An eARC (Electronic Advance Reader Copy) is a pre-release version of your book sent to readers before your official launch date. They are one of the most powerful tools an author has for generating early reviews, building buzz, and hitting the ground running on release day.
Sọna has a built-in eARC campaign system that handles invitations, tracking, and delivery, with no third-party tools needed.
What is an eARC Campaign?
When you run an eARC campaign, you are giving selected readers early access to your book. These are typically:
- Book bloggers and reviewers
- Bookstagrammers and BookTok creators
- Librarians and booksellers
- Loyal readers from your community
- Journalists or press contacts
The goal is to have reviews and word-of-mouth ready before (or right at) your launch, so the book gains momentum immediately.
Who Can Use eARC Campaigns?
eARC campaigns are available if:
- Your book has been approved with a future publication date (Approved–Scheduled status)
- You have eARC credits
If your book does not yet have an approval and a future publication date, the eARC option will not be available.
How the Credit System Works
eARC invitations run on a credit system. Each invite you send costs 1 credit. Your Sọna account comes with 50 credits preloaded.
Before you can send invites, you need to have credits:
- Credit Packs are available at different price points in Naira
- Credits are stored in your account and can be used across multiple campaigns
- You can see your remaining credit balance and full purchase history on the eARC page
Setting Up Your Campaign
Go to your book's page in the Publish Dashboard and click eARC.
Step 1: Enable the Campaign
Click on a book to go to the campaign detail page. Toggle Enable eARC Campaign to on. This activates the eARC feature for this book.
Step 2: Set a Claim Deadline
Choose the date by which recipients must claim their copy. We recommend setting this at least 2 to 4 weeks before your release date, giving readers enough time to read and post reviews before launch.
Step 3: Send Invites
Enter the email addresses of your recipients. You can type them one per line or separate them with commas. Click Send Invites to send.
Each recipient will receive an email with a link to claim their advance copy. Claiming gives them access to read the book in the Sọna app before the official release date.
Tracking Your Campaign
Once invites are sent, you can track the status of every recipient from the campaign page:
- Sent: Email delivered, the reader has not claimed yet
- Claimed: Reader clicked the link and activated their copy
- Expired: The claim deadline passed before they claimed
- Email Failed: There was a delivery error with this email address
For anyone with a Sent status who has not claimed yet, you can resend the invite as a reminder, which is useful if people miss the original email or forget to claim it.
Best Practices for eARC Campaigns
Send Early. Give readers enough time to read the full book and write a thoughtful review. For most books, 4 to 6 weeks before release is a good window.
Be Selective. eARCs are most valuable when sent to people who will actually read and review the book, not just collect free copies. Quality of reviews matters more than quantity.
Follow Up. A gentle reminder a week before the claim deadline helps recover readers who missed the original email. Use the resend feature for this.
Set a Realistic Deadline. If your claim deadline is too tight, readers may not have enough time. If it is too far out, some may lose interest. Match it to how long it realistically takes to read your book.
Use Your Existing Community. Your newsletter subscribers, Instagram followers, and loyal readers are often the best eARC candidates: they already care about your work.
What Readers Experience
When a reader receives your eARC invite:
- They get an email from Sọna with a claim link
- They click the link and (if not already signed in) create or log into a Sọna account with the same email address
- The book is added to their library with a pre-release tag
- They can start reading immediately in the Sọna app
- When the book officially releases, their access continues as normal
The experience is seamless for the reader, and you keep full control over who gets access and when.
Ready to set up your first eARC campaign? Head to your Publish Dashboard, select your book, and look for the eARC tab.
Related Posts
- How Pre-Orders Work on Sọna: run a pre-order alongside your eARC campaign for maximum launch impact
- How to Market Your Book on Sọna: see how eARCs fit into a full launch strategy