How to
How to run an ARC campaign with a dedicated page
An ARC campaign is a short, supported reading window. The dedicated page is the URL you share instead of a public folder. On ReaderMagnet you list the book, upload the file, tell readers the review is optional, send the private link, and close new claims when you can no longer answer mail.
Decide whether this book is ready
Skip the ARC if the book is not finished. Skip it if you cannot answer mail for the length of the window. Skip it if you only want addresses for a vanity count, or if you want guaranteed stars. A reader magnet, or a note that the next book is coming, is enough when you are still months from launch. Hire an editor or wait. A dedicated page will not hide a file that stops mid-chapter.
Match the window to the book before you open claims. A novella can be ten to fourteen days. A novel of about 70,000 to 90,000 words usually needs four to six weeks. A long fantasy or dense nonfiction often needs six to eight weeks, and you should say so on the page. The date you close new signups is a support decision. When you cannot answer a broken-download email the same day, the public claim should already be closed.
Write down who the book is for, in one sentence, before you write the page. Genre readers who like that kind of ending will finish more often than a general invite to everyone you have ever met. Family and friends can still get a link. They are a weak sample of the people who will buy the book.
List the book and open the page
Open List Your Book. Enter your name, email, and title. ReaderMagnet emails a dashboard link. There is no password on that step, and there is no credit card through November 1, 2026. Cover and description can wait, but the page reads like a book only after you add them. Use the cover you are actually publishing. Use a description that matches the retailer listing, or a shorter version of it.
In the ARC manager, the campaign gets a public slug when you are ready to share it. The reader-facing URL is /join-arc-team/ plus that slug. Keep the campaign unlisted while you test the file yourself. Turn on Free Books discovery only when you want strangers to claim it. Use coming soon when the page should be visible and the download should not start.
Read the page on a phone before you send it to anyone else. The title, the cover, the ask, and the email field should be visible without a hunt. If you have more than one pen name, Starter allows unlimited pen names on one account after open beta, and the open beta unlocks the working tools without a card. Put the right name on the book.
Upload a file readers can open
Upload the cleanest EPUB you have when the file is the book. Keep a PDF for readers whose device will not open an EPUB. Open both files on a phone before you invite anyone. Check the cover, the table of contents, and the last chapter. A missing last chapter is how a helpful reader becomes an angry one.
Tell people the formats on the page. If you update the file, replace it on the campaign and write to the readers who already downloaded. Their private link should pick up the new file when you have replaced it on the campaign. Say what changed, in one line. Do not send a new public Drive link beside the old one.
If a link leaks, assume it was forwarded. You can stop new claims. Tell readers who were mid-book what happened. A watermark will not reliably stop a leak, and a heavy stamp makes the book harder to read. The dedicated page is still better than a folder, because you have one place to shut the door.
Say what you are asking
Put the ask on the page and repeat a shorter version in the mail that carries the download. This is a free advance copy. Reviews are optional, unpaid, and honest. There is no required star rating. If you do not finish, you do not owe a post. If you finish and want to help the next reader, here is the retailer page or Goodreads, once that page exists.
Ask three times across the whole window, not three times a week. Once when the file arrives. Once in the middle. Once when you close the campaign. Do not offer another book in exchange for a screenshot. Do not tell readers which quotes to use. Do not ask them to edit a review because you disliked the tone. The Honest Review Policy is the rule. Your page should sound like you, and it should not contradict that rule.
If the book is not on sale yet, say so. Ask readers to wait until the listing exists. ReaderMagnet does not promise to email a review link later on your behalf. Put the instructions on the campaign page, or send one note when the listing is real.
Run the window, then close it
Deliver the file once. Wait. Send one mid-window note that assumes people are busy. Close new claims on the date you set. Leave existing download links live so a reader at the halfway point can finish. Thank people who reviewed, including the critical reviews. Do not argue with a rating in public. One last note after the window is enough.
Count what you can actually see. Claims are a number you have. Finished reviews are a number you can look up on the retailer. ReaderMagnet will not invent a third number. Many campaigns see a small share of downloads turn into posts. That is a property of readers' weeks, not a defect in the page. If almost nobody could open the file, that is a file problem, and ARC Support plus a PDF is the fix.
When the window is over, decide what stays up. The next book can have its own ARC page. The short story or bonus can move to a reader magnet with copy that does not say review copy. The FAQ has a shorter five-step version of this checklist at How to run an ARC. The blog article how to run an ARC campaign is the same job in a longer essay.
Questions authors ask
How do I start an ARC on ReaderMagnet?
Open List Your Book and enter your name, email, and title. We email a dashboard link. There is no password and no credit card through November 1, 2026. Upload the EPUB or PDF when the file is the book, then share the campaign page.
Should I make the ARC page public?
Share it privately first. Turn on Free Books only when you can answer mail if a download fails. Use coming soon if the page should exist before the file is ready. Close new public claims when you can no longer support them.
How long should the ARC stay open?
A novella can be ten to fourteen days. A typical novel often needs four to six weeks. A long or dense book may need six to eight weeks. Say the length on the page. Close new signups when support slips.
What do I ask readers to do?
Ask for an optional, unpaid, honest review. No required stars. No payment. No rewrite requests. Ask once at delivery, once mid-window, and once when you close.
What if the download fails?
Check the EPUB and the PDF on a phone. Point readers to ARC Support with the book title and the device. Replace the file on the campaign page instead of sending a second public folder link.