Advance Reading Copy / Uncorrected Proofs ... any good?

[Blade]

I'm looking at an auction for a book that says the copy they have up is an ARC or Advance Reading Copy and "Uncorrected Proofs."

Is this a finished version of the book, or is it likely that the published version and this one will differ in content?

Thanks!

[ceeece]

I have two of these: "Hearts in Atlantis" by Stephen King and "The Angel's Command" by Brian Jacques. I noticed nothing different about the "Hearts" except the permissions page wasn't put in. "Angel's Command" had a temporary cover with just the picture of the author on it. These ARCs are collector's items. There might be a mistake every once and awhile.

I notice that Stephen King ARCs go for quite a bit on Ebay.

[djmont]

Bound galleys, ARCs, uncorrected proofs (all the same thing) are softcover copies of the book that are printed in advance of the publication date to distribute to reviewers, producers, booksellers, etc.

They differ in a couple of ways... They are softcover; they often don't have finished cover art; there might be errors in the copy; some details might be changed before publication.

[Blade]

Thanks! That last part was what I was concerned about.

[djmont]

In almost all cases, though, the details will NOT be changed. So reading an ARC would be safe in most instances.

[Blade]

I just finished reading the final published copy of the book I was thinking of getting as an ARC, and it still had several typos and even missing words or mixed up sentences.

Kind of irritating.

[Seeker]

I have a few ARC copies of my new book. It's basically the same book as will come out, but it's more or less just quickly bound pages for review use.

Oh, and in this case, mine will be hardback, whereas the ARCs are pretty much just bound together pages.

[djmont]

What is your book, Seeker?

[Seeker]

Originally posted by djmont
What is your book, Seeker?

One is already out:

http://www.infertilitysanguish.com

The one I was referring to above is going to the printers next week and should be out in a couple of months:

http://www.blacksmithsgift.com

Neither are about DVDs, sorry.... ;)

But, to stay on subject - advance copies are important to get out "ahead of time" so you can have reviews, quotes, etc. but they are basically knock-offs in some fashion of the real "printed" book.

[djmont]

I hope the new one does well for you!

I asked because I'm a book reviewer. I mainly do crime fiction, though.

[Seeker]

Originally posted by djmont
I hope the new one does well for you!

I asked because I'm a book reviewer. I mainly do crime fiction, though.

Cool. Yeah, neither of these is crime fiction, but if you know a reviewer possibly interested in reviewing either type of book, I'd love the contact.

Thanks.

[WillieTheShakes]

Who do you review for, djmont?
(I'm a freelancer north of the 49th)

[djmont]

I write a monthly column for the Chicago Sun-Times and freelance for other papers (USA Today, Boston Globe, Washington Post). I also run a website, Mystery Ink (http://www.mysteryinkonline.com/).

[Momiji]

Sorry I'm a little late on this topic. :)

Blade, depending on the book, an advanced copy/proof is fine to read. However, they will be missing pretty much all of the embellishments. For example, we have a copy of Ted Williams' new book Wild Moments here for my boss to contribute a quote for the title. There are no pictures in the advanced (which there will be in the final version), it is spiral bound, and all paper. Also, it is not good quality paper so it will not last too long. Some of the essays in the book may be moved around or changed still at this point. I guess what my point is, is that when you buy a proof copy, you are paying money for a product that is not finished and that was given freely by the publisher so I would feel ripped off.

[Blade]

Originally posted by Momiji
... it is spiral bound, and all paper. Also, it is not good quality paper so it will not last too long. ...

I guess what my point is, is that when you buy a proof copy, you are paying money for a product that is not finished and that was given freely by the publisher so I would feel ripped off. I was surprised at how much that auction finally went for, but I imagine there's a certain "collector's" attraction. I'm glad I waited for the hardbound book now.

Thanks Momiji!