ARC — Advanced Reader Copy
Run your ARC program on your own WordPress site. List your book on unjacketed.com, recruit real Amazon reviewers, deliver ebooks securely, and follow up automatically.
What It Does
ARC is a WordPress plugin for authors who want to manage advance reader copies without a third-party platform taking a cut or owning their data.
Readers sign in with their Amazon account, download your ebook, and receive automated reminders until they leave a review. You see every signup, every download, and every confirmed review in your own admin panel.
How It Works
1. Readers log in with Amazon Your ARC landing page has a Login with Amazon button. No passwords, no fake accounts — every reader is a verified Amazon user with a real reviewer profile.
2. The plugin checks their track record Every Amazon reviewer has a signup-to-review ratio tracked across all sites using ARC. You set the minimum ratio. First-time reviewers always get through. Chronic non-reviewers don’t.
3. They answer your questions and download You can add custom questions to the signup form — free text or multiple choice. Mark any answer as disqualifying and the reader is automatically declined. Everyone else gets a secure, personal download link.
4. Automated emails keep things moving Set a release date and the plugin handles the rest: a release-day announcement, weekly reminders until they’ve left a review, and a thank-you email when you mark their review confirmed.
Features
Reader Management
- Login with Amazon — verified identities, no fake signups
- Reviewer reputation gating — set a minimum signup:review ratio
- Profile URL verification — confirms the reviewer’s Amazon profile exists before signup completes
- Custom signup questions with optional disqualifying answers
- Per-user tokenized download links — readers can’t share a single URL
- PDF and EPUB support, with a format-choice page when both are available
- Signup cap with optional “X spots remaining” countdown on the landing page
- Unsubscribe link on every email, with one-click opt-out
Email Automation
- Release date announcement — sent automatically on the day the book drops
- Weekly review reminders — sent until the reader has left a review (or you’ve marked them confirmed)
- Thank-you email — triggered when you confirm a review in the admin
- All emails sent via your own Brevo account with your own sender name and address
- Four fully editable HTML templates per ARC
Unjacketed Directory
- List your ARC on unjacketed.com to attract reviewers who are actively looking for books to read
- Readers browsing the directory click through to your landing page and sign up directly on your site
- Control how long your listing stays live — pull it automatically on your release date, or keep it up as long as your ARC is open
- Set a genre so your book surfaces to the right readers
Admin
- Manage multiple ARCs (multiple books) from one WordPress install
- Users tab: search by email, view downloads, confirm reviews, ban or unban readers
- Export your reader list as CSV
- Export readers directly to a Brevo contact list
- Street team access — grant confirmed reviewers access to members-only content on your site (WordPress category gating)
- Invite prior reviewers to a new ARC with a one-click email blast
Privacy & Security
- All reader data stored in your own WordPress database — you own it
- Ebook files served by PHP, never exposed as direct URLs
- Download tokens are unique per reader and don’t expire unless reset by an admin
- HMAC-signed requests to the Unjacketed reputation API
Download & Installation
The plugin is currently under review for the WordPress Plugin Directory. Once approved (expected within 10 days) you’ll be able to install it directly from Plugins → Add New inside WordPress. Until then, use the manual installation steps below.
Manual installation
- Download the zip file using the link above.
- In your WordPress admin, go to Plugins → Add New Plugin.
- Click Upload Plugin at the top of the page.
- Choose the downloaded zip file and click Install Now.
- Click Activate Plugin.
Once activated, ARC appears in your WordPress admin sidebar. The plugin will register with the Unjacketed API automatically on first activation.
Requirements
- WordPress 6.3 or later
- PHP 8.1 or later
- A free Brevo account (for email sending)
- An Unjacketed API key (issued on plugin activation — free while in beta)
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find reviewers? Two ways. You can invite your own audience — share your ARC landing page URL anywhere you already have readers. Or list your ARC on the Unjacketed directory, where readers who are actively looking for books to review can find you. Both happen at the same time if you want.
Do readers need an Amazon account? Yes. Login with Amazon is how ARC verifies that reviewers are real people with real Amazon profiles. Readers without an Amazon account cannot sign up.
Can I use my own email service instead of Brevo? Not currently. Brevo is required for email sending. Brevo’s free tier supports up to 300 emails per day, which is enough for most independent authors.
Can I run ARCs for more than one book? Yes. The plugin supports unlimited ARCs from a single WordPress install, each with its own landing page, files, questions, and email templates.
What happens when a reader unsubscribes? They’re removed from all future emails for your ARC. Their unsubscribe is also recorded on the Unjacketed platform, so they can’t re-signup on any site using ARC.
How does reviewer reputation gating work? Every time a reader signs up for an ARC through this plugin (or any other site using the Unjacketed platform), it’s counted. Every time an author confirms a review, that’s counted too. The ratio is signups ÷ reviews. You set the minimum — readers below your threshold see a polite rejection. Readers with zero prior signups always get through.
What’s the street team feature? If you have exclusive content on your WordPress site (patron posts, early chapters, bonus material), you can lock it behind a WordPress category and grant ARC reviewers access. The plugin creates a WordPress subscriber account for them and grants access when you check the box in the Users tab.
Is this free? The plugin is free and open source. Brevo has a free tier. Unjacketed API keys are free and always will be.
Changelog
0.1.0
Initial release.
Privacy
ARC stores the following reader data in your WordPress database: Amazon user ID, name, email address, Amazon reviewer profile URL, answers to your custom questions, and download history. This data is never shared with third parties. The Unjacketed platform retains only aggregate reputation data (signup count and review count) linked to Amazon user IDs — no names or email addresses.
You are responsible for complying with applicable privacy laws (GDPR, CAN-SPAM, etc.) when collecting and using reader data through this plugin.
