I recently received word that ARC’s for The Opal Crown are coming soon, and I couldn’t be more excited! This book was the product of a whole lot of blood, sweat, and tears as well as a whole lotta love, and I am so proud of it. But it got me to thinking…one of the questions I get the most often from people is, What is an ARC? And, How is it different from the finished book itself?
To answer those questions, I thought I’d share the image of the front, as well as the back of the ARC cover (Spoiler Alert: Don’t read the synopsis if you have not yet read The Princess in the Opal Mask):
Front:
Back:
Simply put: An ARC is an Advance Reader Copy. Publishers produce a small lot of them to hand out to bloggers, librarians and professional reviewers to obtain early reviews. The back, as you can see, usually shows the current marketing plan the publishers have in place for that particular title as well as contact information if anyone is interested in obtaining a copy for review purposes. It’s also considered an “uncorrected proof” as Running Press and I will be copyediting it again before the book actually goes to press. So if you ever read an ARC and find multiple errors, please remember that you are not holding a finished copy in your hands, just a nearly finished, almost edited copy.
What do you think of the cover? Since I’m not the one who designed it, I have no problem saying I think it’s spectacularly gorgeous. In particular, I love what the illustrator (the fabulous Teresa Bonaddio) did with the backside: While the front shows a glittering, golden crown, I like how the back shows that same crown, darker, and hidden in shadow. For me, it symbolizes that behind the glittering facade of wealth and royalty, there are sometimes darker realities many of us may not see, which is one of the themes of this book, and the The Opal Mask series as a whole.
ARC’s should be available very soon, and for any reviewers, you can reach out to Running Press if you’re interested.
For any of you who may be interested in participating in The Opal Crown blog tour, please contact Jaime Arnold from Two Chicks on Books at rockstarbooktoursatgmail.com
Or, if you’re a reader who would like a shot at reading The Opal Crown months before it actually releases, I’m giving away a copy over at Goodreads.
Thanks friends for your constant support. I appreciate you more than you know!
