Stormy Night Publications Publishers of BDSM and Kink Erotica
We are in the process of expanding our advance review copy (ARC) program, and we are looking for readers who enjoy books in this genre who might like to participate in this program.
What do ARC program participants get from SNP?
ARC program participants will receive free copies of upcoming SNP books before those books are made available for sale. Advance review copies will generally be sent out a few days before the release of any given book, but in some cases they may be sent out a week or more in advance and in other cases they may be sent out closer to the release date of the book.
What does SNP expect of ARC program participants?
ARC program participants will need to be willing to read and leave a review for a minimum of one book per week on average, and ideally two books per week or more.
Is there anything in particular that every review left as part of this program must include?
Every review left by an ARC program participant for a book received through this program must include either the following statement or a close variation of it in the text of their review:
I received this book from Stormy Night Publications as an advance review copy.
What if an ARC program participant doesn’t enjoy a particular book they received through this program?
Reviews left by ARC program participants should be both honest and positive. Under no circumstances will anyone ever be asked to leave a positive review for a book they did not enjoy, but we would ask that ARC program participants refrain from leaving negative reviews (i.e. anything less than four stars on Amazon) of SNP titles.
If a participant does not enjoy a particular book they received through this program, we would ask them to provide their feedback on that book to Stormy Night in lieu of leaving a review.
Should ARC program participants provide constructive criticism in their reviews?
It is often the case that what one person may perceive as constructive criticism will not be taken by the recipient in the constructive way that it was intended. For this reason, we would ask that ARC program participants send constructive criticism and other similar feedback to SNP rather than including it in their reviews.
If a participant liked a particular book enough to leave an honest and positive review in spite of any issues they had with that book, they are welcome to both leave a review and send their feedback about those issues to SNP. If a participant does not enjoy a particular book they received through this program enough to leave an honest and positive review, we would ask them to provide their feedback on that book to Stormy Night in lieu of leaving a review.
Can ARC program participants choose which books they want to review?
ARC program participants are welcome to read and review as many upcoming books as they would like through the program, so participants will always have the opportunity to read and review books from their favorite SNP authors.
However, since we do need to ensure that brand new or less-established authors also have their books reviewed as part of this program, participants will need to be willing to read and review books by a variety of SNP authors. If a particular person is only interested in books by a small number of SNP authors, that person would not be a good fit for our ARC program.
Can ARC program participants choose to review only books in certain sub-genres?
If a particular sub-genre does not appeal to a given ARC program participant, we will avoid sending that participant books from that genre. While we don’t have a problem with a participant avoiding one or two sub-genres, however, a reader who only enjoys a very limited range of books would not be a good fit for this program.
So, for example, if a participant does not enjoy books with an age play theme, we will avoid sending that person age play themed books. Similarly, if a reviewer does not enjoy books with a sci-fi setting (or a western setting, or a Scottish setting, etc.) we will accommodate that. If a person only enjoys westerns or only enjoys sci-fi or only enjoys age play, on the other hand, that person would not be a good fit for our ARC program.
How many books can ARC program participants request at a time?
New ARC program participants will initially be limited to two books at a time, and new books will only be sent once the participant has read and reviewed the books sent to them previously (with feedback sent to SNP serving in lieu of a review for any book a reviewer did not enjoy).
Once a participant has been in the program for a reasonable period of time, we will send them as many of our upcoming releases as they would like, provided that they continue to keep up with reading and reviewing the books they receive.
Is there a timeframe in which ARC program participants must leave their reviews?
There is not a hard and fast rule as to how quickly ARC program participants must leave their reviews for books they have received through this program, but in general it is expected that reviews will be left either within the first couple of days after a book’s release on Amazon or within a week of the reviewer receiving the book, whichever comes later.
On which sites should ARC program participants leave their reviews?
ARC program participants must at a minimum leave a review on Amazon for each book received through the program (with feedback sent to SNP serving in lieu of a review for any book a reviewer did not enjoy). If they would like to do so, reviewers are also welcome to review the books they receive through this program on any other store where the book is available for sale or on any other suitable site.
How will SNP keep track of books sent to ARC program participants and reviews left for those books?
When an upcoming book is ready to be read and reviewed, an email will be sent to all ARC program participants with information about the book (author name, tentative title, and a rough draft of the synopsis). ARC program participants who are interested in reading and reviewing that book will then contact SNP operations manager Chris Miles to request an advance review copy. Chris’ email address is chris@stormynightpublications.com.
If a situation arises in which an upcoming book has not been requested by a reasonable number of ARC program participants, SNP may contact participants who we believe would enjoy that particular book and request that they consider reading and reviewing it.
Once a participant has read and reviewed a book, the text of the review should be sent to Chris via email so that we can confirm that the review has been posted to Amazon.
Can authors participate in the ARC program?
Due to a wide range of potential issues that can occasionally arise when authors review books by other authors in the same genre, authors who have published books in the spanking/BDSM erotica and erotic romance genre cannot participate in our ARC program.