong in the review, putting spoilers, retelling the story instead of giving your reader experience, repetitive reviews that are really short/one or two liners that don’t allow new readers to get a sense of what this title is about.
- Number of places where you post your reviews (the more the better however, this will be overlooked if you are an overall stellar reviewer… the minimum requirement remains Amazon. Without Amazon, the application is forfeit).
