ARC
Advanced reader copy
Example
wait, how are you already reading that? it doesn’t come out until next month
i got an arc from the publisher
no way. is it good?
so far? absolutely worth the hype
ARC definition by Slang.net - The Slang Dictionary
This page explains what the acronym "ARC" means. The definition, example, and related terms listed above have been manually compiled and written by the Slang.net team.
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An ARC is a pre-publication version of a book sent out before its official release. Publishers began distributing ARCs decades ago as part of traditional book marketing, mailing early copies to reviewers, booksellers, librarians, and media outlets to generate buzz. With the rise of book blogs in the 2000s, and later BookTube, Bookstagram, and BookTok, "ARC" became everyday slang in online reading communities.
Today, readers often use it casually in posts and reviews to signal they received early access to a title. ARCs can be physical paperbacks or digital copies delivered through services like NetGalley or Edelweiss. They may contain minor errors or incomplete formatting because they were printed before final edits.