As authors, we want to ensure readers know what they are signing up for while also getting to know who they are. However, practice shows that certain questions lead to high drop-off rates, which is where authors need to be careful.
This is especially critical if this is your first ARC campaign: you are building your reader base – many of whom will follow you into future releases – so your primary goal should be maximizing conversions. Readers need to actually complete the form before you can vet them, should you choose to do so.
After observing numerous ARC campaigns, here are the key insights and best practices we have identified:
- Keep your form brief (5–7 questions max). Cabins Press collects name, email, and content warning acknowledgments by default, so you don’t need to worry about those. If you add custom questions, keep both the length of each question and the total number of questions brief. Long, wordy questions or lengthy forms increase friction and lower your overall conversion rate. Focus your questions strictly on gathering essential reader demographic data rather than listing restrictions.
- Do not ask for Instagram handles. Data shows, requesting social handles often leads to high form drop-off. Even if the field is optional, readers worry they are being vetted by their follower count. For smaller indie authors, consider skipping asking for social handles entirely to maximize conversions. But if you are receiving a high volume of sign-ups and need to vet reviewers by reach, you can add it back in.
- Keep questions brief (5–7 questions max). Platforms like Cabins Press collect name, email, and content warning acknowledgments by default. If you add custom questions, keep both the length of each question and the total number of questions brief. Limit your form to 5–7 short questions total. Every additional field or wordy question increases friction and lowers your conversion rate. Focus your questions strictly on collecting essential reader demographic data rather than listing warnings or restrictions.
- Skip unenforceable pledge questions. Pledges like “I agree not to upload this book to AI” are ineffective – readers who intend to misuse files will sign anyway. Furthermore, if you use Cabins Press for your ARC campaign, readers view your book through the e-reader app, which prevents file scraping automatically. Asking these questions simply adds unnecessary friction to your form.
Your ARC sign-up form is often the very first interaction readers have with your book, so it’s in your best interest to make it as pleasant and painless as possible. Keep your form clean, clear, and focused strictly on the essentials. Remember: the easier it is to sign up, the more reviewers you'll welcome to your launch team.
Read about the next step - Setting Up Your ARC Campaign Emails - in the next article!