Reader accounts: 870
Yes — and here's exactly how to do it right. ARC reviews are 100% permitted under Amazon's Terms of Service when done honestly and with proper disclosure.
Amazon explicitly allows reviews of books received for free — including ARC copies — as long as the review is honest, written by you, and includes a disclosure statement that you received a free copy. This is not a loophole. It's the intended use of the review system.
Amazon's Community Guidelines distinguish between two types of free-copy reviews:
You received a free advance copy through a legitimate ARC program, you read it, you wrote an honest review in your own words, and you disclosed that you received a free copy. This is explicitly permitted and encouraged by Amazon.
Receiving money, gift cards, discounts on other products, or any compensation in exchange for a positive review is prohibited. ReaderMagnet never pays for reviews. Readers are never required to leave a positive review — honest, even negative, reviews are always welcome.
A review is optional. Amazon's Community Guidelines allow a review of a free advance copy, and they say the author cannot require a review in exchange or try to influence the opinion. KDP says the same about free or discounted copies. If you post a review, say you received a free copy. Do not say the review was required or given in exchange for the book.
A clear disclosure:
"I received a free copy of this book."
You can add this at the beginning or end of your review. It takes 5 seconds and keeps everything above board.
Readers receive books for free. Authors receive honest reviews. No money changes hands. No positive-review requirement.
We actively encourage honest reviews — including negative ones. A 2-star honest review is more valuable to an author than a fake 5-star.
Our optional review verification system lets authors confirm reviews are live and genuine — not to filter out negative reviews, but to confirm the review was actually posted.
Every ARC download page includes a prominent reminder to add the disclosure statement to your Amazon review.
Important: Amazon's Community Guidelines say a reviewer must have spent at least $50 on Amazon.com with a credit or debit card in the past 12 months to create a review. Promotional discounts do not count toward that minimum. That is an eligibility rule for posting a review. It is not a rule that a free advance copy is forbidden.
A review is optional. ReaderMagnet does not require an Amazon review, a star rating, or a review on any other site.
Amazon's Community Guidelines allow a review of a free advance copy when the author does not require the review or try to influence it. Amazon can still decline to publish a review, including when the account has not met the $50 spend rule. ReaderMagnet cannot promise a review will stay up.
Absolutely. Honest negative reviews are always welcome and are never penalized on ReaderMagnet. Authors who use ARC programs understand that honest feedback — including critical reviews — is part of the deal.
No. Goodreads, BookBub, Apple Books, and other platforms are all valuable. Many readers prefer Goodreads because there's no purchase history requirement.
You're not required to finish a book to leave a review. If you stopped reading, you can note that in your review ('I read the first 50% and...') — that's still a valid and useful review.
No. A verified purchase review means you bought the book on Amazon. An ARC review means you received it for free. Both are valid review types. ARC reviews will not show the 'Verified Purchase' badge, but they appear in the review section just the same.