Why I Don't Suffer from ARC Envy (I Swear I Don't)

...And now you're thinking "the hell you don't".

Have I ever lied to you, my friends? my enemies? my in-betweens? The hell I did :).

In my little corner of the net, I rarely catch wind of bookish-blogging drama - usually, I hear about it from fellow bloggers who have a much more massive follower count, both on their blogs and on their social media accounts. Anyway, it sounds like ARC envy is, indeed, a thing. And you know, I don't understand.

Mind you, I do realise that ARCs are a symbol of blogging success. Not to mention, potential readers are usually more interested in your reviews if they are about ARCs. Not to mention, the lucky few who do get the same ARCs probably bond over them. But if you want the truth, ARCs have their own minuses - besides NOT being the end of the world, one way or another (that is, either because you got one or because you didn't). And here is why one can NOT suffer from ARC envy...completed with my beloved song-title headings ;).

GETTIN' REALISTIC

I like to say I'm just a small fish in a sea full of bloggers. It's just the way it is. I'm not consistent, because I don't have the time. I'm not popular, because I don't do "popular" things. Therefore, with my small follower count (or even Twitter clique), I can't expect authors and publishers to throw ARCs at me.

I sometimes get one (always on PDF, of course, also because hello? I'm in Italy), but never from the "bigwigs". It's the smaller publishers or the debut/indie authors who are willing to take a chance on me. And when I say "smaller" or "debut/indie" I'm NOT saying or thinking less of them, goodness forbid. It's just a matter of proportions, and some of those authors could really go places and I'm sure they will, and if not there's no justice in this world, and all of them are wonderful because they have a story to tell and they trust it in your hands and are willing to listen to what you say about it and understand where you're coming from. And those smaller presses are rock stars, because they believe in said still undiscovered talents and keep us (equally) smaller bloggers going. So their ARCs are real treasures for me, and I don't care that they're not physical - if not because it would be easier for me to read (and reread) them if they would. But they're not less worthy or precious because of not being on paper. Anyway, the point is, I know I'm not in the "usual" ARC league, and I'm sure I never will. So why should I envy those who are? They worked hard to get there. I can't. Also, who would send a physical ARC all the way to Italy?

UNDER PRESSURE

And then there comes the time when you get an ARC. Now, ARC actually means Advanced Request Copy, but most of the times it's the publisher who decides to send it to a lucky blogger - or so I hear. Anyway, sometimes it's an actual request on the blogger's part that is met by the publisher in question. And in that case...well, unless it's the work of an author you're already familiar with, it can go either way:

1. you enjoy the book as much as you thought you would when you requested it;
2. the book falls short of your expectations.

Now, N°2 happened to me a couple of times. In 2014-15, I emailed a few debut authors whose projects sounded up my alley, asking if they could be so nice to consider my blog for an ARC review. Most of them kindly replied, often pointing me out to their publicists. And a couple actually complimented me for my blog (yes, I have proof that they visited it, or at least the page whose link I had included in my email, where I collected all the books in the same genre as theirs) and went out of their way to help me get a FREE copy of their books, because - like me - they thought we could be a good match.

Except it turned out we weren't THAT good eventually.

Mind you, those weren't bad books by any means. Only, not the breathtaking ones I thought they were, based on their blurbs. I had requested them just out of genuine interest, and the authors had been so nice, and I felt bad for tricking them into sending me their ARCs - except I hadn't actually tricked them, but that was the final result anyway. So I ended up giving both books an additional half star because I felt guilty...and that has been plaguing me ever since (the half star, not the guilt). I don't want to inflate my reviews. I want to be honest (though not BRUTALLY honest). And while it's a little easier to do that if the publisher sends you an unrequested ARC, it's too painful when you have actually solicited it from the author. Too much pressure. In that case, it's better to get no ARC at all.

THAT'S NOT MY STYLE

Finally, I didn't set up a blog with the hope to receive ARCs. I didn't even know that ARCs existed back then. I decided to open a blog because I had read a bunch of wonderful, underrated books, and I wanted the world (well, turns out, a couple of friends ;)) to know about them. So why should I suffer from ARC envy?

This one never gets old LOL

 
My blog is not about ARCs. It's about hidden gems, and books that didn't get the attention they deserved, and authors who haven't found the right people to believe in them and give them a boost toward success. This may include ARCs sometimes - or it may not. And you can find the occasional hyped book here sometimes, because heck - I don't live in a void. I don't go out of my way in order to avoid hyped books. I read the blurb and peruse the reviews, and then I decide if I want to go with the flood or not. I don't have to read ALL the books. I want to read MY type of books, that's all. And more often than not they're not hyped, and they're not ARCs, and you know what - it's all right. So enjoy your ARCs everyone - I'm glad they exist, and I'm glad you're getting them, and I'm not trying to say I'm ABOVE ARCs or something. I'm just trying to say I don't necessarily need ARCs in my life, and I value your friendship and books in general far more than having a still unpublished stack of paper in my hands :). (Though right now I wouldn't be adverse to reading And the Trees Crept In in place of Kate Midnight Book Girl...;)).

How do you feel about ARCs? Do you think ARCs are truly special? Have you ever suffered from a sporadic attack of ARC envy? (Don't worry, I won't judge you if you have... ;)).