(I won’t be here most of the day but I will reply to discussion comments later this evening.)

ARCs are simply advanced reading copies of novels from publishers or authors.  They’re actually pretty simple when you think about it but they seem to cause a lot of controversy and drama in the book blogging world.  One blogger gets a coveted ARC, another doesn’t, you know how it goes.  But I don’t want to talk about drama today.  I’m going to be facing middle school girl drama most of the day already (I’m refereeing a volleyball tournament).

What I want to talk about is your personal experience with ARCs as a blogger.  Do you ever get physical ARCs in the mail?  Or are you all digital now?  Which is your preference?  And of the ARCs you’ve received, which is/are your favourite(s)?

My personal favourite is one I just got, The Tiger Queens by Stephanie Thornton.  I had reviewed and loved her Daughter of the Gods so when the tour for her latest book came out I immediately jumped on it.  To my surprise, I got a personalized, signed ARC in the mail with the coolest note in a little scroll.  Stuff like that really shows an author cares about their readers, you know?  And I really do appreciate that.

If you’re an author, what has your experience been with sending out ARCs?  Did they get a good reception?  Was it worth it from a publicity point of view?  And, finally, would you do it again?