ARC Reading Services
An advance reader who tells you what a reader will actually feel
Close, genre-aware manuscript reading with a written report you can revise from — and an honest review ready for launch day.
Start here
What ARC reading actually is
An ARC — advance reader copy — is a near-final version of your book shared before publication. Traditionally publishers sent them to reviewers and booksellers to build early word of mouth. For independent authors, ARCs do something even more valuable: they give you a genuine reader's response while there's still time to act on it.
An ARC reader is not an editor. I'm not line-editing your prose or proofreading your commas. I'm reading as your intended audience would, then explaining that experience in a way you can use. Where did the book have me completely? Where did I glance at how many pages were left? Which twist did I see coming three chapters early, and what gave it away?
That distinction matters because it tells you different things. A developmental editor tells you how the machinery of the story is built. An ARC reader tells you what it feels like to sit inside it. Most books benefit from both, and a good ARC read often confirms whether the edit you're considering is worth the money.
Alongside the feedback, you get the promotional half: an honest review, timed for release, written by someone who read the whole book and can say specifically why it's worth a reader's evening.
The process
How I read a manuscript
Two passes, always. The first is for feeling, the second is for craft — and the notes come from both.
Step one
The brief
You tell me the genre, the comparable titles, the audience you're writing for, and anything you're already uneasy about. If there's content you'd like me to flag or avoid, we agree it now.
Step two
The first read
I read the manuscript the way a reader would — start to finish, at a normal pace, without stopping to analyse. I note where my attention moves and where it drifts, but I don't interrupt the experience.
Step three
The second pass
Now I go back with a pencil. Pacing, structure, character consistency, dialogue, setting, tension, satisfying payoff. This is where the margin notes happen, chapter by chapter.
Step four
The report
Everything becomes a written report: overall impression, chapter-level notes, what's working strongly, what I'd revisit, and where the book sits against its genre expectations.
Step five
The review
If you'd like one, I write an honest reader review ready for release day, plus short-form versions for retailer pages and social posts.
What you receive
Everything that lands in your inbox
Delivered as a formatted PDF and an editable document, so you can work straight from the notes.
Written feedback report
Typically 1,500–3,000 words covering overall impression, chapter notes, strengths and suggested revisions.
Launch-ready review
An honest long review plus trimmed versions sized for retailer pages, Goodreads and social captions.
Pull quotes
Three to five quotable lines you can use in promotional graphics — or that I can design for you.
Follow-up call
An optional 30-minute conversation to talk through the notes once you've had time to sit with them.
Turnaround
Honest timelines, held to
Reading slowly is the point, so I quote generously and tell you immediately if anything shifts.
Up to 60,000 words
10–14 days
60,000 – 100,000 words
14–21 days
100,000 words and above
21–28 days
Rush read (subject to availability)
5–7 days
Care & confidentiality
Your manuscript is safe here
Every manuscript is treated as confidential. I don't share files, quote unpublished text publicly, or discuss a work in progress with anyone. Files stay in private storage and are deleted on request once a project closes.
I'm glad to sign an NDA before receiving anything. I also work to a content agreement: tell me what you'd like flagged and I'll note it carefully rather than react to it in a review.
Reviews are always honest. I won't promise a star rating in advance, and if a book isn't working for me I'll tell you privately before anything is published.
Testimonials
What authors say about the notes
Placeholder quotes, ready to replace with real feedback.
She told me the middle sagged and showed me the exact three scenes doing it. I cut two and the book finally moved.
Author name
Debut fantasy
The report read like a conversation with my ideal reader. Generous, specific, and never vague.
Author name
Contemporary romance
Her review was the first one on my retailer page and set the tone for everything that followed.
Author name
Historical fiction
Charlotte Reads/Creative
Ready to hand your manuscript to a real reader?
Send me the genre, the word count and your ideal timeline, and I'll tell you honestly whether I'm the right reader for it.